The world’s top Olympic sailors are heading to Scotland for one of the final showdowns prior to the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. The 470 European Championship 2012 is set to be hosted in Largs, Scotland from 25 June – 4 July 2012.

Host venue, Largs Sailing Club in Ayrshire is one of Scotland's premier dinghy and keel boat racing clubs, and boasts a state of the art clubhouse, with immediate access to some of the best and most scenic racing water in Europe.

Located on the west coast of Scotland, about 30 minutes’ drive west of Glasgow, Largs is a well proven championship sailing venue. Events recently hosted include the 2009 RYA Volvo Youth National Championships, 2009 Optimist UK Nationals and the 2010 Laser Radial Worlds.

The 470 European Championship is set to attract in excess of 100 men/mixed and women’s 470 teams, and is a key fixture on the international calendar. Many teams will go straight from Scotland to represent their nations on the start line at the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition, just over a month later.

The Championship will be sailed over several race courses with the men/mixed and women fleets sailing separately. Racing gets underway on 28 June 2012 and boats will be seeded, based on their past performance, for the 6 race qualifying series into fleets of around 40 boats. Teams will then be allocated to the gold and silver fleets for the final series, and after a further six scheduled races the top 10 teams from the gold fleet will make the cut to the final medal race show down on Wednesday 4 July 2012.

Local sailing star Luke Patience grew up on the waters off Largs, and will be representing Great Britain with crew Stuart Bithell in the 470 men event at the 2012 Olympics. Familiar with the conditions, Patience gives teams some top advice, “Largs is a diverse place to sail. Like Weymouth, it hosts all sorts of weather conditions and you can have anything thrown at you. The 470 Championship in Largs will crown a well-rounded sailor. We get all weather systems coming through from the Atlantic.” Patience summed up his homeland by concluding, “Scotland is quite probably the most stunning country in the world. It is so vast in beauty and so small in size. There are few places in the world where one moment you are staring across the sea into the west with nothing between you and America, with a gorgeous sunset, and the next you are on the top of a mountain range looking at the most stunning of views in complete and utter wilderness and silence.” Patience and Bithell secured the silver medal at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships and bronze medal at the 2011 470 European Championships.

Reigning 470 European Champions
Tara Pacheco/Berta Betanzos (ESP) ©  470 Class	Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic (CRO) © Kaoru Soehata

Defending European Champions Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic of Croatia have already qualified to the Olympics Games, and are planning to be in Scotland to defend their title. The 2011 Open European Champions, Mat Belcher/Malcolm Page (AUS) are currently the world #1 ranked team and the reigning World Champions and are also planning to be in Largs.

Tara Pacheco/Berta Betanzos from Spain won the 2011 470 Women’s European Championship in July last year, and then wrapped up their season by winning the 470 Women’s World Championship title in December 2011. They have also confirmed they will be on the start line in Largs, before heading back to Weymouth for the Olympic Sailing Competition.

As well as attracting the cream of Olympic sailors and aspirants, the Championship will also provide a great opportunity for local race officials and volunteers to get involved in a world class event. Around 80 volunteers from the host club and surrounding area are expected to be supporting the Championship, some of whom will then transfer their expertise to volunteer at the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Racing will take place in the Largs/Cumbrae channel, between the mainland and the Isle of Cumbraeas well as North of the island, which is home to some of the most stunning scenery in Scotland.

Shoreside, the Championship Opening Ceremony on Wednesday 27 June will welcome and entertain the teams with the traditional local pipe band, and throughout the Championship sailors will enjoy the lively seaside town of Largs, which is steeped in history and offers great Scottish hospitality.

2012 470 Open European Championship Venue - Largs, Scotland
Largs Sailing Club ©  Marc Turner	Racing Area © Marc Turner

The 470 European Championship 2012 is being hosted by the Royal Yachting Association and supported through a partnership of UK Sport, EventScotland (the national events agency) North Ayrshire Council, the Scottish Sailing Institute, sportscotland and the International 470 Class Association.

The Notice of Race for the 2012 470 European Championships has been published and the online entry is open at www.470.org/events

Esther Nicholls, Head of Major Events for UK Sport, the nation’s high performance sports agency, which recently helped secure the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships to be staged in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall, said, “The 470 European Championships in Largs will be the final event to take place within UK Sport’s lead-in programme to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This will have seen more than 100 events in 40 different sports staged in the UK, giving our athletes and officials an excellent opportunity to prepare for the unique experience of international competition on home soil.

“Our National Lottery funded World Class Events Programme, over the five years between 2007 and 2012, has seen Scotland host 11 events, including five World Championships, attracting more than 180,000 spectators and generating an estimated £9.8 million in economic impact for the country, as well as fantastic opportunities to prepare for Glasgow 2014.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said, “In this Olympic year, it is hugely exciting that Scotland will host the 470 European Championships, showcasing an Olympic-class just weeks before the London Games. Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and our pedigree in hosting major sailing championships at Largs continues to grow, which delivers increased media profile and a significant economic impact.”

Councillor David O'Neill, Leader of North Ayrshire Council said, “North Ayrshire Council is committed to developing the maritime leisure potential of its coastline and islands in order to become a key Clyde Estuary sail-to destination with a proven track record in hosting competitions and events to world championship level by the year 2012.

“Working together in partnership we can create an outstanding sailing destination with international status. We are delighted to welcome the 470's to Largs and hope the competitors enjoy the warm Scottish hospitality and excellent events facilities at the Scottish Sailing Institute."

More Information:
Notice of Race
Online Entry

Notes to Editors:

About the 470 Class
The International 470 Class is the class of boat used for both the men's two person and women's two person dinghy events at the Olympic Games. Used as Olympic equipment since 1976, the 470 is sailed in more than 60 nations around the world.

A strict one design class, the 470 has proved its pedigree as an Olympic class, being a high performance sailing dinghy suitable for body weights from all continents and to performing across a wide range of weather conditions.

UK Sport
UK Sport’s World Class Events Programme distributes approximately £3.5 million of Lottery funding each year to support the bidding and staging costs of major events on home soil, as well as providing specialist support to organisers. Events are supported primarily based on their likely performance impact, but the broader impacts of events are also examined, to maximise the wider sporting, social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits, as well as sporting performance and legacy.

Over 100 events hosted by at least 35 different towns and cities will have been supported from 2007 until the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. These competitions will have attracted around 30,000 athletes and provided opportunities for over 27,000 officials and volunteers to gain international sporting experience and develop key skills ahead of London 2012. More: www.uksport.gov.uk/events

EventScotland
EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org

North Ayrshire Council
The Scottish Sailing Institute is part of the Sail West project. The Sail West project which is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG IVA Cross-border Programme managed by the Special European Union Programmes Body.

The Sail West project is the result of an extensive collaboration of over 20 partners from the West of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Supported under the INTERREG IVA programme the initiative aims to encourage the development of marine tourism across the entire region, through a targeted capital investment programme in key marine infrastructure and a concerted marketing campaign.

The Special EU Programmes Body is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Finance in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU structural funds Programmes PEACE III and INTERREG IV designed to enhance cross-border co-operation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society. The Programmes operate within a clearly defined area including Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland.

The INTERREG IVA 2007-2013 Programme is worth €256 million and aims to address the economic and social problems which result from the existence of borders. It has two distinct priority measures to create co-operation for a more prosperous and sustainable cross-border region.

For more information on the SEUPB please visit www.seupb.eu

Top Image: © Marc Turner

7/3/2012 13:06