With less than three weeks to go until the start of this year’s biennial Rolex Commodores’ Cup, the Royal Ocean Racing Club can now disclose details of the teams who lodged entries by the cut off date of July 19. The three-boat teams challenging for this year’s Rolex Commodores’ Cup are as follows:

BELGIUM Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Moana/Francois Goubau/First 47.7 Oxygen/Axel de Cock/IMX 40 Cohibar/Yves Delacollette/First 40.7

ENGLAND (RED) Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Bear of Britain/ Kit Hobday/Tim Louis/Farr 52 Kerisma/Chris Bull/Ker 11.3 Fandango/David Scanlan/First 40.7

ENGLAND (BLUE) Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Too Steamy/Nick & Anne Haigh/Farr 40 El Gringo/Nick Hartshorn/Ker 11.3 Fair Do’s V/John Shepherd/Ker 11.3

FRANCE (RED) Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Clin D?Oeil 6/Jean-Yves Le Goff/X442 Courrier Nord/Gery Trentesaux/IMX 40 Fastwave III/Eric Fries/IMX 40

FRANCE (BLUE) Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Ster Wenn 5/Guy Sallenave/X 442 Meta-Baron/Jean-Philippe Chomette/IMX 40 Coraya/Marc de Saint Denis/IMX 40

IRELAND Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Cracklin? Rosie/Roy Dickson/Corby 40 White Knuckles/Simon Brown/Prima OD Chieftain/Ger O?Rourke/First 40.7

NETHERLANDS Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Salty Dog/Hans Hout/IMX 40 Satori/Hans Horrevoets/Grand Soleil 40 Checkmate 3/Peter de Ridder/BH 41

SPAIN Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type Estrella Galicia/Alberto Viejo/First 40.7 Fastwave II/Chris Brown/First 40.7 Zarafa/Peter Scholfield/HOD 35

WALES Boat Name/Owner Skipper/Type TBC/Nick Hewson/Farr 52 I-Site/Robbie Cameron-Davies/Ker 11.3 Minnie The Moocher/Anthony Richards/Ker 11.3

With seven nations competing for the prestigious Commodores’ Cup trophy and Rolex Chronometers, the high level of competition amongst the three-boat teams will ensure international Corinthian yacht racing at its best.

The Rolex Commodores’ Cup 2002 will be raced off Cowes, Isle of Wight, between 11 and 18 August. The competition comprises a series of inshore and offshore races, 50pc of each crew must be amateur according to the ISAF Eligibility Code, thereafter the only restriction is that an amateur must helm during the inshore races and at the start of the offshore race.