London Gets Ready For Olympics Games Opening Day

With one week to go until the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games millions of people across the UK are preparing to join in a day of celebrations on Friday, July 27th. This will mark the final day of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. Already 10 million people have lined the route of the Torch Relay, and on the final day of its journey, the Relay will gather momentum at Hampton Court Palace where Torchbearers will carry the Flame around the grounds of the Palace and through the world’s oldest hedge maze.  The Flame will then be carried on board Gloriana, The Queen’s Rowbarge which was presented to and named by Her Majesty The Queen in a ceremony that took place earlier this year and will provide a lasting legacy to mark Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. The Flame will light a ceremonial cauldron on board Gloriana and over the course of the morning seven Torchbearers will light a Torch from the cauldron and carry the Flame for about eight minutes each at selected areas that are viewable from the banks of the River.  Gloriana will be rowed by 16 oarsmen and women who will be drawn from a squad of 28 rowers on-board on the day. 

The squad is made up of former British Olympic crews dating back to the 1948 Games and ‘Olympians of the future’ from London Youth Rowing. Gloriana will be accompanied by a small number of craft designed to showcase London’s waterborne heritage as the Flame makes its way to Tower Bridge. 

The day will begin with bells ringing across the UK, as quickly and loudly as possible at 8.12 a.m. for three minutes. This is part of the London 2012 Festival commission 'All The Bells' by Turner Prize winning artist Martin Creed.  Anyone can take part by ringing any kind of bell for three minutes – from change ringing experts to enthusiastic children with hand bells, bicycle bells and door bells.    Over the course of the morning seven Torchbearers on board the Gloriana will light a Torch from the cauldron and carry the Flame for about eight minutes each. The finale to the public participation in the Torch Relay will see the last Torchbearer on the Gloriana carry the Flame to Tower Bridge at approximately 12.45pm. The Flame will then remain out of view until it appears at the Opening Ceremony that evening.  The worldwide broadcast of Danny Boyle's 'Isles of Wonder' Olympic Opening Ceremony will commence at 9pm to an estimated audience of 1 billion people around the world.

Tune In To SiriusXM For Breakfast At Wimbledon

Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced that it will offer subscribers comprehensive live coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon for 2012 from the opening day of play on Monday, June 25, through the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Singles Finals on Saturday, July 7, and Sunday, July 8.  The agreement was made in association with ESPN Radio, rightsholder to Live at Wimbledon radio broadcasts in the U.S., and The All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Live play-by-play of matches will air on weekdays on Sirius channel 93 and XM channel 206 and on weekends on ESPN Xtra, SiriusXM channel 85.  The broadcasts will also be available on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other mobile devices and online at SiriusXM.com.  SiriusXM listeners will hear Live at Wimbledon, the official radio broadcast of Wimbledon.

SiriusXM listeners will get up to 13 hours of live Wimbledon coverage daily – from 4:00 am ET through the end of each day's play – giving them access to point-by-point action of matches on both Centre Court and the outer courts, plus pre- and post-match commentary, highlights and up-to-the-moment tournament news.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the world's top-ranked player, will be defending his 2011 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles title against a field that will include Spain's Rafael Nadal, the reigning French Open Champion and a two-time winner at Wimbledon, plus Switzerland's Roger Federer, a six-time Wimbledon Champion, Great Britain's Andy Murray, France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Spain's David Ferrer and many more of the world's best.

On the Ladies' side, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic will attempt a repeat performance as defending champion.  The women's draw will include Russia's Maria Sharapova, the world's No. 1 ranked player and reigning French Open Champion, Belarus' Victoria Azarenka, the reigning Australian Open Champion; as well as American Serena Williams, who won back-to-back Wimbledon titles in 2009 and 2010.

Sirius XM Radio Inc. is the world's largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue and has more than 22 million subscribers.  SiriusXM creates and broadcasts commercial-free music; premier sports talk and live events; news and comedy; exclusive entertainment; and the most comprehensive Latin music, sports and talk programming in radio. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company in the U.S., from retailers nationwide, and online at siriusxm.com. SiriusXM programming is also available through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for Android, Apple, and BlackBerry smartphones and other connected devices. SiriusXM also holds a minority interest in SiriusXM Canada which has more than 2 million subscribers.

Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week Junior Art Competition Now Open

Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week Junior Art Competition launched Aberdeen Asset Management is delighted to announce the launch of the 2012 Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week junior art competition. Continuing this year’s ‘Best of British’ theme, Under 16 sailing enthusiasts from sailing clubs across the UK are invited to submit a piece of artwork depicting Cowes Week, and including a Union Flag.  Creativity is encouraged and entrants are welcome to use the medium and materials of their choosing. The only restriction is keeping the artwork to an A3 size, and submitting it by the deadline of Wednesday 25th July 2012. Entries will be judged by a panel which includes Aberdeen Asset Management sailing ambassador and double Olympic Gold Medallist, Shirley Robertson.  The winning artwork will be showcased in the Aberdeen Asset Management marquee at Cowes Week and the winning artist will receive a VIP hospitality day for them and two guests at the regatta, including a boat trip on the Solent to watch the racing, an Aberdeen sailing pack and Gill sailing kit. Aberdeen will also donate £1,000 to the sailing club affiliated with the winning artist.  The runner-up will receive an Aberdeen sailing pack and Gill sailing kit, and Aberdeen will donate £500 to their sailing club. 

There will also be an additional prize for the best artwork by a child aged 10 years or under, who will win an Aberdeen sailing pack and Gill sailing kit. Commenting on the announcement, James Thorneley, Group Communications Manager of Aberdeen Asset Management said: “We are now in the second year of our five year sponsorship of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week and we wanted to run this Junior Art Competition to further engage young sailing enthusiasts with the regatta and raise awareness of the event. 
Cowes Week is one of the longest running events in UK sporting history having first taken place in 1826.·         Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week is an inclusive, aspirational sailing regatta; the largest of its kind in the world.  Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week attracts around 1,000 yachts in up to 40 classes, and 8,500 competitors ranging from weekend sailors through to Olympic medallists and World Champions.·         Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week has a lively festival atmosphere ashore with a broad range of social activities that provide an exciting and varied “après-sail” program.        
 Follow the event on Facebook, the 2012 event dates have been changed to avoid a clash with the Olympic Games and therefore Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week in 2012 will be held 11 – 18 August. About Aberdeen Asset Management:Aberdeen Asset Management is a pure asset management group and is one of the largest publicly-quoted investment managers listed in the UK. It invests worldwide as a traditional, fundamental investor on behalf of institutional clients, advisers and individuals globally across major asset classes. The group has assets under management of £184.7 billion (as at end of March 2012). 
Aberdeen was founded in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1983 and today operates in 23 countries around the world, employing 1,800 staff. Aberdeen champions first-hand research and believes close teamwork is the best means to discover the best investments for clients' portfolios.  Aberdeen participates in sponsorships where it may get actively involved and make a difference to an event, individual or team. Aberdeen’s current sport sponsorship portfolio includes properties across golf, sailing, rugby and rowing.

Weather Conditions The Talk At RORC IRC National Championship

Mike Bartholomew's King 40, Tokoloshe won the race in IRC One, handling the conditions better than most, making a big gain on the first beat by using the lift off the island shore.  After what seems like a textbook kite hoist, the South African boat handled the feisty conditions with some ease until a vicious gust knocked them into a spin, tearing their spinnaker in half. "Great racing, just fantastic!" exclaimed Mike Bartholomew. "We knew we had done pretty well at the finish but it could have been a really expensive day, as we lost most of the spinnaker over the side. However, to my delight, Eddie Warden Owen and Nick Elliott from the RORC were out following the racing in a RIB, to my surprise they picked it up and returned it to the boat after the finish, which really capped off a fine win."

Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, earned the second place, retaining the lead in the big boat class for the series. As Tonnerre came round the top mark, the Dutch flier hoisted their spinnaker, pulling the trigger downwind at over 20 knots. The sleigh ride did not last too long, after burying the bowTonnerre went 'down the mine' for a spectacular wipe-out.   

  

François Goubau's First 47.7, Moana, was one of the few yachts to reef their mainsail today and showed impressive upwind performance to take third place in IRC One from Anthony O'Leary's Antixby just 13 seconds.

In IRC Two Sailing Logic's Reflex 38, Visit Malta Puma, also won moving up to first in class after four races. The sailing school yacht chose not to use a spinnaker and the decision seemed to pay off. "I actually wanted to put the kite up," admitted Visit Malta Puma's Skipper Tim Thubron. "The crew made me change my mind, which was probably a good thing having witnessed some of the big broaches out there today. On the short course we would have not gained significant time on the run with a kite up, I was absolutely delighted with the win today and especially the performance of the crew."

