Team Racing at London Boat Show

Schroders support the Royal Thames' Carmela Cup

The Schroders London International Boat Show, in association with the Daily Telegraph, has another new addition for its 2004 line-up, as the Royal Thames Carmela Cup makes a return to London waters after a two-year absence.

The Cup, which has been contested yearly since the mid-1990s, will be held in association with global asset management company Schroders in London's Docklands on 10th - 11th January 2004.

Last Saturday saw a launch party gather waterside at ExCeL in the Docklands, where the 2004 Schroders London International Boat Show will be held from the 8-18 January.
Top UK wave sailor Louise Emery, who will be one of the stars of the show when she competes in the inaugural UK Indoor Windsurfing Championships, joined representatives from Schroders, the Royal Thames Yacht Club and National Boat Shows to mark the launch of the sponsorship. Louise, who is also sponsored by Schroders, even braved the chilly docklands water to enjoy a quick sail.

The Royal Thames Carmela Cup is the National Championship of Two-Boat Team Racing in Keelboats and organisers expect to see between ten and twelve teams of two boats from all over the UK descending on the capital to contestit. Many of the UK's top team-racers, most of whom are under 30, will be fighting it out in London's Docklands aboard Beneteau First Class 8s for the prize. The competition will be a round-robin format, with pairs of boats racing each other around a laid course in what has been compared to 'chess on water'.

The Carmela Cup was originally established by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, the UK's oldest yacht club, as a practice and training competition for the GBR team preparing for the British-American Cup (an international team-racing event). Many teams have already expressed great enthusiasm and the 2004 event is expected to be one of the major new attractions at the 2004 Schroders London International Boat Show.