EFG Bank International are "practitoners of the craft of private banking" crafting global solutions for private individuals around the world.

EFG Bank International are also generous sponsors of the sport of sailing and they crafted an exciting Pan American Championships for the Viper 640 Class. Those of us who were at the Bacardi Cup in Miami or who are going to CORK in Kingston Ontario have already experienced the EFG parties and seen their wonderful publicity supporting our circuit.

They are taking this to a new level for the concluding regatta of the Pan American Championships on October 9th and 10th at the HPDO, American Yacht Club, Rye New York.

Every entrant to the HPDO will qualify for an EFG spinnaker at a highly subsidized price starting from $600. 

Most of the class approved sailmakers will be participating in this scheme, so there will be a choice of sailmakers. There will be a saving of over $1000 for each spinnaker.

Hurry Hurry Hurry to register. The first twenty spinnakers will be at the lowest price. Priority will be given to order of registration, distance travelled and participation in the greater number of EFG regattas. Regsiter here: http://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=369 

Its also not too late to sign up for the EFG Regatta at CORK to improve your chances of the "first twenty" chutes. Register here :  http://www.cork.org/events/cork_offshore.html

Hurry Hurry Hurry to order your chute. There are delivery deadlines.

See you all at AYC in October. Can we exceed 40 boats?

Okay, this is it!  For those of you Viper sailors that are used to your boats and know what they can do, the following will be only interesting in as much as there are sailors out there like me that haven't been exposed to the modern technology "blow your socks off" sailing excitement.  We newbies are someday going to be a threat on the racecourse but know that we will be having just as much fun as you during our learning phase...and I did not see this coming.

I have sailed and raced successfully for many years in everything from Lasers and Thistles to IOR and PHRF displacement boats in the Puget Sound, Washington area including British Columbia.  I have sailed with and against some very accomplished sailors and have enjoyed this history immensely.  I thought that the newer hull, sail and rig designs would be a gentle extension of what I had become used to.  Boy was I wrong!  This new boat has totally recaptured my imagination.  I am awestruck.  I have never been exposed to so much pure fun on the water as I have been this last week.  Boat speed is of course relative, but when you fly by boats that you have been accustom to sailing with you have to recalibrate and that in my book is FUN.  

I am happy to report the Vipers were a huge success .  

We had junior 5 (triple handed) teams race 5 loaned Vipers boats where each team raced each boat at least once. The Mystic River "Mudheads" won the regatta with 5 bullets, they are now heading California where they will sail Lightnings in a couple of weeks for the national title. (These kids would have challenged all of the locally sailed boats, I hope to see them out with us in the future. They can sail my boat any time it is available!) 

They had great winds, ranging from 2 knots to 12 knots and fairly flat water. We learned the Mudheads spent a lot of time on a Viper prior to this event, obviously giving them an advantage but they were also just downright good sailors and a great team, very helpful and courteous (as were all the crews of the other four teams).

Joe Healey picked up Viper #121 from Justin Scott less that 2 weeks before the Marblehead NOOD. He arrived at the regatta never having rigged up his new boat, never mind having sailed it before! Here's his regatta report-

My first introduction to the Viper V40 was back in 1997 when it was chosen as Sailing Worlds Boat of the Year. Soon after I heard of a demo sail at Larchmont YC, which I went to and was very impressed with the boat. To me it seemed like the perfect combination of keel boat and dinghy. I have kept my eye on the class ever since and when the resurgence started 3 or so years ago and after watching Justin Scott on You Tube doing 18kts in Charleston. I thought to myself enough is enough and finally I was able to purchase #121 after another demo this past May.