Marc de Saint Denis's MC34, Courrier Vintage, with the highly experienced Géry Trentesaux at the wheel was a rocket ship downwind, scoring a second in the race to move the French team within a point of the class leader. Jim Macgregor's Elan 410, Premier Flair, put in a great performance today, only to be called OCS but at the time of this report is seeking redress. Even so, Premier Flair remains third in class on their strong performances.

In IRC Three David Franks' JPK 1010, Strait Dealer, scored their fourth win in a row but only just. Defending class champion, Mike Bridges' Elan 37, Elaine, was only 10 seconds behind on corrected time, with Peter Morton's Corby 33, Salvo, claiming third today and in class after four races.

"We certainly learnt a lot about the boat today," commented Strait Dealer's skipper, David Franks. "This weekend is the first time we have taken the boat out in big breeze and it has been a real eye-opener. I like to race offshore as well as inshore and out in the ocean you have to be able to race in any conditions, so today was a very valuable lesson."

In IRC Four Grant Gordon's J/97, Fever, won the day and now leads the class from Mike and Jamie Holmes' J/97, Jika Jika. "We had a bad start but the crew did a great job upwind. We led at the top mark and from there we could cover Jika Jika," commented Grant Gordon. "I have to say, it is a shame to be back on the dock, that was some of the best sailing I have done in the boat but on balance it was a good call to get us out there for a race but also to pull as back in early. On the way back to Cowes we saw a couple of gusts close to 40 knots. I thought the race management today was first class."

Tomorrow is the last day of racing at the RORC IRC National Championship and all classes are still wide open. The weather forecast is for a more moderate breeze of between 10-15 knots, which should provide more of a tactical test after a two day masterclass in the black art of heavy weather sailing.

   

Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week Is Coming

Sailing will be a headliner this summer when, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, organised by Cowes Week Limited will be held  August 11-18, 2012. Competitors from across the globe, will enjoy the fun and festivities of this year’s Cowes Week in what is a very special year for Great Britain.  Early entries include  Antigua and Barbuda,  Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands,Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA; all helping to give the regatta its international flavour.

Since 1826, the Cowes Week Regatta has played an integral part of Britain's summer sports calendar and is considered to be one the longest running and most successful sporting event in the UK.   This mammoth sailing event stages up to 40 races daily, with about 1000 boats, making it the largest sailing event of its kind in the world.

The regatta which is over 180 years old and now known as Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week offers a great mix of competitive sailing, social activities and entertainment.  Over the week of competition, over 8500 competitors ranging from olympic and world class caliber to recreational sailors, mingle with an excess of 100,000 spectators who are out to have a great time at this one of kind event.

United States skipper Ted Sawyer will be in Cowes for the first time since breaking his neck during the Dragon Edinburgh Cup, in Cowes six years ago! The event will be the swan song of his wonderful cold-moulded Petticrow Dragon Clairvoyant, which will be sold after the event. As Ted will be 80 years old in 2013, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week will probably be his last major UK regatta in the Dragon class.

Between them, Ted’s two professional crew, Stavros (Martin Payne) and Pedro Andrade have won over 15 International & National Dragon titles and are threatening to give local favorite, Graham Bailey, a run for his money!

Closer to home, Brian Cooper of East Cowes was the fastest out of the blocks with his entry for Little Spirit being the first received by Cowes Week Limited. Home-grown Island talent will feature strongly among those battling for pole position at this year’s regatta, and the Island contingent will be hoping their local knowledge will provide an advantage in August.

The new Aberdeen Asset Management youth scheme has proved very popular with the offer of funding support to the first ten entries, with a full crew complement of under 25 year-olds being snapped up.  Among those contesting for the Aberdeen Asset Management Under 25’s Trophy are the Davies brothers at 16, 17 and 18 years-old who will be racing their XOD Westwind.

There are three entries from the British Keelboat Academy; a partnership between the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) and Royal Yachting Association (RYA) designed to support young people aged 18-24 in developing the skills needed to take their keelboat racing to a professional level. From further afield, the Welsh crew racing in the Etchell’s class on Darling S, kindly loaned to them for the season by Ted Fort, will be making the journey to Cowes in August. Additionally, a team comprised entirely of Newcastle University students from the School of Marine Science and Technology will be racing in the ISCRS class in their aptly named boat, Newcastle University.

This year’s regatta promises to be better than ever with celebrations of Olympic proportion’s, as the country celebrates a summer of royal heritage and sporting prowess. So, for those that are deliberating entry for this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week,should not procrastinate too long.