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For the Media: Colgate 26 News
Steve Colgate
Chairman
Colgate 26 - Offshore Sailing School
866-842-4355 toll free
239-985-7505
steve@Colgate26.com
FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR FOR COLGATE 26 SAILBOATS IN KNICKERBOCKER CUP INTERNATIONAL TEAM RACING EVENT
FORT MYERS, FL (September 3, 2009) — Steve Colgate, who created the concept for the award-winning Colgate 26 sailboat in 1996, returned last week from observing the International Team Racing competition for the Knickerbocker Cup, held by Manhasset Bay Yacht Club on Long Island Sound. This was the fourth consecutive year that Knickerbocker Cup organizers chose the Colgate 26 for this prestigious competition.
The Knickerbocker Cup is a grade 2 ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Professional Match Racing Regatta with $19,000 in prize money. In its 27th year, with 26 of those years at its originator, the Knickerbocker Yacht Club, Manhasset Bay Yacht Club picked up the challenge after the Knickerbocker Club closed its doors in 2008.
For the past four years the Cup has been raced on Colgate 26 sailboats. This year again, Offshore Sailing School (owned by Steve and Doris Colgate) donated boats for the event. Six boats were raced constantly throughout the four-day event held August 27-30, with four from Offshore Sailing School and three more from private owners (one as an alternate). Twelve teams competed; four from the United States, three from New Zealand, and one each from Australia, Sweden, U.S. Virgin Islands, Argentina and Poland.
Colgate attended the Saturday qualifying races and Sunday finals. "Saturday was rainy and blustery as tropical storm Bill passed by," he reports. "The fleeet was narrowed down to four teams in the semi-finals and two for the finals. The Sunday finals were between Dave Perry, racing rules guru who has won twice before (shown in photo at helm above); and a relative newcomer, Reuben Corbett of New Zeland, whose World Open Ranking is 86 versus Dave's 48. Light winds prevailed and it came down to the fifth race of the three out of five finals. Corbett won the last race and, as many previous winners such as Russell Coutts, Ed Baird, Paul Cayard and Peter Gilmour (all America's Cup, round the world racing and other major competitors), I'm sure we will be hearing much more about Reuben in the future. This regatta has started many a racing sailor on the road to fame."
This year, one of the teams was headed by Anna Tunnecliff who won a gold medal in Laser Radials in China in 2008. With her all female crew, she was hot competition for the all-men and coed teams early on, reports Steve. He expects to rise in the ranks very quickly.
Colgate also said that comments by the racing sailors and the ISAF umpires about the Colgate 26 "were poetry to my ears. They loved the handling characteristics and one umpire pulled me aside after the finals and said that the Colgate 26 was an ideal boat for thiis type of professional match racing."
When Colgate wrote the parameters for the Colgate 26 he chose well-known marine architect Jim Taylor to draw up the design. Used exclusively by Offshore Sailing School for Learn to Sail, Performance Sailing and Racing courses, the Colgate 26 is also the boat of choice for training at the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Maine Maritime, and other institutions and commercial schools. But most of the near 320 hulls sold are used by individuals for day sailing, local and inter-club racing. It is an ideal boat for families because of its safety, performance, and comfort features.
"it's great to see people enjoying this boat," says Colgate. "They roll-tack the boats, walk all over while trimming sails in rapid reaction to the competition, spin them on a dime and come within inches of one another without hitting."
For more information on the Knickerbocker Cup or the Colgate 26, call Steve Colgate at 866-842-4355 toll free in the United States and Canada, or 239-454-1700. His email is steve@Colgate26.com.
Editor’s Note: For high resolution images to accompany this article contact doris@offshoresailing.com.
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