America's Cup vets line up

ACC boats and a 12m will contest the Qantas America Classic Cup today

Peter Harrison's GBR Challenge has entered the Qantas America Classic Cup Regatta, which is the first ever staging of an America's Cup Class regatta in the UK. The British America's Cup team lines up against three other British ACC yachts and Don Wood's 12 metre Italia.

One fleet race will be held off Yarmouth daily from Friday until Sunday with starts scheduled for 10am. The regatta, devised by John Caulcutt and run by the Royal Solent Yacht Club is supported by Qantas.

GBR 41, helmed by Andy Beadsworth and skippered by Julian Salter will face John Caulcutt's High Voltage and France 2 and France 3, now in the UK under the ownership of Sunsail.

Harrison's Sailing Manager, Ian Walker, explained why the team had entered: "We are delighted the Royal Solent Yacht Club is hosting the first ever America's Cup Class Regatta in the UK. We will be sailing GBR 41 our 1995 generation ACC boat as we need to prepare that for the Jubilee regatta in August. It will be good to practice fleet starts and good for the guys to get into the routine of racing."

The regatta is also former rower Ian Weighell's first ever competitive sailing event on the British America's Cup challenger. Joining him at the grinding stations will be Olympic rowing gold medallist Greg Searle, competing in his second ever sailing regatta.

Don Wood is stepping away from the helm of Italia and has replaced himself with his good friend and veteran America's Cup helm Chris Law. Team Italia are looking to use this as a training ground for the Jubilee regatta also and having Chris on board will prove a valuable learning ground for them.
The idea of the regatta came from Patrick Foley of Maxima Yacht Charters (who run Caulcutt's ACC boat), inspired by the arrival of the ACC boats in the UK last summer. Its aim is to prove three days of informal and training prior to August's America's Cup Jubilee. The boats will race round the cans with courses of approximately three hours duration. An informal rating will be determined between the skippers. The winners will get round the world tickets that will enable them to attend the 2003 America's Cup compliments of Qantas Airlines.