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GB Admiral’s Cup Team Farr 40 Trials Preview
Author: Royal Yachting Association
STRENGTH IN DEPTH IN FARR 40 CLASS MAY BE GB's ADMIRAL'S CUP TRUMP CARD
For the first time in nearly a decade, the selection series for a slot in the GB Admiral's Cup Team will be decided by strong and competitive fleet racing series, which will undoubtedly produce a worthy Admiral's Cup title challenger.
While the IC45 'Barlo Plastics' and the Sydney 40 'United Airlines' are selected and working up their campaigns, the Barlo Plastics British Admiral's Cup Team (BACT) Farr 40 Trials have so far attracted eight boats (campaigns, owners, charter's) with still three weeks to the final entry
deadline.
Confirmed entries so far are (owner/driver and boat name):
- Mark Heeley - GBR 25
- Nick Haigh - Too Steamy
- John Ewart & David Palmer - A Bit of a Fling
- Tony De Mulder - Vitric 5
- Philip Tolhurst - Warlord 1V
- David Murrin - 2XL
- Tony Buckingham - A Bit of a Coup
- John Oswald - Game On
While the Farr 40 class uses an owner/driver rule, eliminating 'rock star' helmsman, the quality of the afterguard and crews lining up to compete in the Farr 40 trials could take the series to the wire.
Irrespective of the final objective (selection to the Barlo Plastics 2001 British Admiral's Cup Team), the series promises to be the most spectacular big boat series in Great Britain this year, as RYA National Keelboat Coach Bill Edgerton reflected: "The combination of boats training, new talent recruited and owners enthused to campaign means these trials will be the best thing to happen in GB big boat sailing in the last few decades and if they miss the BACT slot they still have the (Farr 40) worlds to aim for later in the year," commented Bill.
Mark Heeley's 'GBR 25', with Sydney Olympic Finn champion Iain Percy and two time Admiral's Cup class winner David Howlett teaming up as tactician and navigator, will start as one of the pre regatta favourites, but with some of the leading owners in British big boat sailing, such as Tony Buckingham (A Bit of a Coup), John Oswald (Game On) and David Murrin (2XL) forming some competitive teams, Heeley is quick to dismiss any apparent advantage.
"As with any trials you don't know where you stand until you are two are three races into the series but we have as good a crew as we could get together and are doing our utmost to ensure we will be sailing at our best when we start, but in fairness so are all the others boats."
As Mark continues to point out, despite such names as match racer Ian Williams, Sydney 49er medallist Ian Barker, Team GBR sailor Will Howden and recent GBR Challenge signing Chris Main amongst the names calling tactics in the fleet, the strict one design status of the Farr 40 class will also level the playing field: "The characteristics of the Farr 40 means that every boat has the same speed which means every boat could win a race and when you have such a low discard series, it really could come down to the wire. Only a brave man could suggest a pecking order," added Mark.
The Farr 40 series will use a high point scoring system (individual race winners score number of entrants in that race). The final Farr 40 selection will be confirmed by the RYA on completion of the following confirmed series, which will the RYA will run in association with the Royal Yacht Squadron (trials 1,4 & 5), the Royal Lymington Yacht Club (trial 2) and the Royal Southern Yacht Club (trial 6).
The inshore and offshore races will have a different points multiplier (see brackets). The winner of the trials will join the Barlo Plastics British Admiral's Cup Team for the bi-annual event off Cowes between 16-28 July.
The RYA will provide a results service from each event in the trials series.
More Information:
- YachtsandYachting.com Admiral's Cup Page
See also: CORVETTE 31 for sale
