No Admirals Cup Team for United States or Australia!!

by Rob Kothe on 13 Mar 2001 US Sailing's Offshore Teams, Offshore One-Design and Level
Classes Committee has announced today that the United States will not be
fielding a three-boat team in this year's Admiral's Cup regatta in Cowes,
England in July.

There has been only one other year since the event's
inception in 1957 the US has not entered a team, which was in 1993. Reasons
cited included the lack of interest among American owners in supporting the
entries in the IC 45 and Sydney 40 classes, two of three one-design classes
named by the RORC to compete in the event this year.

Committee Chairman Ken Morrison said 'This is an unfortunate situation,
especially since we had such a spirited competition for qualifying the Farr
40 One Design position on the team.' Philippe Kahn's 'Pegasus' qualified
for that position in a close-fought battle with Jim Richardson's 'Barking
Mad' and four other contenders in two sets of regatta trials, one in Miami
in early December and another in January's Yachting Key West Race Week.

'Our biggest problem was in pulling together the interest and complete
funding to support both the IC 45 and Sydney 40 efforts,' said Morrison.

Currently there are no boats of these classes racing in the US,
necessitating expensive and complicated foreign-based charter arrangements.
'Even after examining every viable option, we were still unable to make the
arrangements necessary to have a solid and well-organized effort. If the
RORC had retained the IMS 50 rating band as they originally announced in
November 1999 instead of substituting the IC 45, the United States would
probably have been successful in fielding a team this year.'

The US Sailing Offshore Teams, Offshore One-Design& Level Classes Committee
will continue to analyze other international offshore team events that may
attract owners from the United States.

As reported in January Australia apeears to be unlike to fied a team, whilst having keen representatives in both IL45 and Sydney 40, Australiua was unable to field a Farr 40 team.