| 5th Annual Renre Junior Gold Cup Begins Tomorrow |
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Nine junior sailors from seven countries to vie against Bermudians HAMILTON, Bermuda (Oct. 10, 2007) — Running concurrently with the King Edward VII Gold Cup this week is the fifth annual Renaissance Reinsurance Junior Gold Cup for junior sailors from Bermuda and around the world. Racing begins tomorrow, Oct. 11, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 14. The events differ in more than just their amateur and professional status. The pros are racing for prize money, but the Junior Gold Cup is about more than racing. The international junior sailors, ages 13 to 15, are selected by national Optimist associations. They're flown to Bermuda by RenRe, the title sponsor, hosted by local families and gain an insight to Bermuda culture by spending a day in school with their hosts. "It's a fantastic opportunity for Bermudian and invited international sailors to compete against one another on the water, and after the racing they have the chance to meet with the best match racers in the world. The senior sailors are always so happy to hold informal discussions with our Opti sailors about rules, racing tactics and their sailing experiences," said Event Chairman Ronald Stan. "Staying with the locals is a great cultural and life skills experience for all parties. We had five Japanese Opti sailors stay with us last year during another event, and I can tell you that we all learned a lot from that week," Stan said. There are 22 Bermudian sailors entered in the Junior Gold Cup, including James Anfossi. Anfossi placed 13th in last year's Junior Gold Cup and qualified for the Bermudian team that went to the Optimist Worlds in South America. "This regatta will kick off our racing season here in Bermuda," said Stan. "It involves various qualifying series for the International Optimist Dinghy Association championships, such as the Worlds, North Americans and Europeans." Nine international entries have been received from seven countries including Denmark (Jes Lyhne Bonde, who placed fifth overall last year, and Balder Tobiasen), Finland (Mikka Nikkilä), New Zealand (Andrew McKenzie), Portugal (Goncalo Pinho), Sweden (Jesper Gunneling and Oskar Lundqvist), Switzerland (Tim Wächter) and the U.S. (Morgan Kiss). The Junior Gold Cup will conduct four fleet races per day on Great Sound. The final day, Sunday, Oct. 14, will see the championship sailed on Hamilton Harbour during the final rounds of the King Edward VII Gold Cup. The Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association thanks Renaissance Reinsurance for sponsoring the Junior Gold Cup for the fifth consecutive year and to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club for being a great supporter of junior sailing in Bermuda. For information about the Bermuda Gold Cup Sean McNeill Director of Public Relations Tel: +1 441 777 7245 (SAIL) E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For information about Bermuda Gold Cup and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Donna Heslop Sailing Secretary Tel: +441 294 6716 Fax: +441 295 6361 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Web sites: Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, King Edward VII Gold Cup, Bermuda Department of Tourism |
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