Sailing in Paradise

International Men's & Women's Skippers Compete in the Carlos Aguilar Match Race in the tropical and scenic harbor of Charlotte Amalie, November 30th to December 4th, 2011.

Some of the world’s best match racers will face-off in the natural amphitheater of Charlotte Amalie harbor in Inter-Club (IC)-24s, where international visitors and locals alike can enjoy a front row seat.

Presented by Ulysse Nardin/Trident Jewels & Time, the Carlos Aguilar Match Race (CAMR), an Official World Tour Qualifier (WTQ) for the 2012 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) (www.worldmatchracingtour.com), is set for November 30th to December 4th, 2011. The Women’s and Open Division winners in this International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade Two event receive an Ulysse Nardin Lady Diver and Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver precision timepiece, respectively. The Open Division winner also receives an invitation to the Stena Match Cup Sweden, in Marstrand in July.

This sailing regatta attracts a Who’s Who of sailing: the USA’s Genny Tulloch triumphed in 2008 and 2010 and France’s Claire Leroy in 2009 in the Women’s Division, while it was the USVI’s Taylor Canfield in 2008 and Peter Holmberg in 2009 and Portugal’s Alvaro Marinho/Seth Sailing Team in 2010 won in the Open Division.

The St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC) and the Virgin Islands Sailing Association (VISA) are organizing authorities for the CAMR, namesake for the late Carlos Aguilar, who was an avid sailor and match racer.

Match racing pits one identical boat against another on a short course oftentimes near to shore. On-the-water umpires make instant calls and enforce the rules. The result is very exciting racing up and down the Charlotte Amalie waterfront where spectators can enjoy tented bleacher seating. The CAMR will feature live commentary on the waterfront provided by America’s Cup-sailor-turned commentator, Geordie Shaver, and a live webcast on www.carlosmatchrace.com where a global audience is expected to follow this nautical fencing match. Racing starts at 9 a.m. (GMT – 4 hrs) daily.

Supporting sponsors of the CAMR are the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort, Heineken Beer, distributed in the U.S. Virgin Islands by Bellows International Ltd., Budget Marine, Yacht Haven Grande and St. Thomas Yacht Club.

Satish Alwani, co-owner of Trident Jewels & Time, the exclusive Ulysse Nardin dealer on St. Thomas, says, “We welcome the competitors to St. Thomas. We are proud to make this event possible and look forward to some great racing.”

In just three years, says Principal Race Officer, Bill Canfield, “we have created two great match racing events within a single event. The women's division brings together some of the world's best match racers while the open division focuses on interesting match-ups putting America’s Cup skippers against a new pack of young guns.”

ABOUT THE SPONSOR
Trident Jewels & Time is a family business in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Trident has two branches in St. Thomas (Main Street & Yacht Haven Grande Marina) and three branches in Aruba (Little Europe and Times Square). Trident carries all varieties of jewels including loose diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and tanzanite. The company is also the exclusive authorized retailer for a selection of some of the most exquisite timepieces in the world: Ulysse Nardin, Harry Winston, Franck Muller, Bovet, Jaquet Droz, Bell & Ross, U-Boat, Graham and Technomarine.

For more, please visit: www.carlosmatchrace.com