Top Barbadian and Caribbean sailors will be locked in battle in Carlisle Bay this weekend in the much anticipated 2012 United Insurance J24 Match-Racing Cup.
The ocean-racing event for J24 yachts sails off tomorrow and will be contested using the Americas Cup format.
Ten teams are expected to contest the event.
Hawk Eye, skippered by Robert Povey, will be under pressure to retain the cup, with ISIS, skippered by Nicholas Lashley; Impulse, captained by Neil Burke, and Fully Covered, skippered by Bruce Bailey, among their main rivals.
“We have a good team and our aim is to retain the cup we won back last year. We are ready to take on all comers,” Povey said.
Impulse, declared the J24 champions for 2012 after dominating most of the regattas this season, will attract a lot of attention on current form, and Burke said they intended to keep the momentum going.
“Our crew has been solid and consistent all year, and it would be a good feeling to finish the season with the match-racing cup. It will be exciting and competitive,” he said.
Chief operations officer of United Insurance, David Alleyne, said his company, an insurer with operations in 13 regional territories, was happy to partner the J24 Club again this year.
He added that United’s association with the match-racing cup and other regional events such as the Grenada Sailing Festival and the Bequia Easter Regatta not only supported the advancement of local and regional yachting but also the growth of sports tourism.
Races will be contested over an Olympic course with round-robin eliminations of 20 minutes’ duration to be contested tomorrow and semi-finals and finals on Sunday. (BB)
