BMW AUCKLAND REGATTA WEEK

7 November, 2007
For immediate release

BMW AND LOCAL YACHT CLUBS JOIN FORCES TO CREATE NEW AUCKLAND REGATTA

BMW, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) and Bucklands Beach Yacht Club (BBYC) today announced details of the inaugural BMW Auckland Regatta Week, a brand new sailing event to be held 29 February to 5 March 2008.

Auckland’s ultimate regatta week will combine divisions including the IRC Nationals, classic yachts, multihulls and sports boats, and is expected to attract top-class, amateur sailors from around the country.

The three-day BMW Auckland Regatta will consist of windward-leeward and harbour courses and will use an international jury. RNZYS and BBYC have combined resources to create BMW Auckland Regatta Week which is an extension of the existing Moutihe Regatta.

Ross Masters, Rear Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron says three-day regattas are a great way to improve crew skills.

“With consecutive races,” he says, “you can continually look at how you can improve your sailing so if you have a slow gybe in one race, you can talk about it, sort it out and do better next time. That’s much easier if next time is the next race away, rather than two weeks away as in a normal race series.”

BMW Group New Zealand Managing Director, Mark Gilbert says he expects the BMW Auckland Regatta to become a landmark event on the New Zealand sailing calendar.

“The city of sails now has a standalone event that represents the spirit of competitive amateur sailing at its very best,” he says.

“The BMW Auckland Regatta further demonstrates the strong emphasis BMW places on sailing from amateur events through to BMW ORACLE Racing’s quest for the America’s Cup,” says Mr Gilbert.

Divisional winners in the BMW Auckland Regatta will progress to the New Zealand BMW Sailing Cup final in the MRX fleet immediately following the Regatta. The winner of this event will be invited to compete at the BMW Sailing Cup world finals in Dubai, in April 2008.

BMW Auckland Regatta Week also receives support from a number of key sponsors and course sponsors including KPMG and Manukau City Council.

Social activities:
The opening ceremony and skipper’s briefing at BBYC will be on Thursday (28 February) evening followed by the daily prize-giving and sponsor’s cocktail party at the RNZYS on Friday. The BBYC will host Saturday after-race celebrations and RNZYS will host the prize-giving and closing ceremony on Sunday. Ferries will run between BBYC, Half Moon Bay and the RNZYS, Westhaven.

Race information:
Notice of race and sailing instructions available from
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron,
ph (09) 360 6800,
email: kparlane@rnzys.org.nz
web www.rnzys.org.nz or

Bucklands Beach Yacht Club,
ph (09) 534 3046,
email bucksbyc@clear.net.nz,
web www.bbyc.org.nz





BMW AUCKLAND REGATTA WEEK TO CLIMAX WITH BMW SAILING CUP

BMW Auckland Regatta Week 2008 will culminate in two days of thrilling racing when the divisional winners compete for the BMW Sailing Cup.

The winning crew from each of the divisions that sailed in the BMW Auckland Regatta will compete on a level playing-field for the BMW Sailing Cup in MRX class yachts.

The winning team of the BMW Sailing Cup will then represent New Zealand at the BMW Sailing Cup International World Final which is to be held in April 2008, in Dubai.

BMW Group New Zealand Managing Director, Mark Gilbert said the BMW Sailing Cup would be a true test of talent, teamwork and determination.

“With teams all competing in identical boats the racing will be close and winning comes down to pure sailing skill,” said Mr Gilbert.

The BMW Sailing Cup is an international amateur regatta series, now in its second year with the winners of national regattas progressing to the international final. The 2007 BMW Sailing Cup International World Final was held in Valencia where the top 35 amateur sailors from seven countries competed ahead of the Louis Vuitton Cup. A total of 1,400 participants took part in the inaugural event, which saw qualifying national regattas being held in Spain, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Austria, Malta and Denmark.

“The BMW Sailing Cup is the amateur equivalent of the prestigious Louis Vuitton Cup that BMW ORACLE Racing is proud to contest,” said Mr Gilbert.

“This is a rare opportunity for New Zealand yachties to represent their country and compete at an international level with other top-class amateur sailors,” he said.

The New Zealand BMW Sailing Cup will take place on 4-5 March 2008 off Auckland’s Westhaven Marina and will be the climax of BMW Auckland Regatta Week. Racing will consist of ten windward, leeward sprints and then a harbour race with the winner decided on a points-based system.