Canadian sail team could challenge for America’s Cup

by Dave Perkins on 2 Dec 2010 Toronto may be closer to the World Series than we all think.

No, not that World Series. I mean the newly created America’s Cup World Series, the pinnacle of big-time yacht racing, for which a Canada-wide challenge, to be put forth by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club at a cost of $30 million to $45 million, is being discussed.

'We’re very much in the exploratory phase of the program,' said Kevin Reed, a Toronto investment banker and RCYC member who is chair of Red Maple Racing, the bid’s name if and when it takes off.

'We’ll know by late January or mid-February. We’ll take 60 days to size up the opportunity. But it makes a ton of sense and the economics are realistic.'

Reed said the Canadian group, including the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and Royal Halifax Yacht Squadron, would put together a joint challenge, to be run out of the RCYC on Toronto Island and feature an all-Canadian crew.

'Do we have the talent for an all-Canadian crew? I think we do,' said bid backer Paul Henderson, former head of the International Sailing Federation and the only RCYC member who was actually born on Toronto Island. Henderson worked the America’s Cup meeting last week in Dubai, where the Canadian cat began to escape the bag.

Read the full article on http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/899684--canadian-sail-team-could-challenge-for-america-s-cup!TheStar.com