Team Bear Royal Thames Admirals Cup team launched

‘TEAM BEAR’

Photo © Mark Jardine Bear of Britain & Dancing Bear - the 2003 Royal Thames Yacht Club Admiral's Cup team

Moored alongside the Farr 52, “Bear of Britain”, the two yachts will form Team Bear, the Royal Thames Yacht Club campaign for the 2003 Admiral’s Cup, led by Kit Hobday.

SINERGIA 40 – DANCING BEAR

The Sinergia 40 design has had a string of impressive results on the European racing circuits. The Marcelino Botin and Shaun Carkeek design is considered to be one of the top IMS production boats in Europe with the design winning both the IMS World Championships (2001) and the Copa del Rey (2001) with 6 out of the top 7 yachts being Sinergia 40s in the 2002 Copa del Rey event. That year also saw the monotype perform well during the IMS600 Worlds in Spain. With two top IMS designers behind the boat, additional features to ‘Dancing Bear’ include a keel and sail plan optimised to 2003 IMS Rule.

David Scanlan will be sailing “Dancing Bear” backed by the crew from his successful Beneteau First “Fandango”, along with young members from the Royal Thames YC, who have already demonstrated their on-the-water talent over the past few years. During last year’s Rolex Commodore’s Cup, “Fandango” was the top performing British boat and formed a formidable team with her now Admiral’s Cup partner, “Bear of Britain”. “Dancing Bear” is yet to finally confirm her squad for the Admiral’s Cup.

FARR 52 – BEAR OF BRITAIN

Racing during The Admiral’s Cup under IRC rating, will be “Bear of Britain” – a yacht that has sailed impressively and regularly on the IRC circuit over the past few years and consistently performs at an extremely high level.

A core concept of Kit Hobday and Tim Louis’ Farr 52 has been the exclusive use of amateur sailors. With the exception of the afterguard, the average age of the squad is only 22 years while the composition of the crew is driven by the key quality of talented individuals and unrivalled dedication to the project It is this unique crew composition that distinguishes the Bear from every other successful racing boat of this size in the world. “Bear of Britain’s” crew are mainly composed of long-standing young members of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, three of whom sailed on board Independent Bear.

Helmed by 23 year old Mark Campbell-James – former World Youth Match Racing champion - “Bear of Britain” has already shown that she is a force to be reckoned with this year. 2003 wins in the IRC Class 0 include the Red Funnel Easter Regatta, the Cervantes Trophy, the De Guingand Bowl Race - along with third place in the IRC and IRM Nationals. The Admiral’s Cup Campaign will be the pinnacle of the 2003 season for “Bear of Britain”. Sponsors and supporters of Team Bear include Robert Condon’s Serano with JP Morgan Flemming Asset Management and Palmer Capital Partners supporting “Bear of Britain”. “Dancing Bear” is being supported by long-standing members of the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

The Squad for “Bear of Britain” will be drawn from the following: Mark Campbell-James, Brett Aarons, Simon Berry, John Blackburn, John Brinkers, John Coffey, Alastair Cumming, Ashley Curtis, James Fox, Howard Gale, Nick Hutton, Luke McCarthy, Ross Monson, Peter Morton, Alex Pollock, Graham Street, Nick Wilcox & Charlie Wylie. The team coach is Royal Thames member & Olympic Gold medallist, Iain Macdonald Smith. A deliberate policy has been carried out this season to ensure that no new sails from the comprehensive sail wardrobe will be used until immediately prior to the event nor will the hull and keel be faired until after the Round the Island. All results obtained this year have been using a three year old mainsail and with one exception, three year old headsails and a mixture of 1 to 3 year old spinnakers. Our principal opposition has been using sails with only several weeks use and fully polished and fared hull and keel. A complete back-up service is being given in the way of launches & drivers, a diver, nutritionists and a physiotherapist by members of the RTYC and their friends all on an honorary basis. Sponsors and supporters of Team Bear include Robert Condon’s Serano, with JP Morgan Flemming Asset Management and Palmer Capital Partners backing “Bear of Britain”.

TEAM BEAR AND THE ROYAL THAMES YACHT CLUB

The campaign will be captained by Kit Hobday with Robert Condon as vice-captain.

For the last two years, Bear of Britain has sailed with a fully amateur crew. With Kit Hobday unable to race this year due to illness, John Brinkers of UK McWilliams Sails and Peter Morton of Farr International have taken over his role but, whilst onboard the boat, are sailing as amateurs. Dancing Bear will be sailing with one paid professional who will also be acting as the boat coach. Both crews have consistently proved that given careful preparation and the correct attitude amateur crews can compete with and beat professionals.

“The Royal Thames Yacht Club, with it's long history of racing at the highest level, is very excited to be challenging for the Admirals Cup” said Rear Commodore (Sailing), Doug Harckham. “The Club is committed in bringing a highly motivated, but Corinthian team to this high profile, international event”.

The Royal Thames Yacht Club has had a long history of being in the forefront of British yachting. Indeed, as the leading club of a leading yachting nation without interruption for almost 220 years, the Royal Thames has enjoyed a pre-eminent position within yachting circles, and still does to this day. The Royal Thames is the oldest yacht club in Great Britain and probably the second-oldest in the world In 1775, the Duke of Cumberland, brother of King George III, gave a silver cup for a race on the River Thames. The competition attracted 20 entries and saw the beginning of the Cumberland Fleet Sailing Society, as it was known until 1823. After a dispute over a race, a number of members broke-away from the Society and formed the Thames Yacht Club. The Royal warrant was granted when the patron of the group, King William IV, ascended the throne. Since the mid-nineteenth century the Club’s place in the echelons British yachting has been continuous. The Club has hosted World Championships, international regattas and today excels in hosting class series events, National Championships international team racing events along with its own programme for both racing and cruising members.

ADMIRAL’S CUP – THE EVENT

The Admiral’s Cup will take place in Cowes from the 10th to 23rd July and has attracted highly experienced and competitive teams from a wide international selection. The programme will be composed of a series of inshore races with a short offshore, one long inshore race and finishing with the Wolf Rock Race – a timetable which will be a hard test on all the skills of each crew.

Entries have been confirmed from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club of Australia, UNCL of France, two Spanish teams from the Real Club Nautico of Vigo and Real Club Nautico San Genio de Galicia, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the Royal Southern Yacht Club, the Royal Thames Yacht Club and the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club.

Each team will consist of two boats – an IRC rated boat and an IMS600 rated boat. These two measurement and handicap systems are the internationally-accepted rules of measurement for offshore racing yachts.