Ten national champions and the European champion head the group invited to sail against Bermuda’s best Optimist Dinghy sailors. Skipper photos and accomplishments are at www.bermudagoldcup.com/content/view/88/48/.

Hamilton, Bermuda (September 29, 2009): The Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup attracts a spectacular group of young international sailors to compete against Bermuda’s top opti sailors. Bermudians include the top four in Bermuda’s team trials... Mackenzie Cooper, Owen Siese, Dimitri Stevens and Sam Stan. Eighteen young Bermudians in all will compete bringing the fleet to thirty-four competitive sailors.

All overseas Opti sailors have now confirmed their invitations. Of the sixteen confirmed sailors, ten are their nation's champion with a ranking of #1 and thirteen participated in this year’s IODA (International Optimist Dinghy Association) Worlds. Nine of them finished in the top half. Included in this top-notch group is the IODA European Champion.

The three days of Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup races will be sailed in Optimist Dinghies on Bermuda's Great Sound October 8-10. The final race will be on Hamilton Harbour, Sunday October 11, during an intermission in the Argo Group Gold Cup finals.

The skipper’s ages range from 11-15yrs with 25% of the sailors being girls and we have twelve different nations from North America, South America, Europe, Oceania and the Caribbean represented.

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club are proud to host this incredibly talented group of children in Bermuda and thank Renaissance Re for making it possible.

The Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup web pages may be reached by clicking on the icon or through the RenRe Jr Gold Cup menu tab on the Argo Group Gold Cup home page www.argogroupgoldcup.com

About RenaissanceRe
RenaissanceRe is a leading provider of property catastrophe reinsurance and insurance worldwide. Founded in Bermuda in 1993, the Company has gained recognition for excellence in the industry through disciplined underwriting, capital management expertise, sophisticated risk modeling and responsive client service. RenaissanceRe is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ‘RNR’. For more information, please visit our website: www.renre.com

For Argo Group Gold Cup & RennaissanceRe Jr Gold Cup Media Contact:
Talbot Wilson, Talbot Wilson & Associates, Inc.
Phone: +1 (850)432-8170 Fax: +1 (850)432-8050 Mobile: +1 (850)217-7138
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SKYPE: talbotwilson

For RenRe Junior Gold Cup contact:
P. Somers Cooper, Regatta Chairman
Phone: 441-295-3961 ext 268 Direct: 441-278-3432 Fax: 441-295-2961
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For RenaissanceRe Contact:
Giselle Baksh
Phone: 441- 239-4814 Mobile: 441- 525-7209
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For Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association contact:
Paul Wolmann, President
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