TEAMORIGIN search for UK Venue to host a Louis Vuitton Trophy event

by Leslie Ryan

TEAMORIGIN, the British America’s Cup team headed by Sir Keith Mills, today announced their intention of securing a venue in the UK to host a Louis Vuitton Trophy event – as early as August/September 2010 or during the 2011 season – and possibly repeating annually thereafter. The overall objective is to bring America’s Cup type racing to British shores as soon as possible.

During 2009 TEAMORIGIN competed in two really successful Louis Vuitton Trophy events – the first being the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series that was held in Auckland in February 2009 and, more recently, the first ‘Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta’, in Nice in November 2009.

During 2010 the World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA) will organise a further four or five Louis Vuitton Trophy events in venues such as New Zealand, Italy, the Middle East and Hong Kong. TEAMORIGIN’s Principal Sir Keith Mills strongly believes that one of these events should and could be hosted in the UK during either 2010 or 2011.

“I set up TEAMORIGIN with the clear ambition of ultimately winning the America’s Cup and bringing it back to the UK from where it all began. I know we have some fantastic sailing venues here in Great Britain and as part of TEAMORIGIN’s build-up to the next America’s Cup it would be really positive to see Cup teams racing in British waters as early as 2010. To that end we are looking for serious expressions of interest from British coastal venues by the end of January 2010. Following that we will explore further the criteria required, through a relatively brief event venue tender process, to mobilise the necessary facilities, infrastructure and funding required to bring a sailing competition of the highest calibre, along with its economic benefits, to a venue on our shores.”

TEAMORIGIN and the WTSA have already compiled a detailed event venue specification document for any venue that might be interested in exploring this opportunity.

TEAMORIGIN
Louis Vuitton Trophy