Venture Cup announced at first race briefing
The first race briefing of the Cowes to Monte Carlo offshore powerboat race was held at the Royal Albert Yacht Club in Portsmouth on Saturday.
It was attended by over 100 entered crew, support teams and race officials with some coming from as far as the United States, Scandinavia, Belgium and Ukraine.
The organiser of the 2013 race, Mike Lloyd, opened the meeting with the news that the event will now be known as the Venture Cup.
This new title is represented by a huge solid silver trophy first presented to the Sussex Motor Yacht Club (SMYC) in 1908 by the American Vanderbilt family and loaned by the SMYC for the forthcoming race.
But more exciting for powerboating enhusiasts is that the associated sponsorship agency, Mayhew International, feel a one-off event, even one of this magnitude, would be far more attractive commercially if similar seagoing marathons were repeated every two years.
Competitors were therefore informed that in three years time (2015), a race would be organised between Venice and Monte Carlo, followed two years later by a race between New York and Miami, and later still by one from Athens to Monte Carlo. Further races from Cowes to St Petersburg and finally from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai were also put forward.
Competitors were also told there would be four non-racing lay days during the Cowes to Monte Carlo race, an announcement welcomed by all given the punishing nature of long-distance powerboat racing.
A second race briefing giving up-to-date information, particularly local regulations such a noise restrictions, refuelling and offshore conservation areas to be avoided, will be held in November.
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