China and Croatia to Compete in 2007 BACARDI CupTuesday February 20, 2:00 pm ET
MIAMI, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The BACARDI Cup Star Class Regatta expands its reach drawing teams from China and Croatia for the first time in its 80- year history. Early registrants for the six-day race series include former Star Class World Champions and Olympic Medalists from 19 countries.
Former BACARDI Cup champions in the early sign-up include 2004 winner Afonso Domingos of Portugal, seven-time winner and Olympian Mark Reynolds of California, two-time winner and Olympian Peter Bromby of Bermuda, and John Dane and Austin Sperry, defending champions from Mississippi.
"We expect to see some strong competition on Biscayne Bay as many of these teams are vying for 2008 Beijing Olympic slots in their respective countries," said Craig Prandini, event chairman. "There are eight teams from Germany alone and four teams from Switzerland," he noted.
"Besides the appeal of Florida's warm winter waters, there is nothing quite like the BACARDI Cup where seasoned amateurs can enter the regatta and test their skills against the best Star Class sailors in the world," he said.
The 2007 BACARDI Cup Regatta will be sailed March 4 through March 9. It is co-hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club and the U.S. Sailing Center, both based in Coconut Grove, and sponsored by Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.
Starts in HavanaThis race for the Trofeo BACARDI originated in Havana, Cuba in 1927 and the tradition flourished until political unrest forced BACARDI to leave Cuba in the late 1950's, subsequently taking the company's sailing competition out of the country as well.
In 1962, the Regatta found a new home in Miami at the Coral Reef Yacht Club, where it has continued to sail ever since. The BACARDI Cup remains one of the few Cuban-born sporting events to survive in the United States.
Oldest Olympic Sailing ClassAll participants in the BACARDI Cup compete aboard 22-foot Star class sloops. Race teams comprise two members: a skipper and crew. Participants sail one race per day from Sunday through Friday on an approximately 10.5-mile course in Biscayne Bay. The six daily races of the Cup will each proclaim a winner, with the overall top winning team demonstrating the best performance in five of these six races.
The Notice of Race, Online Registration, and further regatta information can be found online at www.starclass.org. Archival information and photos can be found at
www.bacardicup.com.
Formated for CROWN by Marko Puljiæ
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