Sunday was an important day for Emirates Team New Zealand
with the announcement Dubai will host a Louis Vuitton
Trophy regatta in November and in Auckland,
Prince William joined Dean Barker
for a sail on the Waitemata
Harbour.
The Dubai
regatta will be held at Mina Seyahi, the home of Dubai International Marine
Club (DIMC) next to the Palm Jumeirah.
Pictured above : HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief
Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and Chairman Dubai International Marine
Club, is flanked (right) by Yves
Carcelle, Chairman and CEO Louis Vuitton
and Saeed Harib, CEO Dubai International Marine Club and Emirates Team New
Zealand managing director Grant Dalton.
Emirates Airline – a leading sponsor - will be flying in
many of teams and their armies of support staff, as well as race officials and
spectators from around the globe. The regatta gets under way on November 13.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman DIMC, and
Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “We are
honoured to be part of this fantastic event which has rapidly emerged as a
renowned spectacle of sport followed by millions around the world.
“As well as thrilling spectators both here and on TV, it
will consolidate Dubai’s
status as a venue capable of hosting major international sporting events.
Emirates have a great affinity with sailing and it is exciting to be
strengthening our commitment to the sport further by supporting a regatta that
will bring the world’s finest sailors to Dubai.”
“We are also looking forward to welcoming Emirates Team New Zealand back to these shores.” ETNZ managing director
Grant Dalton, in Dubai for the announcement,
said the team relished the chance to compete against top-level teams at Dubai, home base for our
naming sponsor Emirates.”
Joining Emirates Team New Zealand will be Artemis (Sweden),
BMWOracle Racing (USA); Azzurra (Italy), TEAMORIGIN (Great Britain); Mascalzone
Latino (Italy); Synergy (Russia); All4One (France/Germany); and Aleph Sailing
Team (France).
Meanwhile in Auckland on
Sunday, Emirates New Zealand skipper Dean Barker
and operations director Kevin Shoebridge
took Prince William sailing on the Waitemata
Harbour on board SailNZ’s America’s
Cup yacht NZL 41.
