Dean Barker and Ben Ainslie are amongst the 12 confirmed skippers competing for the New Zealand Match Racing Championships. The Open entry list comprises 10 men and two womens crews.
Dean Barker was skipper of Team New Zealand in the 2003 and 2007 America's Cups. Ben Ainslie, while better known for his three Olympic Gold medals, he was the backup helmsman for Team New Zealand in 2007, and was the skipper of Team Origin in the Desafio Trophy last weekend.
Last night Ainslie was named as the male Sailor of the Year at the ISAF Annual Conference in Madrid.
The following competitors have been confirmed for the upcoming NZ Match Racing Championships:
Dean Barker Josh Junior Laurie Jury Adam Minoprio Ben Ainslie Jessica Smyth Rueben Corbett Jonathan Rankine Jan Dawson Adrian Short Rod Davis Phil Robertson
The NZ Match Racing Championships are running in Auckland 26 – 30 November 2008.
The event is managed by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Some quick Facts about the NZ Match Racing Championships:
• Open to men and women
• Top sailors in NZ attend; many Emirates Team NZ members have competed over the years
• ISAF Grade 3 event
• The event has run for 22 years
• Previous winners include Ken Davern, Brad Butterworth, Chris Dixon, Rod Davies and Dean Barker
by RNZYS Media
9:21 AM Wed 12 Nov 2008 GMT
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