Monday, February 14, 2011

SAN DIEGO WELCOMES INTERNATIONAL SAILING FOR THE 2011 ORACLE RC44 CUP

World-class sailing event on San Diego Bay, March 2 – 6, marks opening of the 2011 RC44 Championship
Tour




SAN DIEGO – The Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego, a world-class sailing regatta featuring the RC44 class fleet and sponsored by ORACLE, will take place on San Diego Bay, March 2 – 6, 2011. The regatta brings together the biggest names in international sailing and global business for the opening round of the 2011 RC44 Championship Tour.

After the inaugural U.S. event in Miami at the end of the 2010 season, and an outing at KeyWest Race Week, the class is now heading west to make its debut at the Oracle RC44 Cup SanDiego. The event features 11 RC44 teams representing nine nations.

The RC44 class was conceived and co-designed by four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts. With an evenly split amateur and professional crew line-up, the class attracts some of the world’s leading business minds as their owner-drivers, along with many of the world’s top sailors.

Racing will take place over five days in San Diego, with four days of fleet racing, where theboats can only be driven by their owner, and one day of America’s Cup-style match racing, when the pro sailors can get their chance to shine at the helm. Spectator viewing is free from portions of Broadway Pier, Harbor Island and numerous areas along the downtown waterfront.

Among the top sailors set to compete on the 2011 RC44 Championship Tour are class designer Russell Coutts (NZL), American yachting legend Paul Cayard and San Diego native son Rod Davis, Audi MedCup winners Morgan Larson (USA) and Jose Maria Ponce (ESP), Olympic Gold medalist Kevin Burnham (USA), along with some of the world’s top match racing talent including Cameron Appleton (NZL).

The 2011 RC44 Championship Tour takes in six venues, including in Austria, France, Sweden and Spain, before coming to a close with the 2011 RC44 World Championships in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands in November.

With Coutts’ ORACLE Racing team, led by Larry Ellison, winning the 2010 RC44Championship at a thrilling Miami showdown in December, each of the 2011 teams – established and new – will be vying to topple ORACLE from its throne.

The Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego marks a poignant return to the city for Coutts, who won the first of his four historic America’s Cup titles in San Diego in 1995. He believes the 2011 RC44 Championship Tour is gearing up to be the most compelling and closely-fought yet.

“Last year’s Championship came down to the wire in Miami and with more owners coming into the class, the level and intensity of the competition is going to be greater than ever,” said Coutts. “It’s always great to race in San Diego, it will be a natural amphitheatre those watching from onshore. I’m looking forward to a great regatta.”

The Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego is organized by Sailing Events Association San Diego, a leading sailboat racing events organization, positioning the city as a top sailing destination by bringing world-class sailing events to San Diego. Racing will take place directly in front of the magnificent new spectator friendly Port Pavilion at the Broadway Pier, giving fans the chance to get close to the action.

“All of San Diego is looking forward to great racing on San Diego Bay," said JJ Fetter, Olympic silver medalist and event coordinator for the Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego. "This will be a unique opportunity to see such high-caliber America’s Cup talent, like Russell Coutts, Paul Cayard and Rod Davis, return to do battle on San Diego Bay, and we will be encouraging the public to come and watch the action for free from the Broadway Pier."

The RC44 Championship Tour was launched in 2007 and in its first four seasons visited multiple venues across Europe, the Middle East and the U.S.

For more information vist the regatta website: www.oraclerc44cupsandiego.com