Jobson To Receive Congressional Cup Crimson Blazer

LONG BEACH, Calif.---Gary Jobson will be almost a year late for a date at the Long Beach Yacht Club, but his role as a longtime competitor and TV commentator at the Congressional Cup will be recognized with the presentation of an honorary Crimson Blazer on the eve of the 40th annual match race sailing classic.

The Crimson Blazer is customarily awarded to the winning skipper. Former winners Peter Gilmour of Australia (1988), Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis
('92) and Gavin Brady of New Zealand ('96, '97) are competing this year, but there also is an illustrious list of honorary winners.

The Meet the Skippers Dinner on Monday, April 19, the night before five days of racing commence, will be three days shy of the date last year when Jobson received a diagnosis of lymphoma---the day he was scheduled for a speaking appearance at the club.

Since then Jobson, 53, has received intensive chemotherapy and, late last year, a stem cell transplant that he described as "the hardest thing I have ever endured in my life."

Event vice-chair Kate Banks said, "Gary is being honored for all of his support in sailing. The honorary Crimson Blazer is awarded to distinguished yachtsmen who, in the unanimous opinion of the Crimson Blazer Committee, contributed exceptionally to the advancement of competitive yacht racing and the success of the Cup."

Jobson, well known for his America's Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and other major sailing TV presentations, joins Arthur Knapp Jr., Andrew Graham II, F. Gregg Bemis, Henry H. Anderson Jr., Thomas Fisher, Gordon M. Curtis Jr., William Dalessi, Julian K. Roosevelt, Cy Gillette, Barney Flam, Frank Butler and Pete Ives, all of whom have contributed significantly to the ongoing success of the event.

Jobson said from his home in Annapolis, "I have been around the Congressional Cup since 1977, both on a winning team and a losing team. I have enjoyed interfacing many ideas with the committee over the years. It is an event that should continue to set the high standard of match racing which it has done.

"The Congressional Cup takes place on one of the best bodies of water for that. The Long Beach Yacht Club should be proud of what it has achieved over the years."

The Congressional Cup resumes the 2003-04 Swedish Match Tour after a winter's hiatus since the Nippon Cup in Japan last November. Gilmour, the 2001-02 champion, currently leads the standings, with Brady seventh.

Other competitors include Ed Baird, St. Petersburg, Fla., ranked third in the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) match race rankings; Scott Dickson, Long Beach; Allan Coutts, Cameron Appleton and Kelvin Harrap of New Zealand; Jes Gram-Hansen, Denmark, and Mattias Rahm, Sweden.

Live radio descriptions and taped video highlights of the racing Tuesday through Saturday, April 20-24, may be seen and heard around the world.

The radio broadcasts will originate locally by special license on 810 AM and also may be heard over the Internet at www.KLBC.org. Highlights may be seen each evening at www.LBYC.org.

Also, the Swedish Match Tour will present a highlight show on the Outdoor Life Network at a later date.

The racing may be viewed in person from the end of Belmont Pier, where seating and descriptive commentary will be provided free, with snacks and refreshments available.

MORE INFORMATION:
Long Beach Yacht Club
(562) 598-9401
www.lbyc.org

Rich Roberts
Press Officer
(310) 835-2526
richsail@earthlink.net

SWEDISH MATCH TOUR
www.swedishmatchtour.com