It was only a matter of time….. It had to come up…

Just add........ beers…

“Who wants to do one of the regattas in the states?” someone asked.

If a plane was handy, 12 West Australian Viper sailors would have been on it.

After the alcohol effect receded, six of us remained committed and two Australian crews are on the road to Marblehead, Massachusetts for the 2012 North Americans.

Boats to charter, airfares, accommodation, - there was much to organise - but more importantly – we needed beer money.

Another great idea surfaced - lets do the Rottnest Island Festival of Sail.

There was a first prize of $2000 for the Around Rottnest Island race on IRC. Viper owners, Grahme and Heather Monkhouse had just purchased a beautiful J 122, Lithium, and if we could put together a Viper crew we might give it a crack.

In just two weeks, 37 Vipers from 5 countries and 9 states have registered for the 2012 Viper North American Championship, to be held at Eastern YC Sept. 6-9.  There's an event website and online registration.  This is guaranteed to be the largest Viper North American Championship yet.  Come join the fun.

The Viper 640 Class Association and the Viper 640 Pan American Championship Committee is proud to publish online the format for the 2012 EFG Bank Viper Pan American Championship.  In 2010, the Viper Class and EFG Bank, launched a regatta circuit comprising three premiere regattas in the Americas open to competitors around the world.  For 2012, competitors may include a regional qualifying championship event as one of the three regattas. Each boat scores two of their best three scores from the following three events:

1. Viper Midwinter Championship at Bacardi Miami Sailing Week presented by EFG International.
2. One of the Viper regional championships (Gulf Coast Championship, Atlantic Coast Championship, Pacific Coast Championship, New England Championship, with the chance of a Canadian championship being added for 2012)
3. Viper North American Championship at Eastern Yacht Club presented by EFG International.

The scoring methodology has been changed from 2011 to 2012, so that only a boat's overall regatta result will be counted toward the score.  The winning team's name is engraved on the perpetual EFG Pan American Championship Series Trophy and the team receives a pewter replica of the bronze original.

For more details, please read the Notice of Series.

The series standings have been updated through Bacardi Cup, and will be updated on the class website and in the forums after each circuit event.

About EFG International
EFG International is a global private banking group offering private banking and asset management services, headquartered in Zurich. EFG International's group of private banking businesses operates in over 30 locations worldwide, with circa 2,500 employees. EFG International's registered shares (EFGN) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. EFG International is a member of EFG Group.

And here's the wrap-up report from Garth's recent win at the 2012 San Diego NOOD - perfect for the tuning geek on your Viper, though not in time for the holidays.

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