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Press Release |
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February 26, 1997 |
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Virgin Islands America's Cup
Challenge Signs |
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St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands -- John Cutler, Director of Sailing Operations, today announced that the Virgin Islands America's Cup Challenge (VIACC) has signed Pedrick Yacht Designs of Newport, Rhode Island, for the syndicate's two-boat Ameri ca's Cup 2000 campaign. According to Cutler, the Newport firm's top executive and respected naval architect, David Pedrick, will serve as Principal Designer. Pedrick has served as principal designer for seven America's Cup campaigns, including Cup winners Cour ageous and Stars & Stripes '87. "Pedrick Yacht Designs' decision affirms the VIACC's credibility as a challenger that is committed to staging a successful bid for the Cup," says Cutler, a 1992 and 1995 veteran with Japan's Nippon syndicate. According to Cutler, "The V.I. Challenge is excited that our boat design and technology research program has finally begun. We are confident that David's technical leadership and the design team's depth of talent will prove to be a winning c ombination." A strong research-oriented yacht design company, Pedrick Yacht Designs has earned an international reputation for innovation and technological development. Its staff, including America's Cup veterans T.J. Perrotti and Sam Howell, apply industry-l eading performance analysis, experimental research, structural engineering and in-house CFD (computational fluid dynamics) in the firm's creative design process. In recognition of his contributions to racing design, Pedrick serves as chairman of the International Technical Committee for IMS (International Measurement System) yacht handicapping. He is credited with helping to establish the International Am erica's Cup Class (IACC) concept in 1988, co-authoring the Whitbread 60 Class Rule in 1990, and initiating the America's Cup research partnership approach for the 1992 Cup defense. In recent months, the United States syndicate challenging under the burgee of the U.S. Virgin Islands-based St. Thomas Yacht Club and led by Omega top-ten ranked match racer Peter Holmberg, has attracted Cup veteran Peter Warren of New Zealand to its team, purchased its first crew traing vessel -- the former Stars & Stripes '92, co-designed by Pedrick Yacht Designs for Team Dennis Conner -- and initiated its New Zealand-based Met eorology Study and Analysis Project. "The V.I. Challenge would like to thank the entire Virgin Islands community for helping achieve this critically important milestone," says Director of Operations, Steve Morton. "By reaching this goal, the V.I. America's Cup Challen ge becomes one of only four America's Cup syndicates in the world with a leading designer, a training yacht, and a solid core of America's Cup sailing veterans. Special thanks to Tom O'Hara and Citibank, who helped out in the final stages of the Ped rick Design Agreement and were instrumental in closing the deal." Press Release for January 26, 1997 Press Release for January 24, 1997 Press Release for January 24, 1997 Press Release for January 16, 1997 Press Release for January 13, 1997 Press Release for October 22nd, 1996 Press Release for October 7th, 1996 | Back To USVI | VIACF Homepage | |
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