Seychelles to host first Sailing Cup |27 August 2005

Scheduled to be held from January 21 to 29 next year, the Sailing Cup is intended to boost the local sailing industry by luring amateur and professional sailors from around the world to sample the unique sailing experience available in Seychelles.

The contest will be conducted under the authority of the Seychelles Yacht Club in accordance with International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) International Racing Rules of sailing and will be open to any type of sailing boat; catamarans, monohulls, maxi yachts and traditional rigs, in addition to thirty boats which will be made available to contestants by the Praslin based company Dream Yacht Seychelles.

The event will be run as a handicap race with each boat given a rating. Two classifications will be used per heat, “real time” and “compensated time,” which will be used for the final classification.

Heats of various types are planned, including races between buoys, races between the islands and set courses, as well as game fishing contests.

Around thirty European newspaper and television journalists have been invited to attend the inaugural Seychelles Sailing Cup, hopefully bringing widespread publicity to the event.

Information from the STB bills the event as, “an exclusive contest for all lovers of sail, racing, blue water, and desert islands -for all those who love to combine adventure on the sea with the luxury of staying in one of the world’s finest hotels and with idyllic evenings on the beach.”

Starting in front of the Lemuria Resort at Anse Kerlan, Praslin, will then head for Cousin before turning for Mahe.

The seven day race programme will also take in the islands of Silhouette, North, La Digue, Curieuse, Denis and Bird, before finishing on Coco Island.