The pairings are in for the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week 2008 - so who are you backing?
Friday 13th June, saw the 32 class winners from Skandia Cowes Week 2007 being drawn at random along with the Laser SB3 owners, to set the pairings in preparation for the big day, Friday 1st August, that will determine which Skandia Cowes Week class winning helm will be crowned Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes, 2008.
Thirty three helmsmen were invited, with an impressive 32 confirming their attendance.
With 32 Skandia Cowes Week class winners from 07 present, there were some big names, such as Graham Bailey (Etchells), Glenn Bourke (Laser SB3), Simon Russell (XOD) and Adam Gosling (IRC 7), and the random draw had everyone on the edge of their seats.
LaserPerformance Europe Ltd and Volkswagen Touareg teamed up in 2007 to hold the inaugural Volkswagen Touareg King Of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week, with Alistair Richardson walking away with the title and a brand new Volkswagen Touareg. The excitement surrounding this invitation-only sailing event is building fast, with some big prizes and pride at stake!
The draw took place at Volkswagen Headquarters, Milton Keynes, and was carried out by Heather Sage, Events Manger, Volkswagen UK and Sally Chapman, Communications Manager, Volkswagen UK.
Click here to watch the draw online
The likes of Russell Mead (Skandia Cowes Week winner 07 - Hunter 707) was drawn with SB3 owner Ian Schenkle. Laser SB3 National champion Jerry Hill was matched with Edward Donald, winner of IRC 9.
The teams listed below will compete in the 2nd Volkswagen Touareg King Of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week.
| Sail No. | Helmsman | Class Won | SB3 Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBR3146 | Philip Cotton | Multihulls | Tim Cork |
| GBR3212 | Jill Stevenson | J-Sprit | Chris Darling |
| GBR3053 | Rupert Mander | Flying Fifteen | Geoff Carveth |
| GBR3106 | Graham Bailey | Etchells | David Brown |
| GBR3131 | Harry Roome | Swallow | Tom Kiddle |
| GBR3036 | Colm Barrington | IRC1 | Jeremy Thorp |
| GBR3010 | Glynn Williams | IRC2 | Toby Litton |
| GBR3075 | Matthew Boyle | J/109 | Emma Henderson-Williams |
| GBR3031 | Glenn Bourke | Laser SB3 | Catherine Summerhayes |
| GBRTBA | Giles Peckham | Daring | Criag Burlton |
| GBR3173 | Simon Barter | Sonar | Danny Brooks |
| AUS3469 | Tim Spalding | IRC4 | Daniel Geoghegan |
| GBR3012 | Noel Dobbs | Seaview Mermaid | Ben Sturges |
| GBR3465 | Edward Donald | IRC9 | Jerry Hill |
| GBR3044 | Chris Sherlock | IRC0 | David Atkinson |
| GBR3080 | Simon Anink | IRC3 | Nick Jackson |
| NED3289 | Simon Russell | XOD | Martin Lossie |
| GBR3304 | David Palmer | Dragon | Alex Tucker |
| GBR3215 | Adam Gosling | IRC7 | Joe Henry |
| GBR3079 | Andrew Porteous | Squib | Ann Jackson |
| GBR3134 | Iain Kirkpatrick | IRC6 | Jono Shelly |
| GBR3154 | John Tremlett | Victory | Guy Jackson |
| GBR3047 | Alistair Evans | IRC5 | Pieter Heyn |
| GBR3163 | Steven Anderson | Sunsail 37 | Alec Russell |
| GBR3037 | Mark Greenway | 1720 | Russell Peters |
| GBR3039 | Michael Briggs | IRC8 | Steve McLean |
| GBRTBA | Richard Talbot | RS K6 | Ian Southworth/ Nigel Smith |
| GBRTBA | Ian Andrew | RS Elite | Mark Jardine |
| GBR3309 | Steve Johnson | Contessa 32 | David Bates |
| GBR3169 | Kevin Downer | Sportsboat Rating | Luke Wooster |
| GBR3019 | Michael Moss | Solent Sunbeam | Sam Cook |
| GBR3032 | Russell Mead | Hunter 707 | Ian Schenkle |
Notes to Editors - Prizes available are a VW Touareg for winning helm, 2nd place a Laser XD and 3rd place a BUG from LaserPerformance.
For Laser SB3 owners, the winning owner receives a fantastic activity holiday with Mark Warner, for 2nd a new Laser SB3 Mainsail and 3rd a new Laser SB3 jib.
Also, for the "Most Passionate Performance" by a helm, which will be judged by a panel on the day, there will be a £500 Nexus instrument package.
