Sydney all set to host 2016 Rolex farr 40 worlds

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The 19th edition of the #rolex Farr 40 World Championships is being hosted by the Royal #sydney Yacht Squadron and runs from Tuesday, 16 until Friday, 19th February 2016. Held at a different venue each year, the Championship is the pinnacle of the Farr 40 season. Following last year’s championship in Long Beach, US, the 2016 edition moves 7,500 miles across the Pacific to #sydney, Australia.

The Farr 40 Class is a strict one design. The class rules were devised to create a level playing field wherewinning depends on the performance of the crew more than the design of the equipment. Aside from regulating the technical attributes of the 40-foot boat, the rules legislate the crew composition. An amateur owner is required to helm and a maximum of four professional sailors are allowed among the typically 10-strong crew. As a result, racing has always been intense. This year promises to be no exception with a fleet that includes three past world champions: Plenty (USA) 2014/San Francisco, Flash Gordon (USA) 2012/Chicago andTransfusion (AUS) 2011/Sydney.

As the crown in sailing for over fifty years #rolex has a long and rich history of supporting the sport’s finest events. The #rolexfarr40worldchampionship is one such contest. Fiercely competitive, it demands and rewards team work, consistency and determination. #rolex has been a partner of the #event since 2001, and the reward for victory remains as coveted as ever - the World Championship trophy and a #rolex Yacht-Master timepiece, true recognition of yachting #excellence.

HIGH QUALITY

Launched in 1997, the Farr 40 very quickly became a major force in grand-prix racing. It attracted boat owners from the upper echelons of the corporate world and with them top-class sailors. Farr 40 racing has long been regarded as a unique meeting of business and sailing elites; both groups sensing a tangible opportunity to perfect their skills and test themselves against their peers.

The emphasis on human performance led the class and its flagship #event, the #rolex Farr 40 Worlds, to develop legendary status, increasing the number of top yachtsmen and women keen to challenge themselves in an environment where preparation is rigorously tested and talent rewarded.

This year’s top yachtsmen include Ed Baird, tactician on Flash Gordon, and Terry Hutchinson, tactician onPlenty. The pair have a history of competing against each other at the highest level. Baird was the winning helmsman at the 2007 America’s Cup, a feat which secured him the ISAF #rolex World Sailor of the Year Award. Hutchinson, multiple winner of the #rolex Farr 40 Worlds, was the tactician for Baird’s opposition at the 2007 Cup.

HIGH INTENSITY

11 intense races, each lasting around 45 minutes, will be contested over the four-day #rolex Farr 40 Worlds.Team work underpins everything. Decisions need to be made quickly and executed flawlessly. Crews must keep their attention in their boat and their individual task at all times. Critical moments like the start requirepinpoint accuracy and exceptional timing to secure any advantage. At the race finish, only fractions of boat lengths separate the leading yachts.

Success requires expert strategy and superior boat handling at all times. In a fleet where every boat is capable of winning races, securing the ultimate prize is not simply about making spectacular race-winning decisions. It is much more about successfully managing all facets of the race – the tactics, the conditions, the manoeuvres, and the opposition. It is an aspect of the sport that could be likened to a multi-dimensional game of chess. The crew that consistently sets the highest standards of performance across all elements over the course of the championship will naturally secure the ultimate prize.

ROLEX AND YACHTING

Rolex has always sought to associate with activities that, like itself, were motivated by passion, #excellence, precision and team spirit. Naturally, #rolex gravitated toward the elite world of sailing, forming an alliance that dates back to the late 1950s. Today, #rolex is Title Sponsor of some 15 major international events.

From leading offshore races, such as the #rolex #sydney Hobart and the biennial #rolex Fastnet Race, through to the highest-level one-design #competition at the #rolexfarr40worldchampionship, spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht #rolex Cup and the #rolex Swan Cup, as well as the brand’s support of the International Sailing Federation and its close relationships with the most prestigious yacht clubs around the world, including the New York Yacht Club (US) and the Royal Yacht Squadron (Cowes, UK), #rolex is driven by a passion for #excellence and a great appreciation for yachting that furthers the strong ties that bind these two worlds in their shared pursuit of perfection.

ABOUT ROLEX

Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, #rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its Oyster watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of #excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, introduced in 1931. #rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, #rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. #rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, exploration, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities, as well as philanthropic programmes.

ROLEX FARR 40 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PAST WINNERS