(From the ISAF website: www.sailing.org)

JUST A FEW DAYS LEFT TO GET YOUR BIDS IN!

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) is inviting bids to host the Grand Final and Regional Finals of the 2011 ISAF Nations Cup, the global competition to find the world’s top match racing nation.
The ISAF Nations Cup, which was first introduced to the world in 1991, is based on a series of Regional Finals with the top crews meeting at a Grand Final. The aim of the event is to broaden the availability of match racing and provide international match racing competition for national authorities and sailors at reasonable cost, whilst acting as an incentive for national match racing programmes.

Held five times previously, the Nations Cup triggers a pyramid of events, with nations holding club and then national championships to select their teams to attend the Regional Finals, which in turn lead to the Grand Final, where nations are pitted against each other, creating a sound, viable and appealing series of events.

Each Regional Final will have an open and women’s division, with entries limited to only one entry from each of the nations within that region eligible to participate, thus promoting a national event and ensuring that all nations have the opportunity to participate.

Regional Finals will be held over a maximum of four days, with one or more crews going through to the 2011 Nations Cup Grand Final. As in the past, the Regional Finals will offer the opportunity for match racing clinics prior to the event.

The ISAF Nations Cup 2009 was a successful event with competitors from more than 40 nations all around the globe. The Regional Finals were organised in Antibes, Auckland, Brindisi, Buenos Aires, Charleston, Kinsale, and Mumbai, whilst Porto Alegre in Brazil played the host of the Grand Final.

Brazil saw some of the world’s best match racers representing their home country in the battle for the Nation Cup trophies. Claire Leroy, ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2007 and 2007 and 2008 World Champion and Damien Iehl, the world’s #5 Ranked skipper won the Nations Cup 2009 for France.

ISAF is now seeking bids from organisers around the world to host Regional Finals and the Grand Final in 2011. The event organisers must have the full endorsement from their ISAF Member National Authority (MNA).

Bids should be sent to ISAF via email or fax as soon as possible but at least by 15 October 2009.

Further information, including the Event Description and Bidding Information, and the Bidding Document are available from the ISAF Nations Cup site at www.sailing.org/nationscup or via the links below.

ISAF Nations Cup 2011 - Event Description and Bidding Information

ISAF Nations Cup 2011 - Bidding Document