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| A warm welcome for Portofino Rolex Trophy participants. |
by the Portofino Rolex Trophy Media
Team |
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Photos By Carlo
Borlenghi for Rolex.
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
| May 7, 2009. |
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This weekend the Italian
port village of Portofino welcomes some very special guests for
the first-ever Portofino Rolex Trophy. This event has been created
by the Yacht Club Italiano and Rolex to honour some of the classic
designs that make up part of the long history of sailing.
The event is open by invitation only to a select list of wooden
classes. The Portofino Rolex Trophy is an event intended to bring
sailing history to life through both racing and on-shore exhibitions,
in a quintessentially maritime Italian location. |
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Dock Side Portofino.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Regatta festivities
officially began this evening with the Welcome Cocktail at the
Caffè Excelsior in Portofino, where all participants were
able to enjoy some fine hospitality at the start of this classic
regatta weekend that has a full race and social programme.
Racing is set to begin tomorrow, Friday 8 May, at 11.00, following
a 09.30 breakfast and weather briefing at the Yacht Club Italiano
(YCI) Clubhouse. All racing will take place in the waters of
the Marconi Gulf and nine races have been scheduled, with no
more than three races per day.
Racing will continue through Sunday 10 May when the final races
and the prize-giving ceremony will take place. Along with regatta
prizes and trophies, a Rolex Yacht-Master in Rolesium will be
awarded to the winners of both the 8 and 12-Metre classes. |
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Dock Side Portofino.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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The confirmed entry
list of the "barca d’epoca" for the Portofino Rolex
Trophy 2009 currently includes the 12-Metres Cintra, Varuna, Emilia and
eight 8-Metres including Margaret, Bona and Vega among
others.
Varuna and Cintra will be celebrating their
centenary year, as will Orion, the famous 129’ gaff
schooner built by Camper and Nicholson, who will be in attendance
as a non-racing Guest of Honour during the regatta. |
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Old Wooden Olympic Boat exhibition Portofino.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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Over the weekend,
participants will be feted with a grand social program organized
around the racing. On Saturday night, the social highlight of the
weekend will be the Rolex Gala Dinner at La Cevara, formerly a
historic abbey (Abbazia di San Girolamo) founded in 1396, in the
hills between Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure.
In addition to the display of classic yacht design on the water,
there will also be an exhibition of historic wooden Olympic classes
in the main square of Portofino. The boats on show date back
as far as 1936 (Dragon) and the exhibition includes boats representing
Star, Class A, Finn, Snipe, Flying Dutchman, Contender, Fireball,
Flying Junior and 5.5M classes. |
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Onboard Orion in Portofino at
sunset.
Photo © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi.
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| The Portofino Rolex
Trophy is part of the Rolex Yachting Portfolio that includes over
twenty world-class sailing events that take place around the world.
Rolex is also the title sponsor of classic races such as the Rolex
Sydney Hobart, the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the legendary Rolex
Fastnet Race. |
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For more information about the host club, Yacht
Club Italiano, and the Portofino Rolex Trophy, please visit their
website at www.yachtclubitaliano.it. |
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