INVESTORS GUARANTY™ PRESENTS THE KING EDWARD VII GOLD CUP

BARKER AND COUTTS TO SQUARE OFF IN BERMUDA
New seeds named to roster

Hamilton, Bermuda (July 17, 2003) – Organizers of the Investors Guaranty™ Presentation of the King Edward VII Gold Cup have announced that Dean Barker and Jes Gram-Hansen will join the list of seeded skippers in competition for one of match racing’s most revered prizes. The event, to be held October 18-26 at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, will feature Barker lining up against his adversary and onetime boss Russell Coutts. Rounding out the eight seeded skippers are Chris Dickson, Peter Holmberg, Dennis Conner and Jesper Radich, recent winner of the Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003.

Prior to Round One of The King Edward VII Gold Cup, 16 unseeded skippers will compete in a three-day round robin qualifier round. Sailed in Bermuda’ s famous International One Design class sloops from October 18-20, the top six skippers will advance to Round One and go head-to-head with the eight seeds.

The winner of The King Edward VII Gold Cup will receive the King Edward VII Trophy and a share of the $100,000 prize purse.

The Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Championship – to be held concurrent with the unseeded skippers’ qualifier round – will also qualify two skippers to Round One.

Title sponsor is Investors Guaranty. The event is hosted by the RBYC and the Bermuda Department of Tourism. Renaissance Reinsurance is the Presenting Sponsor. Primary Sponsors are Bacardi, Colorcraft and Oleander Cycles.

For more information about Investors Guaranty’s presentation of The King Edward VII Gold Cup, contact the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club race office at +1-441-295-2214 or visit www.KingEdwardVIIGoldCup.com.

About Investors Guaranty™ www.investorsguaranty.com
The Investors Guaranty Global Alliance™ is comprised of over 60 companies in Europe, North America and Australasia dedicated to optimizing, integrating a nd marketing their core competencies. Alliance members outsource their non-strategic functions and implement global “best-practices” in compliance with standards promulgated by Investors Guaranty GmbH (Zurich). Alliance companies specialize in strategic investments, insurance and banking technologies, asset management and fund administration, legal and accounting systems, administrative and corporate management services, branding and media, and information technologies.

About the Swedish Match Tour www.swedishmatchtour.com
The Swedish Match Tour is comprised of nine of the world's leading professional sailing events and is proving to be the ultimate battleground of sailing. In addition to more than US$800,000 in individual event prize money, the Swedish Match Tour awards US$200,000 to the top eight sailors on the Swedish Match Tour, with the first-place skipper netting US$60,000.

In addition to a US$60,000 first prize, the winner of the Swedish Match Tour receives the official Swedish Match Tour Championship Trophy, 15" (30 cm) high with 22 carat gold gilding, produced by Swedish Match Tour sponsor Wedgwood. Additionally, Wedgwood supplies runner-up prizes for second and third places as well as commemorative plaques to each event organizer.

The Swedish Match Tour produces 155 hours of television coverage reaching more than 427 million households worldwide. Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish Match, Octagon and the Match Race Association. Swedish Match Tour sponsors include Colorcraft, Champagne Mumm, Musto Selden Group and Wedgwood.