Draws To Match Skippers And Boats In Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes Set For Friday 13 June
12 June - The Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes regatta takes place on Friday 1 August and provides a spectacular opening to Skandia Cowes Week 2008 as the individual class winners from the preceding year's Skandia Cowes Week go head to head in identical Laser SB3s to find the ultimate Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes.
The boats for the event are provided by volunteer owners from the Laser SB3 Class and for this year's event thirty-three owners have stepped forward to make their boats available.
In order to first select the thirty-two Laser SB3s that will compete in the competition, and then pair them with the class winners for the competition a series of public draws will take place from 10am on Friday 13 June at Volkswagen's UK headquarters in Milton Keynes. You can track the draw results as they happen live at www.kingofcowes.com.
The Skandia Cowes Week 2007 Class Winners confirmed to take part in the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes 2008 are:-
| Class | Boat Name | Entrant |
|---|---|---|
| 1720 | La Licorne | Mark Greenway |
| Daring | Dauntless | Giles Peckham |
| Dragon | Princess Jalina | David Palmer |
| Etchells & White Group | Arbitrator | Graham Bailey |
| Flying Fifteen | Men Behaving Badly | John Mander |
| Hunter 707 | The Ant Hill Mob | Russell Mead |
| Laser SB3 | Musto | Glenn Bourke |
| Redwing | Toucan | Peter Romer-Lee |
| RS Elite | Eclipse | Ian Andrew |
| RSK6 | Courageous | Richard Talbot |
| Sports Boat Rating | Abstension II | Kevin Downer |
| Seaview Mermaid | Sheen | N & R Dobbs |
| Solent Sunbeam | Daisy | Michael Moss |
| Sonar | Bertie | Simon Barter |
| Squib | Firecracker Too | Andrew Porteous |
| Swallow | Skua | Harry Roome |
| Victory | Zinnia | Jeremy Lear |
| XOD | Swallow | Simon Russell |
| Contessa 32 | Drumbeat | Eldred Himsworth |
| J109 | Shiva | Matthew Boyle |
| IRC 0 | ICAP Leopard | Mike Slade |
| IRC 1 | Flash Glove | Colm Barrington |
| IRC 2 | WISC | Glynn Williams |
| IRC 3 | Holmatro | Sander Speet |
| IRC 4 & Black Group | Amey Love Shack | Tim Spalding |
| IRC 5 | Alvine Jacobite | Harry Evans |
| IRC 6 | Fatjax | Iain Kirkpatrick |
| IRC 7 | Earls Court Boatshow | Adam Gosling |
| IRC 8 | Mikado | Michael Briggs |
| IRC 9 | Madelaine | Edward Donald |
| J-Sprit | Mojo | Jill Stevenson |
| Multihulls | Buzz | Philip Cotton |
| Sunfast 37 | Deloitte | Steven Anderson |
The thirty-three Laser SB3s entering the draw to host the Class Winners are:-
| Nat | SailNo | BoatName | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBR | 3146 | Bathstore.com | Tim Cork |
| GBR | 3212 | Darling Associates | Chris Darling |
| GBR | 3053 | Earls Court Boat Show | Geoff Carveth |
| GBR | 3106 | I Maximus | David Brown |
| GBR | 3131 | It's Playtime! | Tom Kiddle |
| GBR | 3036 | Never Say Never | Jeremy Thorp |
| GBR | 3010 | Sbeed | Toby Litton |
| GBR | 3075 | Striptease | Emma Henderson-Williams |
| GBR | 3031 | Team Maclaren | Catherine Summerhayes |
| GBR | TBA | Carjack | Craig Burlton |
| GBR | 3173 | Virtual Human Resources | Danny Brooks |
| AUS | 3269 | Champagne Blond | Daniel Geoghegan |
| GBR | 3012 | Barbarian | Ben Sturges |
| GBR | 3465 | 3 Sad Old Blokes | Jerry Hill |
| GBR | 3044 | Liftingsafety.co.uk | David Atkinson |
| GBR | 3080 | Millgate Homes | Nick Jackson |
| NED | 3289 | Twerk | Martin Lossie |
| GBR | 3304 | Sail Army | Alex Tucker |
| GBR | 3215 | Sail Navy | Joe Henry |
| GBR | 3079 | Excuse Me Gents | Ann Jackson |
| GBR | 3134 | Team Touareg | Jono Shelly |
| GBR | 3153 | Helly Hansen | Guy Jackson |
| GBR | 3047 | Go Hard Or Go Home | Pieter Heyn |
| GBR | 3163 | Joules Argo II | Alec Russell |
| GBR | 3037 | Selden Seen | Russell Peters |
| GBR | 3166 | - | Giles Peckham |
| GBR | TBA | Chilli Chaser | Ian Southworth & Nigel Smith |
| GBR | TBA | Yachts & Yachting | Mark Jardine |
| GBR | 3309 | Ohzone | David Bates |
| GBR | 3169 | Wosterstock | Luke Wooster |
| GBR | 3019 | Ribidium | Sam Cook |
| GBR | 3032 | Rumbleflurg | Ian Schenkle |
| GBR | 3039 | - | Steve McLean |
The draws will be supervised by external adjudicators and will be recorded on video to ensure complete fairness. The video will be published on www.kingofcowes.com shortly after the draw.
