07-Jul-10

East Coast Trifecta Match Racing Series Announces 2010 Overall Winner to Gain Automatic Invitation to 2011 Congressional Cup

Grade 2 regattas become important qualifiers for United States’ only Grade 1 Open Match Race regatta.

Detroit, Mich. – 7 July 2010 – Officials from the Knickerbocker Cup, the Chicago Match Cup and the Toyota International Match Race for the Detroit Cup today announced that the overall winner of their three Grade 2 match racing regattas will automatically be invited to the 2011 Congressional Cup, hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club. Kevin Schrage, chairman of the Detroit event, made the announcement this afternoon at the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, Michigan.

The three Grade 2 regattas, together known as the East Coast Trifecta, are each qualifying regattas for different events on the World Match Racing Tour. The decision to invite the overall winner to the Congressional Cup was made to promote the launch of a new North American Match Race Series that will link the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast events. "Together with our colleagues in Chicago and New York, we have created a series of great match racing events that are convenient for racers to attend. The decision by the Long Beach Yacht Club to invite the overall winner to the Congressional Cup is evidence that our Grade 2 regattas have become important events for globally ranked match racers," said Schrage.

The East Coast Trifecta events, held on three consecutive weekends in August, are each open to the public and feature streaming video coverage viewed by hundreds of thousands sailors around the globe.

About the Knickerbocker Cup

Sailed since 1982, the Knickerbocker Cup is now hosted by the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club in Port Washington, New York. In 2009, the Knickerbocker Cup joined the Detroit Cup and the Chicago Match Cup to create the East Coast Trifecta. The Knickerbocker Cup will be held August 25-29, and is a Grade 2 qualifying event for the Argo Group Gold Cup, held in Hamilton, Bermuda. For more on the Knickerbocker Cup, go to www.manhassetbayyc.org

About the Chicago Match Cup

A qualifier for the Danish Open on the World Match Race Tour, the 2010 Chicago Match Cup will be held August 13-15. Hosted by the Chicago Match Racing Center, the Grade 2 event is part of the East Coast Trifecta. For more on the Chicago Match Race, go to www.chicagomatchrace.com

About the Toyota International Match Race for the Detroit Cup

Hosted by Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, Michigan, the 2010 Toyota International Match Race for the Detroit Cup will be held August 18 – 22. Featuring 12 teams representing six countries, the Grade 2 event is a qualifier for the Argo Group Gold Cup, held in Hamilton, Bermuda. For more on the Toyota International Match Race for the Detroit Cup, go to www.detroitcup.com

About the Congressional Cup

The Congressional Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious match race events in the world, and is the only Grade 1 Open Match Race regatta sailed in the United States. 2011 marks the 47th annual running of the event scheduled for March 21-26, 2011 at the Long Beach Yacht Club. For more on the Congressional Cup, go to www.lbyc.org