Gul Code Zero Melges 24 team set for Key West Race Week

'GUL Code Zero' sponsored by sportswear brand GUL and owned by Miles Quinton is fielding a world class US and British sailing team in the Melges24 class at Key West Race Week to be held in Key West from 18 to 22nd January 2010.

Key West Race Week is the traditional New Year opener to the sailing season in the US, to which the top international teams come in order to get in shape by competing against some of best teams in the World. The Melges24 Class will be strongly represented with 20 boats entered so far with the calibre of the top teams from Europe such as Franco Rossini's UKA and Lorenzo Santini's Blue Moon teams as well as the leading US teams such as Brian Porter's Full Throttle and Bruce Ayers' Monsoon.

GUL Code Zero will be helmed by the Laser SB3 World Champion Geoff Carveth, also the winner of the class in Cowes Week, who is looking forward to taking on the challenge of the Melges24 fleet again in 2010.

The tactician for the team is Katy Lovell, part of the US Olympic Women’s Match Racing team and who hopes to represent the United States in this new Olympic sailing discipline in 2012. Katy is stepping into the role that Lucy McGregor, the British Women’s Match Racing Olympic contender, and ranked #2 in the ISAF World Rankings occupied for GUL Code Zero in the Melges24 Europeans in Hyeres in 2009. ' I am delighted that Katy can join us for Key West as she will bring local knowledge and a sharp tactical brain to the campaign' said Miles Quinton.

Also joining the crew is Mark Asquith, Paul Campbell-James' crew in the 49er Olympic campaign for 2012, who are 8th in the ISAF World Championship rankings, and will bring deep knowledge of asymmetric sailing to the team and completing the team is Laser 2000 sailor Ian Mills.

Miles Quinton started the British two-boat campaign in 2007 having raced Melges24 successfully since 1998, and agreed sponsorship with GUL in 2008 to promote the new Code Zero range of high performance sailing clothing. The team have competed successfully in Europe and the US with a top 20 result in the 2007 European Championships in Germany, and top 30 in the 2008 Worlds in Santa Cruz, and 2008 Worlds in Porto Cervo in Sardinia, and the Europeans in Hyeres, as well as top ten results in Key West and the Volvo Series in Italy.

"GUL are the ideal sponsor for an international Melges24 campaign as this is a high performance sports boat that requires high performance clothing. The GUL Code Zero range has proven excellent in form and function in testing conditions over the last two years so has definitely been a key part of the successful performance of the team" said Miles Quinton. "We have reshaped the team to bring in the best of sports boat and Olympic class talent to take the campaign to the next level and are looking forward to taking on the competition in Key West."

More Information:

• Gul Code Zero clothing
• Key West Race Week 2010