The all up weight limit for crews is 270kg meaning that some boats will sail with three crew and others with four. The crew in each boat will include the Class Winner as helmsman and the Laser SB3 owner or his representative as first crewmember and the additional crew members are appointed by the Class Winner in consultation with the owner.
With fantastic prizes including a Volkswagen Touareg, a Mark Warner activity holiday, a Laser XD dinghy, a Bug dinghy by LaserPerformance and the Nexus Marine "Most Passionate Performance Award" as well as the title Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at stake the competition at this year's event is expected to be hotter than ever.
More Prizes & Support For Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week
29 May - With some big prizes and a prestigious title at stake, the scene is hotting up for the 2008 edition of the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week, which takes place on Friday 1st August.
The inaugural event, in 2007, saw Alistair Richardson crowned "King of Cowes" and drive away with a brand new Volkswagen Touareg. Volkswagen Touareg has continued its sponsorship of the Laser SB3 class and its events into 2008 and is back again as the driving force behind this second Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week.
The prizes up for grabs this year reflect the level of competition the regatta attracts, and on the day the sailors will be vying for a number of top prizes, as well as the all important title.
The overall winning helmsman, already a Class winner at Skandia Cowes Week 2007, will once again drive away with a fabulous Volkswagen Touareg. The second placed helm will receive a Laser XD dinghy, as specified and used by World number one and British Olympic Laser Class representative Paul Goodison, whilst the third placed helm gets a Laser Bug, the critically acclaimed new singled handed junior dinghy launched in 2008.
The owners of the Laser SB3s, who provide the boats and are critical to the success of the event, don't walk away empty handed either. Every competing Laser SB3 owner will receive a brand new jib for their boat and in addition the top three owners will also receive fabulous prizes.
Additional prizes up for grabs
New for 2008, the event is being supported by holiday company, Mark Warner, one of the most highly regarded independent travel companies in the UK, carrying over 50,000 passengers to a mix of Ski and Beach resort holidays each year. The owner of the winning boat will receive a fantastic activity holiday with Mark Warner. The second and third placed owners will receive a new Laser SB3 Mainsail and a new jib respectively.
"Mark Warner are delighted to be supporting this event. It is very exciting to be involved in the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes. We wish all the competitors the best of luck' - Leslie Crook, Press & PR Co-ordinator, Mark Warner.
Another exciting new development is the introduction of the Nexus Marine "Most Passionate Performance of the Day" award. Swedish-based Nexus Marine, is a leading manufacturer of navigation equipment for racing and cruising yachts and this award will be judged by an on-water panel led by its Sales and Marketing Manager, Jonas Magnér. The judges will be looking for the team that demonstrates the greatest "passion" for the competition and the winning helm will receive a Nexus instrument package worth £500.
"Nexus is delighted to be part of this year's Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week. Nexus is an Official Supplier to Skandia Cowes Week and we are passionate about our products and know that success in sailing, as well as in life, requires both passion and commitment. In awarding this prize we will be looking for the team whose attitude best displays that wonderful passion for sailing and joie-de-vivre that make Skandia Cowes Week and the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes world class events." - Jonas Magnér.
This year's event will see the 32 official class winners from Skandia Cowes Week 2007 competing in one design Laser SB3's.
Watch this space for the official pairings of skippers and owners, and to see who will take home each of these superb prizes.
Second Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes to be held in association with Skandia Cowes Week 2008
Class winners from Skandia Cowes Week 2007 invited to Compete Head to Head to win the prestigious tital and a brand new Volkswagen Touareg
6 May 2008 - LaserPerformance (Europe) Ltd and Volkswagen are delighted to announce that 2008 will see the return of the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week. With the question being, who will be crowned King this year?
