RYA Team GBR prepares to defend Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup title
Four GBR teams poised for the seven-day assault
RYA Racing
Keelboat Manager Nigel King admits the defence of the Brewin Dolphin
Commodores’ Cup 2014 will be a ‘tough challenge’ but one that his British
contingent can overcome as they prepare to defend GBR Red’s title ahead of the
biennial event which gets underway in Cowes, Isle of Wight, on Sunday 19
August.
A tough mix
of inshore and offshore racing, the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup is an
intense seven-day programme (19-26 July) that pits teams comprising one boat in
each of three specified class bands against one another to accrue overall team
points.
Team GBR Head
Coach King, who led the Brits to success at the 2012 event, said: “Defending
the title is always a very hard thing to do and will pose a tough challenge,
but I know that the four GBR teams which we have selected for this year’s event
will be giving it their upmost to rise to the challenge.
“The team
that wins the event overall will have to be consistent all week across both inshore
and offshore racing and will need all three boats to be near the front of the
fleet. It’s a long week with a real mix of racing coming in quick succession,
it will require a huge amount of mental and physical strength to not make
mistakes, and no matter how well you sail you need your teammates to be doing
the same to be successful.”
Great Britain
is entering four teams, GBR Red, White, Blue and Scotland compromising three
boats in each team which were selected by the RYA after a very competitive
trials process earlier in the year. They will be joined by a well-equipped team
from Ireland, who took event honours in 2010, and the French who will also be
fielding four teams at the Royal Ocean Racing Club's flagship event.
King added:
“For most of the sailors competing, this will be the biggest regatta they have
ever taken part in. They are incredibly motivated to give a good account
of themselves and retain the trophy for Great Britain. We have two boats returning from the 2012 event but the
remaining 10 boats are all fist time competitors. There a few sailors who were
part of the 2012 event but are now on new teams, but whose experience of
competing in this kind of regatta before will be crucial across the seven day
programme.”
With an
extremely tight and competitive fleet ready to do battle at the 2014 event,
King expects the outcome still to be in the balance going into the last
double-points race on Saturday (26 July).
“There has
been a lot of talk about the Irish, and we know the French are sending four
strong teams, however what makes it very interesting is whether any one team
will have three boats that can really perform all at the same time, across a
full range of conditions and course. It will undoubtedly be a highly
competitive week of racing which I’m sure will go down to the final day of racing.”
RYA Team GBR
Red, who clinched championship victory over second-placed GBR White two years
ago, will compromise Iain Kirkpatrick’s X37, Fatjax, Mike Blair’s King
40, Cobra, and Robert Lutener’s Ker 40, Cutting Edge on Baraka.
“It is a
privilege and exciting to be given the opportunity to represent GBR at such a
prestigious event. Although we have not competed before in this event, we are
expecting some stiff competition from some of the best boats and crews in
Europe. Our aim remains simple, to be the top boat and assist wherever
possible our teammates to retain the trophy,” expressed Fatjax’s Kirkpatrick.
“It is
undoubtedly a difficult competition and teams such as that entered by Ireland
face a real threat to retaining the trophy. However, we believe that our build
up to this event has been unrelenting and this is demonstrated by Fatjax
topping the qualifying rounds leaderboard for the GBR entry and winning IRC 1
in the Round the Island Race.”
Kirkpatrick
brings a Fatjax team that have developed over a number of years with a
great deal of success in the Solent, including winning their IRC class four
times running in Cowes Week between 2005-2011 as well as a top 20 finish (third
GBR Boat) in the Rolex Fastnet Race 2013.
And with the
regatta compromising an intense seven day programme, Kirkpatrick agrees that
consistency will be the key for the defence of the prestigious trophy.
“The core
Fatjax team has developed over a number of years together with some newer crew
members. With that comes experience and maturity plus a passion to compete for
the trophy. Being one of the slower true 'production boats' we do not stand out
as being fast and glitzy, and our main challenge will be finding clear wind.
However we are consistent and over such a regatta it will be consistency that
wins.”
RYA Team GBR
representatives for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup 2014:
RYA Team
GBR Red
Iain
Kirkpatrick; X 37 - Fatjax
Mike Blair;
King 40 - Cobra
Robert
Lutener; Ker 40 - Cutting Edge on Baraka
RYA Team
GBR White
James Gair;
Mills 39 - Localletterbox Zero II
James
Neville; Corby 36 - INO
Ed Broadway;
Ker 40 - Hooligan VII
RYA Team
GBR Blue
David Aisher;
J109 - Yeoman of Wight
Robert
Stiles; J109 - Diamond Jem
Richard Patrick;
Beneteau First 40 - Dusty P
RYA Team
Scotland
Jamie
McGarry; Swan 45 - Eala of Rhu
Rod Stuart;
Corby 37 - Eos
Steve Cowie;
Beneteau First 40 – Zephyr
The 2014 Team
Crewlists can be found here.
The
Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup 2014 will be held between 19-26 July 2014 at
Cowes, Isle of Wight. For further information on the event visit www.commodorescup.rorc.org