BA Cup Squad Trial and Training — 05 November '11

05 November –06 November

BA Cup Squad Trial and Training Following on from the success of the British Team winning the 2010 BA Cup and in preparation for the next round of the currant BA Cup Series in Oct 2012 at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club the Royal Thames will be holding a Squad trial and training weekend over the 5th and 6th November. The weekend will provide an opportunity for some Gold Level Team Race training and an opportunity for aspiring Gold Team Racers to shine. The race programme for the BA Cup squad includes entering a number of US East Coast events including the Jackson Cup in April, The Morgan Cup in August and the Lee Trophy to be raced at Seawanhaka the weekend before the BA Cup in Oct. The 5th and 6th November Weekend will be in the J80s at Queen Mary SC. The weekend will be run by Bruce Hebbert and will include a combination of drills and racing over the two days. Each day will start with a briefing at 0900 and will finish no later than 1600. The charge per day will be £35. Members may enter both or individual days as a team of 4 or as an individual racer. For planning purposes we would ask that teams and individual races with their preferred crew position.

In 2010 our Royal Thames team beat the United States to bring the British-American Cup back to Britain for the first time in eleven years. In 2012 we go to the 'States to defend the trophy so hard won. Our long-standing friends and opponents from Seawanhaka Corinthian YC, although sporting and gracious in defeat nonetheless made no secret of their dismay at losing - nor of the fact that they felt that we had given notice that they needed to Up their game. We can expect new talent to join the vast BA Cup experience pool at Seawanhaka for the 2012 match, and we shall need our very best and most committed sailors to spend time, effort and money in preparing to and then going to the States to ensure that we keep the Cup.

Andy Cornah, Captain of our team in 2010, has been re-appointed team Captain for 2012. Precise details of how we shall select the remainder of the team are being worked out now.