Challenger qualifications

Six Italian teams have won the right to challenge for the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy in Italy

The International 18HT Championship and Challengers Qualifier for the 25th International Catamaran Challenge Trophy was held in Bellaria-Igea Marina, a few miles north of Rimini, on 21-24 May.

This regatta was attended also by Mark Murray and Alex Efre Perez, one of the three US Defender teams who will compete for the ICCT, the other two being John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree, the current holders, and Mark and Randy Batchelor.

Unfortunately two additional US teams were prevented from attending the regatta: Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston due to unforeseen working commitments in early May, while the day before Rob Parrish and Lars Guck were scheduled flight to Rimini, Parrish was stuck down by a serious illness.

Prior to the ICCT itself, the winner of the Defender round Robin will sail against the winner of the Challenger Round Robin, between the six qualified Challengers (the crews classified from first to seventh place ie excluding the third placed US team):

Results:

1. ITA 160 Saragoni-Di Battista Circolo Vela Cesenatico BIMARE Javelin 2 (2-1-1-1-1-3-1-2-2-2) pt. 9
2. ITA 156 Monti-Raffelli Circolo Vela Cesenatico BIMARE Javelin 2
(1-2-2-2-2-1-DNF-1-1) pt. 10
3. USA Murray-Efre-Perez Sea Cliff Yacht Club BIMARE Javelin 2
(6-8-5-3-4-2-5-4-3) pt. 26
4. ITA 156 Mughetti-Casadei Circolo Vela Cesenatico BIMARE Javelin 2
(5-5-6-4-3-4-2-6-4) pt. 27
5. ITA 157 Gori-Filippi Club Nautico Rimini BIMARE Javelin 2
(4-4-3-5-6-5-3-8-5) pt. 29
6. ITA 159 Giannini-Cooper Circolo Vela Cesenatico BIMARE Javelin 2
(3-3-4-6-7-DNF-6-5-9) pt.34
7. ITA 131 Morelli-Brolli Adriatico Wind Club BIMARE Javelin 2
(7-7-7-7-5-7-4-7-6) pt.43
8. SUI 111 Lutz-Kaser RVS VENTILO 18HT
(8-6-8-8-8-6-7-3-7) pt.45

All the six Challengers are Italians since the three Swiss teams registered to compete for the LAC failed to qualify.

The 25th ICCT will be sailed on nine identical new Bimare Javelin 2 catamarans supplied by the Italian boatyard, which demonstrated at the 18HT Championship to be actually the winning design in the 18HT class.

The winner of the ICCT will be awarded not only of the historical Trophy but also of a EUR 10.000,00 cheque, while the defeated team will get EUR 5.000,00.

The event will be hosted in the luxury Marina di Rimini and is sponsored by Provincia di Rimini, Lampogas, Celli, Gruppo Ivas, Romagna Est BCC, Regione Emilia-Romagna, INOX.BI.m, Riba Composites, HArken Sailing Gear, Aux Mar and Bimare.