British line-up finalised

RYA Team GBR announce the 12 boats and four teams for the Rolex Commodores' Cup

RYA Team GBR has confirmed the line-ups for the final two teams that will make up Great Britain’s four-team assault on the 2008 Rolex Commodores’ Cup.

Following an extended trials process, culminating in the RORC IRC Nationals last weekend, RYA selectors are delighted to announce that the final six selected boats have now been split into the remaining two British three-boat teams for the prestigious week-long regatta which gets underway in Cowes on Sunday 29 June.

Fresh from her first in class triumph at the RORC De Guingand Bowl offshore event last month, Raymarine Warsash Big Boat Spring Championship victor Dark and Steamy (Nick & Anne Haigh) heads up GBR Black as the class one boat.

The British Army Sailing Association’s brand new Archambault 40 British Soldier (Mike Lawrence) is GBR Black’s class two entry, while David and Gill Richard’s Mills 36 Prime Suspect makes up the team as the class three boat.

Meanwhile, Team GBR White comprises John Dean’s First 45 Poppy of Portland Marina, who picked up a De Guingand Bowl class third, as the team’s class one boat.

GBR White’s class two boat, Premier Flair, will be a true family affair as Jim Macgregor helms with daughters Lucy, Skandia Team GBR’s 2007 ISAF World Championship Yngling bronze medallist, and Nicky, a member of the Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme, among his crew. Adrian Lower’s J/109 Jaguar of Burnha m, which sealed a class De Guingand Bowl third, is the team’s class three entry.

Iain Macdonald-Smith, chairman of the RYA’s Rolex Commodores’ Cup Selection Committee, said: “We needed to assess our triallists’ performance in lighter conditions so the IRC Nationals provided an ideal all-round test in a very competitive fleet.

“Our newly selected GBR Black team has shown good speed in winds under 10 knots, while the GBR White team will be capable of excellent results in the wind band from 10 to 20 knots. These appear to be two well-balanced teams and I am impressed with their overall commitment to raise their game as the season has gone on.”

The first British team to be unveiled last year - GBR Red - comprises newly-crowned IRC National champions Fair Dos VII (John Shepherd) in class one, Erivale (Jerry Otter) in class two and Quokka (Peter Rutter) in class three.

Meanwhile, GBR Blue has undergone two changes since its line-up was revealed in March. Novus Arca (Kelly/Brammall-chartered) still heads up class one however Andrew Pearce’s IMX 40 Magnum has replaced Sail4Cancer in class two. GBR Blue’s previous class three entry, Exaltation, sustained serious damage during last week’s IRC Nationals and she steps aside for the X35 Vortex (Tim Harrington).

Macdonald-Smith added: “The Commodores’ Cup defending champions France and Ireland were out in force at the IRC Nationals and GBR Red sailed a very good series, proving it could be a potential winner of the Cup. Having been selected last November, GBR Red has worked hard in their preparations and campaign of races.”

A tough mix of inshore and offshore racing, the Rolex Commodores’ Cup pits teams comprising one boat in three specified class bands against one another to accrue overall team points. The three-boat team with the lowest overall points total will be crowned champions when the event comes to a close on Sunday 6 July.

Full RYA Team GBR line-ups for 2008 Rolex Commodores’ Cup (29 June – 6 July):

GBR Red         
Fair Dos VII  
Erivale
Quokka

GBR Black   
Dark and Steamy
British Solider
Prime Suspect

GBR White  
Poppy of Portland
Premier Flair
Jaguar of Burnham

GBR Blue        
Novus Arca
Magnum
Vortex