Please select your home edition
Edition
Melges 15

Porto Alegre to host 2009 ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final

by ISAF 18 Jan 2008 20:09 GMT March 2009

ISAF is delighted to announce that Porto Alegre, Brazil will host the Grand Final of the 2009 ISAF Nations Cup.

In March 2009, the Veleiros do Sul sailing club in Porto Alegre will host the world’s top match racing nations as they battle in both men’s and women’s divisions for the fifth edition of the ISAF Nations Cup. Between September 2008 and January 2009, seven Regional Finals will take place in Argentina, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, the USA and Oceania to decide which nations will be represented at the Grand Final in Porto Alegre.

Daniel Glomb, event director for the Grand Final, said: "It is such a happiness to know that Brazil is going to host the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final. We are already working hard to make this event remarkable for everybody involved! The Nations Cup will transform Veleiros do Sul into a reference centre for match racing in South America.”

The 2009 ISAF Nations Cup will be contested in both men’s and women’s divisions. The winning team of each Regional Final will progress to the Grand Final, where they will be joined by the defending champions France - who won both men’s and women’s divisions at the 2006 Nations Cup - and the hosts Brazil.

As well as being a contest to find the world’s top match racing nation, the ISAF Nations Cup also aims to aid the development of match racing around the world. In line with this goal, each of the Regional Finals will be preceded by an ISAF Match Racing Clinic, where both sailors and officials can benefit from the advice and experience of some of the world’s leading Race Officials and coaches.

Porto Alegre, located in southeast Brazil, is one of the largest cities in Brazil and the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Veleiros do Sul sailing club, located on the Cristal Bay of Guaíba river, was initially established in 1934 and has grown to become one of the foremost match racing clubs in South America. Recent events held in Veleiros do Sul include the 2004 Soling World Championship and the Brasil Match Cup.

Henry Menin, chairman of the ISAF Match Racing Committee, said, “We are delighted to be going to Porto Alegre for the Grand Final of the ISAF Nations Cup in 2009. It was tough decision between the bidding cities, but ultimately we felt the bid from Veleiros do Sul offered the best venue for the event, especially in light of the phenomenal growth of match racing throughout South America, and Brazil in particular. Together with the Regional Finals, the Nations Cup offers a terrific platform for the development of national match racing programmes and it’s great to see the event go from strength-to-strength since it was re-launched in 2006.”

The schedule for the 2008-09 ISAF Nations Cup is:

Grand Final
Porto Alegre, Brazil

Regional Finals
Asia - Mumbay, India
Europe Open I - Brindisi, Italy
Europe Open II - Kinsale, Ireland
Europe Women - Hamburg, Germany
North America and the Caribbean - St Petersburg, Florida, USA
South America - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Oceania - to be announced shortly

The winning host cities were decided by the ISAF Match Racing Committee, after the bids were reviewed by the Nations Cup Working Party, headed by Sally Burnett.

Related Articles

GKSS Match Cup & Nordea Women's Trophy overall
It is the first time the Match Cup Sweden title has been won by a Danish Skipper Denmark's Jeppe Borch/ Team Borch Match Race, and France's Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink by Normandy crowned the new champions of Marstrand in a day of fierce weather for the final of 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand. Posted on 6 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D5
Stage set for Finals showdown in Marstrand With just one day to go at the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, the stage is set for a thrilling finale in both the Open and Women's classes. Posted on 4 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D4
High stakes for semi-finalists as the final four teams in each division are locked in The third day of racing at GKSS Match Cup Sweden saw the completion of the quarter-final match-ups in both the Open and Women's class, locking in the final four teams in each division for Friday's semi-finals. Posted on 3 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D3
Surprise exits in Marstrand as Quarter-Finalists decided The qualifying round-robin stages at GKSS Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand finished today with the surprise departure of defending champion USA's Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing and Switzerland's Eric Monnin/ Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team from the Open Class. Posted on 2 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D2
A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task on the second day of racing at the GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand, Sweden. Posted on 1 Jul
RYA Harken Youth Match Racing Championships 2025
Nine teams duelled for supremacy in glamour conditions at the WPNSA The 2025 RYA Harken Youth Match Racing Championships saw nine teams duelling for supremacy in glamour conditions at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy. Posted on 1 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D1
Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day of the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, official championship stages of the World Match Racing Tour and Women's World Match Racing Tour. Posted on 1 Jul
Aspen renews sponsorship for Women's Match Race
As title sponsor of the 2025 Bermuda Women's Match Racing Regatta The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and World Match Racing Tour has announced the return of leading speciality insurer and re-insurer ASPEN as title sponsor of the 2025 Bermuda Women's Match Racing Regatta to be held from 21-26 October. Posted on 20 Jun
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA overall
A tense light-air final on the Severn River USA's women's match racing team Team Baam skippered by Allie Blecher from California won the 2025 Santa Maria Cup today, defeating Vela Racing team skippered by Nicole Breault 3-0 in a tense light-air final on the Severn River. Posted on 8 Jun
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA Day 3
Nicole Breault and Allie Blecher to meet in the final USA's Nicole Breault / Vela Racing and Allie Blecher / Team Baam have both advanced to the final of the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, the second stage of the 2025 Women's World Match Racing Tour championship. Posted on 7 Jun