21st ’s Cup Battle Begins Friday

TORONTO, October 10, 2007 – As temperatures on the Great Lakes cool, the competition between two hardened yacht-racing crews is about to heat up on Lake Ontario. The first starting gun on Friday morning will mark Michigan’s Bob Hughes’ third straight attempt to wrest the Canada’s Cup away from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, which sent Hughes and his Heartbreaker team home in defeat in 2001 and 2003.

The massive silver trophy is one of the oldest in , and shares more than looks with her better- known sister, America’s Cup. Both are named after the original racing yacht that first defended them - the RCYC’s Canada won the first-ever match in 1896 on the waters of Lake Erie. Conceived as a tool to help “encourage the building of larger fleets by fostering class racing” on the Great Lakes, the Canada’s Cup is the most prestigious sailing trophy in the United States today. The RCYC took the Cup away from Detroit’s Bayview Yacht Club 2001, when Olympian Terry McLaughlin beat Bob Hughes by the tiniest of margins after 5 days of racing. In 2003 Hughes, now representing Lake Michigan’s Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, came up short in , again losing by a narrow margin to McLaughlin. Hughes’ and new partner Ted Etheridge now return for a third attempt in 7 years, and they are hoping that the third time’s a charm. “There’s no time to focus on the past, but I can learn from it.” Hughes said. “In 2001 and 2003 we were so close, and my own errors were a big part of our defeat. Team Heartbreaker has worked incredibly hard over the past year to bring our game to a new level, and I think we’re ready to win this thing.”

Cup Races To Be Broadcast Live On the Internet This 21st Challenge marks the first time that the Canada’s Cup will be broadcast live on the internet. Ionearth.com’s breakthrough race telemetry system will send each boat’s position, speed and bearing to the web via satellite, where the data will be plotted on a high-resolution photographic chart of the course area. Ionearth will also fit their SRT units to the marks of the course and to the start/finish boat, allowing spectators around the world to see this unique match race unfold second by second. Live commentary will be available in a separate window, bringing explanations of the action to those watching it on Ionearth’s interface. Outside the America’s Cup, this is the first time that this technology is available for the public’s enjoyment of short-course racing. “We’re incredibly excited to be a part of this historic event,” said Ionearth President Jerry Miller. “I’m from the West side of Michigan too, and though I want to see Heartbreaker bring the Cup back home, I think that the real winner of the event will be those who are able to be part of the action through the internet. MBYC and RCYC should be commended for bringing this technology to the event. Viewers can follow the action at www.ionearth.com or www.cancuplive.com.

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2007 Canada’s Cup Challenger – Team Heartbreaker Page 2

Watch the Racing in Toronto The Cup will be contested in high-performance Farr 40 racing yachts, and both the United States’ Team Heartbreaker and Canada’s Honour sit quiet in their berths on Toronto’s waterfront today, awaiting what Friday will bring. The course will be short distance from downtown, and limited space is available on spectator craft. Spectator boats are urged to stay clear of the racing yachts, and to follow the instructions of the Race Committee and RCYC staff.

What is Match Racing? Match racing has a different set of rules than regular fleet racing. They differ in that Match Racing rules encourage close, aggressive competition in which collisions are common, and action, especially at the start, is fast and furious. Match racing has on-the-water judges, allowing protests to be settled instantly, rather than at the end of a long day’s racing. Unlike many yacht races, match racing is always exciting to watch, with crews often passing centimeters from one another as the skippers toss their 40-foot raceboats around the starting area like college dinghies.

About the Competitors For more information about Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, visit www.mbyc.com. The Royal Canadian Yacht Club's website is www.rcyc.ca.

Images for editorial use may be requested by e-mail to [email protected]. For more about Team Heartbreaker and this historic event, please contact [email protected].

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TEAM HEARTBREAKER PRESS OFFICER Alan Block (248) 563-0657 – mobile (248) 808-4086 - office [email protected]