IMS Worlds - Defending Champions To Compete

"LAST YEAR'S WINNERS TO RETURN TO ROLEX IMS OFFSHORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2000"

12th May, 2000. With preparations for the Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship 2000 getting underway around the world, it has been confirmed that two of the 1999 event's winning Italian yachts, Vittorio Rava's 39 foot Frers design Winterthur Yah Man, and Raul Marinuzzi Ronconi's Beneteau 40.7 Drake, will be travelling to America to compete. A third Italian entry, Vincent Onorato's new Farr 43 Mascalzone Latino, has also been confirmed.

The Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship 2000 will be hosted from 14th-19th July by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) at its Newport, Rhode Island station known as Harbour Court. The regatta is organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), which hosted the event last year, together with the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) under the authority of the Offshore Racing Council (ORC). The title sponsor for the Regatta is Rolex. The competition, which will award a World Championship Trophy and a Rolex Chronometer to the winning yacht in the Racer Division and the winning yacht in the Racer/Cruiser Division, will be part of the second biennial New York Yacht Club Race Week.

According to Tommaso Chieffi, who won the 1999 event's Middle Boat Division with Winterthur Yah Man, he will skipper the boat again with many of last year's crew returning. "The boat is good," said Chieffi. "We talked to Mani Frers, the designer, and he felt that it will still be fast for this season, so we are not making any modifications. A new boat built to take advantage of changes to the IMS rule might be a problem, but otherwise we are confident of still being at the top." Drake, which won last year's Small Boat Division, will have owner and YCCS member Raul Marinuzzi Ronconi on board. "I am always proud to participate in the Rolex IMS World Championship," said Ronconi. "There will be strong competition this year with last year's winners returning and three Italian entries already. It will be an honour to be there to represent my country and the YCCS."

Vincent Onorato's new Farr 43 Mascalzone Latino, designed by Farr Yacht Design and built by Cookson in New Zealand, will be especially threatening if Italian Vasco Vascotto takes the helm, as expected. In 1999 Vascotto was the skipper of Merit Cup, the Sydney 40 World Champion, which placed third in the Rolex IMS Offshore Worlds Big Boat Division. He was also a member of last year's Admiral's Cup team and won the J/24 World Championships in Genoa. Meanwhile, Onorato's Mumm 30 was third in the Small Boat Division at the 1999 Rolex IMS Offshore Worlds. Since last autumn his Farr 40, also named Mascalzone Latino, has become a force with which to be reckoned world-wide. Vascotto commented, "We have a good new boat, an interesting boat, and a good opportunity to win the IMS World Championship, which is what we want to do."

According to Event Chair Tom Harrington, the Italians won't be the only ones with the ambition of winning or the hardware to achieve it. "With the America's Cup over and this being a Bermuda Race year, many of the world's top sailors and most notable yachts will be on the East Coast and working toward those same goals," said Harrington. "It should be an exciting contest."

The Notice of Race has been published, and is available from the NYYC Sailing Office, tel: +1 (401) 845 9633, email: sailingoffice@nyyc.org. The Notice and entry form is also available at: www.nyyc.org. Entries must be received by 30th June 2000.