International Catamaran Challenge Trophy comes to Italy

Sean McNeill outlines the next F18HT event to be held in Rimini

American catamaran sailors John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree won a medal in the Olympics last year. In two months they’ll attempt to add a third International Catamaran Challenge Trophy to their résumé.

Lovell (37, New Orleans, La.) and Ogletree (37, Houston, Texas/Columbia, N.C.), who won a silver medal in the Tornado class at the Athens Olympic Regatta last August, are the lead U.S. Defense Team entered in the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy, scheduled 26 May-1 June, 2005, off Rimini, Italy.

If they successfully defend the trophy it’ll be their third consecutive victory in the event, and put them in the ranks of England’s Reg White, American Duncan MacLane and Australian Simon McKeon as multiple winners of the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy.

“That would rank pretty high on my list of accomplishments,” said Lovell, who describes himself as a monohull sailor who got into catamaran racing because of the Olympics. “The ICCT is a really neat event. It’s a little different for me. I’ve been very focused on the Olympics, but now Charlie and I are starting to do other cat events.”

The 25th anniversary ICCT will be contested on the Adriatic Sea off Rimini as part of the BLURimini Festival of sail and music.

The organising authority, BluRimini Srl., in cooperation with Vela Viva Sailing Club and Bimare Marine, intends to provide travel assistance of up to 1,000 Euros ($1,300 to $1,400) for the defending champions and the first four U.S. teams that enter the defense trials. Additionally, the organising authority plans to cover the room and board expenses for all US teams.

There’s also a prize purse offered for the first time in the history of the event. The organising authority will award 10,000 Euros (approximately $12,800) to the champion and 5,000 Euros ($6,400) to the runner-up.

“The travel assistance and prize purse are significant developments for the event,” said John B. Dawson, Chairman of the ICCT Trustees Committee. “They were among the factors in our decision to select Rimini as host of the 25th anniversary event. The travel assistance is an aspect that we hope will heighten the interest of U.S. teams.”

The Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, La.), two-time winners of the event in the form of Lovell and Ogletree, agreed to let the Trustees accept proposals from venues around the world to stage the event in an attempt to attract more competitors. Lovell and Ogletree, three-time Olympians, are one of 10 potential defense teams.

“I have a sense the event will be run very well,” said Lovell. “I’m excited to go. The fact that there’ll be prize money and the organisers are really into promoting the event should make it good.”

The organising authority obtained the right to host the event from the ICCT Trustees. The Trustees put the event out for bid after Southern Yacht Club completed a successful defense on Lake Pontchartrain last fall.

The challengers’ field will also count as many as 10 teams. At least six will qualify from the 2005 International 18HT Catamaran Championship, scheduled at Bellaria, Italy, May 21-25, 2005. Bellaria is approximately 10 miles from Rimini. Those teams that hope to qualify must be entered in the ICCT before the 18HT championship. Their entry fee will be returned if they don’t advance.

“I think everyone in our Class, especially the locals (from Rimini), knew that the ICCT would be held in Rimini and have consequently been working out hard,” said Jackie Cooper, Secretary of the F18HT Class Association and herself a competitor. “The Italians are really excited.”

Elimination racing for both defenders and challengers is scheduled 26-28 May, with May 29 a scheduled reserve day. The top teams from the defender and challenger trials advance to the 25th Match, scheduled 30-31 May, with 1 June a scheduled reserve day.