Kiwi triple bill

Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland to be sandwiched between two other match racing events in March

While Auckland has been known as the venue for the next Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta, over 7-21 March 2010, today Auckland City Council have announced that this regatta will in fact form one part of a triple bill of regatta to be called the Auckland Festival of Sail, taking place in Waitemata Harbour throughout March.

Auckland Festival of Sail is being organised by Emirates Team New Zealand, with support from Auckland City Council, Tourism Auckland and AucklandPlus.

The series kicks off with the Omega Auckland Match Race Regatta on 2-6 March. Hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron this event will attract the world’s best match racing sailors to Auckland just prior to the Louis Vuitton Trophy. It is believed that Ben Ainslie, Francesco Bruni and even Dennis Conner have been invited.

At the same time the RNZYS will be hosting the World Junior Match Racing Championships so Auckland will be hosting the world’s current and emerging match racing champions.

The Omega Auckland Match Race Regatta moves directly into the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland, previously known as the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, the main attraction of the Auckland Festival of Sail, featuring several potential America's Cup teams. The 2009 event made an impact in excess of $16 million on the Auckland economy and increased the region’s GDP by at least $11.5 million.

The trio of regatta will conclude with the final of the BMW Sailing World Cup over 21-25 March. This is a match racing regatta for amateur sailors where seven international teams sail in identical boats to determine the best amateur match racing crew in the world. RNZYS in partnership with BMW NZ will be hosting this event.

Auckland Festival of Sail will also coincide with the Auckland International Boat Show to be held over 10-14 March.

In addition to all this Auckland City Council are promising great off-water activities and entertainment for locals and visitors alike to enjoy, with an event village to be established at the Viaduct Basin.

Auckland city Mayor, Hon John Banks, says the festival is a perfect opportunity to showcase Auckland and its spectacular waterfront: "Not only is this great news for Aucklanders with another festival added to the summer events calendar, it also great news for businesses, especially those in the hospitality, tourism and marine sectors.

"Major events are important economic drivers, especially during the tough times that we are currently experiencing. Securing this festival in Auckland is another step on our road to establishing the city as a desirable international events destination and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best sailors to our shores next year."