Louis Vuitton Trophy Heads for Auckland

Following on the heels of the regatta in Nice in November 2009, the Louis Vuitton Trophy -- a world-class sailing and racing series -- moves on to its next venue, Auckland, rightfully known as the City of Sails. The event will be held from March 9-12, 2010, and will feature eight participating teams. The Trophy series will then move on to La Maddelena, Dubai, and finally Hong Kong.

The Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland will feature eight teams from seven countries who are competing to make it to the finals, and eventually win the trophy:

1. Aleph (France; Skipper Bertrand Pacé)
2. All4One (France/Germany; Skipper Jochen Schumann)
3. Artemis (Sweden; Skipper: Paul Cayard)
4. Azzurra (Italy; Skipper Francesco Bruni)
5. Mascalzone Latino Audi (Italy)
6. Synergy (Russia; Skipper Karol Jablonski)
7. TEAMORIGIN (Great Britain; Skipper Ben Ainslie)
8. Emirates Team (New Zealand; Skipper: Dean Barker)

All teams are members of the WSTA (World Sailing Teams Association), co-organizers of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

The Trophy follows along with Louis Vuitton’s dedication to the spirit of sailing. This has been demonstrated by the Louis Vuitton Cup, created as the challenger races to the America's Cup in 1983, and held annually for over 25 years since.  Valencia, Spain 2007 saw a temporary halt of the America’s Cup, the world’s oldest international sporting event. At this point, Louis Vuitton took it upon themselves to increase their contribution to the world of sailing by creating the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, a one-off match racing event where twelve teams from ten countries competed in Auckland in January 2009.

Following the immense success and attention that the Pacific Series garnered, the Louis Vuitton Trophy kicked off in Nice in November 2009 and will make its second stop in Auckland next month. It will be held at the same venue as the Auckland International Boatshow (March 10-14) in Auckland’s Downtown Viaduct Basin. The overlapping dates shared by these two events, are sure to make sailing fanatics quite happy.

The format of the Louis Vuitton Trophy is match racing where two sailing crews are pitted against each other. The most enthralling part of the race begins during the 3-minute pre-race where each team tries to gain advantage over the opponent.

The yachts used in the series are America’s Cup Class yachts, which have been featured in the America’s Cup Match since 1992. Weighing approximately 23 tons at a length of 80-90 feet, the yachts are built with a carbon-fiber and a Nomex honeycomb core. Dates for the Louis Vuitton Trophy are: Auckland – March 9-12, 2010; La Maddalena, Sardinia – May 22 – June 6, 2010; Dubai, UAE - November 13 – 27, 2010; Hong Kong – January 9 – 24, 2011.