#sovereignscup – A novel new prize will be presented at June's Sovereign's Cup. "The Triple Crown" Trophy will be awarded to the boat with the lowest aggregate score under IRC after competing in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, The ICRA Nationals and Sovereign's Cup. Speaking at the opening reception, Regatta Director Mike Walsh expressed his view that "recognising the efforts of the boats and crews who compete in each of these three events is important" and he hopes it will spark some interest among visiting and South Coast boats alike.

Details of the milestone 10th edition of Sovereign's Cup were announced at a reception at Kinsale Yacht Club, hosted by Regatta Director, Mike Walsh. The Covestone Sovereign's Cup takes place from 26nd-29th June 2013 in the outer harbour of Kinsale and prides itself in offering excellent sailing conditions, as well as an extensive social programme for all to enjoy ashore.

The Sovereign's Cup was established in 1995 as a biennnial event and has been a very successful and hugely popular cruiser regatta since its inception. Boats from all over Ireland and the UK compete for the prestigious Sovereign's Cup for best performing yacht under IRC and the Portcullis Trophy for best performing yacht under ECHO. Anthony O'Leary in his extensively campaigned and successful Ker 39 'Antix' claimed the 2011 Sovereign's Cup with the 2011 Portcullis Trophy going to KYC's own Dave Scott on his X-362 Sport, 'EOS'. Solent based sailor, Rob Gray captured the Irish Quarter Ton Trophy, sailing 'Aquilla'.

"We have already received a number of queries for the 2013 Sovereign's Cup and there is strong interest from both Wales and the English south coast. We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Covestone Asset Management as this year's event sponsor" said Mike Walsh, Regatta Director. Class divisions for the event are anticipated as being Class 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 IRC and ECHO along with and two White Sails classes and an IRC White Sail Class. The Irish Quarter Ton Class Championships will be taking place during the Covestone Sovereign's Cup and this year the Regatta Director is delighted to welcome the return of the extremely competitive and resurgent 1720 class for their European Championship. It is expected both these latter classes will bring many new visitors to Kinsale from the South of England and Wales in particular.

This year will also see renewed cooperation with Kinsale Chamber of Tourism and Kinsale Good Food Circle who will be hosting a Canapé reception at the formal opening on Tuesday 25th June. "We are encouraging people to start thinking about their travel and accommodation plans, and we are delighted to include specific sections on our web site with information on accommodation in the town and the fantastic amenities available in and around Kinsale for families and friends not going out on the water."

Commenting on exciting developments to the event's new interactive web site, which has just gone live, Mr. Walsh announced that "All entries can now be made online which should greatly simplify and enhance the experience. Thanks to event sponsors Covestone Asset Management we have been able to reduce substantially the entry cost from the 2011 levels for the first 80 entries, and as an added bonus the online booking system allows entrants to avail of the early booking discount and not pay until March 31st 2013."

The Regatta Director expressed his thanks to Kinsale Yacht Club, the Race Management Team and all the volunteers involved with the organisation of the Sovereign's Cup and who work extremely hard to organise an excellent programme both on and off the water.

Mike Walsh welcomed Mr. Donal Roche, Managing Director of Covestone Asset Management who expressed his delight to be associated with such a hugely popular event on the South Coast of Ireland. Mr. Walsh said "Kinsale Yacht Club is delighted to have Covestone as the principal sponsor for the Sovereign's Cup Regatta. He noted that Covestone Asset Management are one of the only truly "Family Offices" in Ireland who have grown and maintained their position as a highly regarded investment manager through their conservative approach" and he "looked forward to working with the Covestone team in the buildup to the regatta."

For more information on the Sovereign's Cup, log on to www.sovereignscup.com or contact Kinsale Yacht Club at +353 (0)21 4773433.