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8:47 PM Thu 19 Feb 2009 GMT
The RC 44 fleet is back in action, with the Puerto Calero Islas Canarias RC 44 Cup - the season's first regatta - starting on Wednesday February 25.
Organised by Puerto Calero, a superb real estate development on Lanzarote's seafront, The DHL coastal race will take place on Sunday; it will count for double points.
Two new teams join the Class for this regatta. Led by Pieter Heerema, 'No Way Back' has been training hard over the winter in Copenhagen, with sometimes sub zero temperatures. Philippe Presti is the team's pro skipper and helmsman for the match races. He will also advice Heerema and be the tactician during the fleet regattas. Other members of the team include America's Cup sailors Yann Gouniot and Christian Scherrer, as well as the 49er Olympic Gold medallist Martin Kirketerp and other Scandinavian sailors.
Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero will have two boats sailing under its colours next week, with Carlos Morales and Olympic champion Luis Doreste sailing on board ESP 2 for the first time whilst Jos? Juan Calero and Spanish match-race champion Jos? Maria Ponce will share helming duties onboard ESP 1.
Also new on the circuit, Karol Jablonski - helmsman of the Spanish team Desafio during the last America's Cup - joins the Polish team Organika, who will undoubtedly benefit from Jablonski's huge experience in match racing. As for S?bastien Col, the match race world champion, he will sail the Puerto Calero Cup onboard the 2008 champion Ceeref, replacing James Spithill for this regatta before joining K-Challenge's new RC 44 in Cagliari.
The RC 44 Class is pleased to announce that the media and the public will from now on have the opportunity to follow the races more closely, even if they don't travel to the events. Indeed, news items, results, photos and updates will be posted on the Class website (www.rc44.com) throughout the day.
On top of this, a video news update will be prepared every day by our TV partner APP / Sunset/Vine, and posted on the website every evening. The event's TV summary will be available four days after the end of the event, and highlights will be distributed to TV's worldwide as usual.
The teams involved in the Puerto Calero RC 44 Cup:
Ceeref, Igor Lah / S?bastien Col
Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker
BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts
ESP - 1 Islas Canarias Puerto Calero - Jos? Juan Calero / Jos? Maria Ponce
ESP - 2 Islas Canarias Puerto Calero - Carlos Morales / Luis Doreste
Team Organika - Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski
No Way Back - Pieter Heerema / Philippe Presti
by Bernard Schopfer
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