Bermuda To Host Viper 640 Sailing Regatta
The International Championship will be hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club on Bermuda’s Great Sound in November 2016, and there are over 50 Viper 640s already registered, with representative teams coming from North America, Europe and Australia.
The announcement said, “2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the design of the Viper 640 and the 10th anniversary of the relaunch of the Class Association. The Class is now a truly international class with Viper 640 fleets active in seven nations across three continents.
“The Class Association is celebrating these milestones by hosting the first Viper 640 International Championship, with sailors competing for a prestigious new trophy open to Viper teams from around the world.
“The International Championship will be hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club on Bermuda’s Great Sound November 16-19, 2016, preceded by a warm-up regatta November 13-14.
“There are over 50 Viper 640s already registered for the International Championship, with representative teams coming from North America, Europe and Australia, and it is anticipated this number will grow in the coming months. This will be the largest one–design keel boat regatta ever hosted in Bermuda.
“The Viper 640 was originally designed and built in 1996.The Class was relaunched in the U.S. in 2006 with a new, self-governing Viper 640 Class Association and a new builder [Rondar Raceboats in the UK].
“The founders of the new Class Association had a simple but ambitious mission: they wanted a fast, fun, easy-to-sail, affordable sport boat that would reinvigorate amateur one-design sailing.
“The grass roots growth phenomenon that followed was initially aimed at the U.S., but word spread quickly, with Viper fleets springing up in Canada, Australia, the UK, and Bermuda.
“The International Championship will be held concurrently with the 20thAnniversary North American Championship. The overall winner will be crowned as the first Viper 640 International Champion and the highest-placing North American team will receive the Class’s coveted North American Championship trophy.”
Viper 640 Class President Dr. Jim Sears noted, “The Class’s first International Championship is indicative of our growth in recent years with more and more Vipers sailing in Australia and Europe.
“This follows the Class’s first European Championship on Lake Garda last year and Australian Championships that have been hosted in Fremantle and Sydney. We are going to find out who is the best Viper team is in the world and I can’t imagine a more spectacular location in the world to do this than on the Great Sound in Bermuda.”
“This is already the largest one-design keel boat regatta that has ever taken place in the history of Bermuda, and hosting the Viper 640 International Championship in Bermuda is a perfect fit,” said 2016 International Championship Chair Doug De Couto.
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club immediate past Commodore Somers Kempe noted that, “With the America’s Cup to be sailed in these same waters in 2017, the sailing world’s eyes are on Bermuda. We are the newest national fleet in the Viper 640 Class and we intend to throw a memorable competition and even more memorable parties for our visitors.”
Rondar Raceboats will be delivering containers of new boats to Bermuda in time for the International Championship. Anyone interested in chartering or purchasing a Viper in Bermuda should contact Rondar’s Dan Tucker.
The Viper 640 International Championship and North American Championship Regatta is made possible thanks to the generosity of its sponsors: The Bermuda Tourism Authority, EFG International, Bermuda International Shipping Ltd., Bermuda Container Line, Somers Isles Shipping, Bermuda Forwarders, Goslings, Gubinelli Wines, Oleander Cycles, Newstead Belmont Hills Resort, and Rondar Raceboats.
Good, just in time for de new Government.
November 16-19, 2016!
In that case perhaps this sailing race can be a last great HARRAH before the PLP really sends Bermuda into the abyss of poverty, thus making grassroots Bermudians poverty stricken and starving, but happy.
Well, two outa three anyway.
Please leave your dumb-a$$ political crap out of a story like this.
Onion Juice , I suggest you leave your current job working in the media, before it swallows you up in a pit of self loathing.
@Onion Juice? That s#!t your smoking must be good? This event is in 2016 mate.
This race was held in Larchmont, NY last year October, where it was so cold and windy that I’m sure Bermuda was an obvious choice for a new venue. Thanks to the powers that be great to have it here and another much needed financial boost!
Very cool !
…and alot of Bermudians can’t afford to buy food.
@wow
and your point is??
I just dont understand some people, this will bring tourists to Bermuda to help our economy,are you so daft you dont understand that?
so we shouldn’t keep trying to attract people to our shores? that will miraculously put food on the table?
you must be part of the group of morons who think that all expats should leave and we can do everything ourselves…. perhaps if you pull your head out of the sand you will realize that people coming here, wanting to work here, contributing to our economy, is who pays into the system that will provide things like YOUR PENSION down the road.
@wow and OJ, you are both proof positive that our education system is broken. How can the two of you exist in such a complex world?
We see schoolchildren everywhere packing groceries,(for money)this all the “grumblers” can / should be doing while seek a better job…
Get off of your assssss and go get a job!
Far too many complain and lay up on the Government for a $ a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs
Plenty on the jobs board.
Yeah but I bet they have the latest cell phone…