Moth Invitational Event confirmed at Shanghai International Regatta
by Alex Mills 25 Apr 2015 18:57 BST
10-12 July 2015
The format for the inaugural Shanghai International Regatta (10th to 12th July 2015), the first professional sailing regatta to be held on the Huangpu River has been confirmed. The three-day event will include a Moth Invitational event, a series of match races between 'Team China' and 'Team Great Britain' aboard 30ft high performance catamarans, and The Bund Run, an open handicap fleet race on the Saturday afternoon.
Some of the world's leading sailors will be taking to the Huangpu River for this historic regatta in front of the Shanghai Expo Park. The Bund Run will be an amazing opportunity for local Chinese boats to race on the river, something that is not normally possible due to restrictions and commercial shipping. With permission granted by the local Shanghai Authorities, the river will be closed from all commercial traffic for three hours each day, to allow racing to take place.
The Shanghai International Regatta is also proud to announce two world famous professional sailors as Official Ambassadors for the event. Alex Thomson (Great Britian) is one of the world's leading ocean racing sailors and will represent the regatta as International Ambassador. He will be joined by Chinese Olympic Laser Gold Medallist, Xu Lijia, who is excited to support the development of sailing in her home city of Shanghai.
Shining Lee, General Manager of Yuanzhou Cultural Communications, Co-Organiser of the event commented: "Since we announced the creation of the Shanghai International Regatta in January this year, the team has been very busy making preparations for the event. This is the first time a professional sailing regatta has taken place on the Huangpu River, so there has been a huge amount of work undertaken in association with Expo Group, our partners 5 West Ltd. and the local Shanghai Authorities to procure all the necessary permissions to make this event a reality. We are very much looking forward to being able to confirm our international sailing talent in the next month or so and we are excited to welcome everyone to this very special event in July."
The preliminary schedule for the Shanghai International Regatta is as follows:
- Friday 10 July (2pm–5pm) 6-8 Moth Races and 2 catamaran match races
- Saturday 11July (2pm–5pm) Parade of sail, Catamaran Match Race, The Bund Run
- Sunday 12 July (2pm–5pm) 6-8 Moth Races and 2 catamaran match races
The full line-up of international sailors for the Moth Invitational and Match Racing will be announced at a Press Conference in London on 12th May, with the Official Notice of Race for The Bund Run being made available at
www.shanghaiinternationalregatta.com on the same date.
The regatta will be held at Pu River basin between Lupu Bridge and Nanpu Bridge. It sits perfectly next to the World Expo Park and gives spectators a great view from the riverbank. As well as world-class hospitality facilities for sponsors and VIPs, a dedicated spectator area will allow the general public to get involved in shore-side activities. The Shanghai International Regatta will be an annual regatta held on the Huangpu River.
Supported by Expo Shanghai Group the event will be co-organised by Shanghai Yuanzhou Cultural and Five West. The event has gained huge local governmental support from Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, Shanghai Sports Administration, Shanghai Pudong Municipal Commission of Economy and Commerce.