Four Australian yachts, including two representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, will contest the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, starting this coming Wednesday 29 August and running through to Saturday, 1 September.

The Royal Danish Yacht Club, host to the Worlds, has welcomed 35 boats from 12 countries to their new yacht club headquarters on Tuborg Harbour for the prestigious event.

A pre-Worlds regatta is already way on the race course just north of the yacht club in the waters of Øresund – the strait between Denmark and Sweden.

Representing Australia at the World Championship are:

– Ichi Ban, skippered by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Matt Allen, who was runner-up in the 2006 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship.  His tactician is America’s Cup and super maxi sailor Michael Coxon;

– Kokomo, skippered by Lang Walker, also a CYCA member, with Olympic bronze medallist and America’s Cup winning crewman Colin Beashel as tactician;

– Hooligan, skippered by Marcus Blackmore from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, with Stuart Bannatyne as tactician;

– Sputnik, skippered by Ivan Wheen, representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, with Olympic gold medallist Tom King as tactician.

Kokomo last week placed second overall in the Baltic Week regatta to America’s Jim Richardson who, helming Barking Bad, heads the US line-up. Among the Danish entrants is His Royal Highness Prince Frederik who will helming Nanoq with Bouwe Bekking as his tactician.

Other prominent European entries include Swiss America’s Cup winner Ernesto Bertarelli, helming Alinghi with Brad Butterworth calling tactics, and the defending World Champion boat from Italy, Mascalzone Latino, with Vicenzo Onorato on the helm and Adrian Stead the tactician.

The Farr 40 class is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Copenhagen, and with 160 boats built to date and eight more on order, the class continues to enjoy a good, healthy growth in the USA, Australia and Europe. To fuel this interest and enthusiasm, and as a lead-up to the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds in Copenhagen, the Farr 40 fleet has had an active season in 2007 with racing in Capri and Porto Cervo, Italy; Hanko, Norway; Skagen, Denmark; and most recently Neustadt, Germany.

The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship joins other prestigious Rolex-sponsored 2007 events including the Rolex Fastnet Race, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Big Boat Series and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. – Peter Campbell