FARR 40 - En

The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship kicks off tomorrow Wednesday, 29 August in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event, hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club, marks the first time the event has been held in Scandinavian waters. Meanwhile, autumn is making itself felt through large sections of the area and bringing with it a period of very unsettled and cold weather. Moderate and possibly strong breezes will be experienced across the racing area through early next week.

With 160 boats built to date throughout the world, the Farr 40 class has had a great turn-out with 36 boats from 12 countries set to race in the waters of the Oresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden. Jim Richardson, President of the Farr 40 Class Association, and owner/helmsman of Barking Mad, said, "It's fantastic to be here [in Denmark]. The Farr 40 organization has built a new fleet up here in the Nordic region for the Class. We've got Norwegians, Danes, Swedes and Finns and, although it is not exactly the same region, we've even got a boat from the Ukraine. So it's growing further north and I think it's been a great decision."

Racing will run from Wednesday 29 August - Saturday 1 September and up to ten races are scheduled. Principal Race Officer Peter "Luigi" Reggio will head the race committee from the host Royal Danish Yacht Club, assisted by Jan Schluter.

The defending Rolex Farr 40 World Champion, 2006 winner Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino, is highly favored at these Worlds after his victory at the 2007 Nordic Farr 40 Championship in Hankø, Norway, as well as Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (a Rolex Farr 40 World Champion in 2003), with his recent victory at the 2007 Rolex Farr 40 European Championship in Porto Cervo, Sardinia.

Among the previous Farr 40 World Champions is two-time World Champion, Jim Richardson on Barking Mad, who is having a stellar season in Europe having won the 2007 Rolex Capri Sailing, overall winner of the Rolex Baltic Week 2007, the Farr 40 European Circuit (a grand prix series of five separate regattas) and the just completed 2007 Rolex Farr 40 Pre-Worlds; the other Farr 40 World Champions are Steve Phillips, Le Renard (2002), and Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi (2001).

Also competing in Copenhagen will be numerous Olympic talents and America's Cup sailors including Jeff Madrigali, Olympic bronze medalist, on John Demourkas' Groovederci (USA), Brad Butterworth, skipper and tactician of the 32nd America's Cup winner Alinghi on Alinghi (SUI), Jesper Bank, three-time Olympic medalist on Struntje Light (GER), Adrian Stead the accomplished British sailor on Mascalzone Latino (ITA) and America's Cup challenger Desafio Espanol's crew Tony Rey and John Cutler on, respectively, Cannonball (ITA) and the Le Renard (USA).

Volvo Ocean Race veteran Bouwe Bekking will call tactics for HRH Crown Prince Frederik on Nanoq (DEN), following Nanoq's Key West debut last January. Australian Michael Coxon, who won the 2005 Farr 40 Pre-Worlds, in Sydney, as tactician for Neville Crichton, followed by a close 2nd in the Worlds behind Richard Perini's Evolution, will call tactics on Ichi Ban (AUS) with Matt Allen at the helm, while Lang Walker's Kokomo (AUS) will again have Olympian Colin Beashel as tactician.

Social activities for the Rolex Farr 40 Championship will take place at the race village at the newly built Royal Danish Yacht Club on Tuborg Havn. The Skipper's Briefing and Opening Ceremonies take place tonight at The Opera in Holmen and activities will culminate at the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship Awards Party on Saturday.

During the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, the Royal Danish Yacht Club will host competitors and officials taking part in the events at the Regatta Village. The venue will be the central location for the daily social events in the Farr 40 Lounge, the Media Centre, and serve as a home away from home to over 350 competitors from 12 countries around the globe including Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, the U.K., and the U.S.A.

The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship celebrates its 10th anniversary in Copenhagen, Denmark. The World Championship has been sailed in North America, Europe or Australia every year since the class was established in 1997.

The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship joins other prestigious Rolex-sponsored 2007 events including the Rolex Fastnet Race, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Big Boat Series and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

2007 Rolex Farr 40 Worlds Entry List

Boat Name, Owner/Helmsman, Country
1) Aleph, Hughes Lepic, France
2) Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Switzerland
3) Arctur, Vasyl Gureyev, Ukraine
4) Backbone, Thomas Kiaer, Denmark
5) Baloo 110, Jens Erik Host, Denmark
6) Barking Mad, Jim Richardson, United States
7) Calvi, Carlo Alberni, Italy
8) Cannonball, Dario Ferrari, Italy
9) Enfant Terrible, Gianluigi Serena, Italy
10) Fiamma, Alessandro Barnaba, Italy
11) Flash Gordon 5, Helmet Jahn, United States
12) Grooverderci, John Demourkas, United States
13) Happy Happy, Per Arne Nilsen, Denmark
14) Hooligan, Marcus Blackmore, Australia
15) Ichi Ban, Matt Allen, Sydney, Australia
16) Infinity, John B. Thomson, Jr, United States
17) Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Italy
18) Kokomo, Lang Walker, Australia
19) Le Renard, Steve Phillips, United States
20) Mascalzone Latino, Vincenzo Onorato, Italy
21) Monick, David Holm, Denmark
22) Monkey Class 2, Ole van der Heide, Denmark
23) Nanoq, HRH Prince Frederik, Denmark
24) Nerone, Antonio Sodo Migliori, Italy
25) Norwegian Steam, Eivind Astrup, Norway
26) Old Boys, Eduardo de Souza Ramos, Brazil
27) Opus One, Wolfgang Stolz, Germany
28) Phish Food, Alexis Michas, United States
29) Silver Bullet, Henrick Jansen, Denmark
30) Siragusawa, Olli-Pekka Lumijarvi, Finland
31) Sputnik, Ivan Wheen, Australia
32) Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer, Germany
33) Team Bergen, Sverre N. Valeur, Norway
34) Twins, Erik Maris, France
35) Warpath, Steve Howe, United States
36) Wolfpack, Peter Rudbeck, Sweden

Founded in 1886, the Royal Danish Yacht Club has been working to promote sailing in Denmark and to support its members in their favourite sport. With 2,200 members, the RDYC is very active and organises many regattas, including club matches (one of the country's most popular activities), match racing, junior sailing Optimist & dinghies) and one of the best sailing schools in the country. With stations in Langelinie and Skovshoved, RDYC opened a beautiful new headquarters in Tuborg Harbour in June 2007.

To receive daily reports from this regatta and to download high-resolution images, copyright free for editorial purposes, register online at www.regattanews.com, the press-specific website for all Rolex yachting events.

Further information about the RDYC and the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds may be found at farr40.kdy.dk

Royal Danish Yacht Club
Morten Lorenzen, CEO
T: +45 33 14 87 87
F: +45 33 93 87 88
E:mlo@kdy.dk
farr40.kdy.dk

Rolex Farr 40 Worlds (and Pre-Worlds) Media Centre
Royal Danish Yacht Club
Tuburg Harbour
T: +45 39 43 01 84
F: +45 39 43 23 31

International Press Information:
Key Partners (KPMS)
Giles Pearman
Local M: +45 40 86 19 93
E: Giles@regattanews.com

US Press Information:
Key Partners (KPMS)
Susan Maffei Plowden
Local M: +45 40 86 19 60
E: Suma@regattanews.com

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