China Cup International Regatta acquires ten 40.7s

by CCIR, Simpson Marine, and Sail World Asia on 9 Jul 2007 Yesterday marked the official handover of three Beneteau 40.7s from the Far East Beneteau agent, Simpson Marine, to the management of the China Cup International Regatta. CCIR have purchased ten 40.7s to form a nucleus one-design fleet that will race within the IRC fleet at the inaugural China Cup in October this year.

The remaining seven boats will arrive in Hong Kong over the next two months, and then follow their sisters to the Longcheer Yacht Club on Daya Bay near Shenzhen, some 40 nm north east of Hong Kong.

CCIR Administrator Mr David Zhong Yong accepted delivery of the boats at a well-attended ceremony at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The event included a traditional bai-san ceremony to bring luck to the regatta, and wind to fill the sails. Also present were a number of prominent members from the Chinese sporting community, including government representative Mr Ke Gang Ming from the Shenzhen 26th World University Games 2011 and Mr Liu Wei Dong from the China Yachting Association.

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The CCIR in Shenzhen, which will take place in October prior to the RHKYC’s China Coast Regatta and the Hainan Race, will include a number of Olympic and Island courses. The Beneteau 40.7s have been offered for charter, free of charge, to applicants entering national/international teams in the regatta. (We understand that shortly after this news was published on Sail-World Asia, CCIR received applications well in excess of the number of boats available!)

In addition to the regatta itself, the CCIR will include a number of shore based activities, including a rock concert on the beach, an economic forum, a golf tournament, an art exhibition, a fashion show and wine tasting.

According to Mr. Zhong Yong, the event organisers are hoping that CCIR will become one of the major racing events in Asia. ‘We have had a lot of interest from teams around the world, including New Zealand, USA, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan and Brazil. We have also had a lot of interest from China, including teams from the Longcheer Yacht Club and China Navy. We look forward to announcing the official teams and their sponsors in due course.’

Mr Liu Weidong, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Yachting Association (CYA) explained that we were now ‘here to witness that China is setting sail again to regain her glory in the marine world’ and expressed his wish that ‘the China Cup will encourage friendly association between sporting groups in the region.’

Mr Mike Simpson, Managing Director of Simpson Marine and the official handover representative from Beneteau, said that ‘the First 40.7 is an exceptional performance-yacht and an ideal boat for the CCIR. The boat is a proven design with an impressive racing record. There are over 700 First 40.7s around the world, and the 2003 Sydney-Hobart Race was won by a 40.7.’ Simpson Marine will undertake all service and maintenance of the fleet and assist with training in the lead-up to the CCIR. ‘Simpson Marine’s ability to sell, service and assist in training, was a key factor in us choosing the Beneteau brand’, says Mr Zhong Yong.

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, venue for the handover, was represented by Vice Commodore Jimmy Farquhar. ‘The Club is delighted to be associated with the China Cup’, he said. ‘After 150 years of organising racing in Hong Kong we are very happy to assist and offer our help and expertise to the inaugural China Cup’. (RHKYC will be supplying on-water race management services to the regatta).

The CCIR, hosted by the Longcheer Yacht Club in Shenzhen is the first big sailing event in China and is scheduled to take place 19-21 October 2007. The CCIR is hoping to attract a fleet of over 50 boats from more than
ten countries that will compete in one of five classes of competition - IRC, Racing, One Design, Sports Boat and Bareboat Charter.


More information: www.chncup.com