On Friday 1st August the class winners from Skandia Cowes Week 2007 will race in identical Laser SB3s off Cowes in a one-day, three race regatta. Following on from the hard-fought inaugural event held last year, some 32 leading national and international helms will have the opportunity to pitch their skills on the water against each other, to compete for the coveted 'Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes' title. Competition is expected to again be fierce, with prizes of a Volkswagen Touareg, Laser XD and Laser BUG up for grabs. Plus a fantastic holiday to Mark Warner for the owner of the winning boat.
A Diverse Entry List
With winning helms from classes as diverse as the historic XOD day boats and the high tech IRC Class Zero maxis this event draws together the very best sailors from Skandia Cowes Week 2007 to promise a truly exceptional competition.
As in 2007, the winning helms will be drawn at random through an independent draw to ascertain which SB3 owner they will be paired with. The class winners must helm their boat with the SB3 owner as principle crew member. The SB3 class winner will not be permitted to sail his own boat but will also be allocated to an SB3 through the independent draw to prevent any unfair advantage.
With so much at stake, Principle Race Officer Tony Lovell and his team from Total Race Control, will ensure a series of challenging races are set to test the skills and tactics of the invited helms and an International Jury will be on hand to ensure fair play.
The Skandia Cowes Week 2007 class winners invited to compete in this year's Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes competition are:
| Class | Boat Name | Entrant |
|---|---|---|
| 1720 | La Licorne | Mark Greenway |
| Daring | Dauntless | Giles Peckham |
| Dragon | Princess Jalina | David Palmer |
| Etchells & White Group | Arbitrator | Graham Bailey |
| Flying Fifteen | Men Behaving Badly | John Mander |
| Hunter 707 | The Ant Hill Mob | Russell Mead |
| Laser SB3 | Musto | Glenn Bourke |
| Redwing | Toucan | Peter Romer-Lee |
| RS Elite | Eclipse | Ian Andrew |
| RSK6 | Courageous | Richard Talbot |
| Sports Boat Rating | Abstension II | Kevin Downer |
| Seaview Mermaid | Sheen | N & R Dobbs |
| Solent Sunbeam | Daisy | Michael Moss |
| Sonar | Bertie | Simon Barter |
| Squib | Firecracker Too | Andrew Porteous |
| Swallow | Skua | Harry Roome |
| Victory | Zinnia | Jeremy Lear |
| XOD | Swallow | Simon Russell |
| Contessa 32 | Drumbeat | Eldred Himsworth |
| J109 | Shiva | Matthew Boyle |
| IRC 0 | ICAP Leopard | Mike Slade |
| IRC 1 | Flash Glove | Colm Barrington |
| IRC 2 | WISC | Glynn Williams |
| IRC 3 | Holmatro | Sander Speet |
| IRC 4 & Black Group | Amey Love Shack | Tim Spalding |
| IRC 5 | Alvine Jacobite | Harry Evans |
| IRC 6 | Fatjax | Iain Kirkpatrick |
| IRC 7 | Earls Court Boatshow | Adam Gosling |
| IRC 8 | Mikado | Michael Briggs |
| IRC 9 | Madelaine | Edward Donald |
| J-Sprit | Mojo | Jill Stevenson |
| Multihulls | Buzz | Philip Cotton |
Three races are scheduled with no discard ensuring that the teams are given the most rigorous test. For 2008 the course format is revised slightly to include a Skandia Cowes Week style "round the cans" course in addition to the "windward leeward" format which was used exclusively at the inaugural event. The "round the cans" format gives a greater test of navigational skills and was introduced in response to the competitor's request for a competition that offered the broadest possible test of skills.
Each competitor will receive an exclusive Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes event T-Shirt and every participating boat owner will have receive a new branded jib, they will also receive a new Volkswagen sponsored spinnaker. All crews of the winning boats will also receive a trophy. There will also be a one-off 'special' award presented by the navigation instrument specialists Nexus Marine AB.
The racing will be tight, as they will be battling it out for:
| Skippers | Owners | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Volkswagen Touareg | Family holiday to Mark Warner |
| 2nd | Laser XD | SB3 Mainsail |
| 3rd | Laser BUG | SB3 Jib |
Michelle Warner, Sales & Marketing Director of Cowes Week Ltd. commented; "The inaugural Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes event at Skandia Cowes Week last year provided an exciting prelude to a great week of racing. We are delighted that this event will once again bring together the champions of Skandia Cowes Week for some exciting pre-event racing; setting the tone for what promises to be another great Week."
The independent draw to match class winners with SB3s will take place in May and further information about the location and timing of the draw will be published shortly.
