The boats of 5 business associations will participate in the Regatta. Each club chooses their own crew from its member base. All crew members are strictly non-professional sailors.

What is the most interesting aspect for you about the coming Regatta?
In this country the majority thinks that sailing sport is something exclusive only for very rich people. You know the stereotype a Rolex guy on a big boat near the shore of Montecarlo. Well, for me this Regatta is a sort of challenge to show to the common people that "Sailing is for everybody". This is the real point of our Regatta, for me.

What do you think about the future of yacht sport in Russia?
I really hope it will improve. I can't say sailing is very widespread in Russia actually, and there is an enormous lack of infrastructure, but at the same time I see a lot of interest around for sailing events. The key to change the today?s situation is to transform this kind of events into a sort of "day of open doors" for the new generation of Russians, young enthusiastic people which can take this sport to the top.



Interview with Matteo Mirella, captain of the Italian boat
Why did you decide to organize and participate in the Moscow Sailing Cup?
I practiced sailing for 16 years. I have sailed in many regattas and in different places all over the world The idea of organizing a regatta-race in Moscow came one evening at Giovanni’s place, while finishing the second bottle of wine, it was just the 2 of us!

What is interesting for you in this event?
This is very interesting for me; first of all it gives me the opportunity to make a regatta in Moscow after all this time, and secondly we can gather many people of different nationalities together in a sporting event, not necessarily at a professional level.

How did you choose the members of your crew?
Crew members were selected on the basis of three criteria: the experience of regatta-racing, the desire to be part of a team, and the level of endurance of physical and psychological pain. The last criterion is the most important, because I am the crew captain and on board I will not only use my voice but also the whip!!!

Do you sail in your country of origin?
Yes.

And do you sail in Russia?
I have done, but only once, with my daughter, last year. She is 3 years old age.

What do you think about the development of sailing in Russia?
I don't really know, but I have made regattas with Russian people in the Mediterranean sea, and they were very competitive, so I assume Russian sailing must be quite advanced.



Interview with Jonathan Tubb, captain of the British boat
Why did you decide to participate in the Moscow Sailing Cup? What is interesting for you in this event?
I was very happy to participate in this event because I am very keen to promote sailing and power boating as an alternate summer activity here in Moscow. It is readily available yet not well advertised.

How did you choose the members of your crew?
Coming from an island "England" surrounded in water and being a massive nation of sailors, picking a crew was a harder task than you may imagine. We received more than four times the interest in becoming crew members with experience than we had spaces for. In fact I will be a shore bound or support boat captain as the interest was so high.

Do you sail in your country of origin? Have you practiced yachting here, in Russia?
I have only sailed on the family Yacht (Hallberg Rassy 46) a few times in England but together with my wife (Tanya) we  have purchased a powerboat here in Moscow a few years ago where we moor it at the Royal Yacht club on Leningradsky Shosse and enjoy any spare time we have getting out on the water.

What do you think about the development of sailing in Russia?
Compared to the UK, sailing in Russia from a Marina hospitality perspective is still quite new. However The Royal Yacht club is changing all that, you would be surprised to hear that you can sail so close from the city center and the plan at the yacht club is too expand it's social and entertainment program. There are an extraordinary variety of power boats and yachts at the club and they are well secured and maintained. The Director Pytor and his staff are engaging, experienced and knowledgeable and using this marina as a benchmark I can only see sailing and powerbaoting in Moscow improving year on year.



Interview with Alex Settles, captain of the Canadian boat
Why did you decide to participate in the Moscow Sailing Cup? What is interesting for you in this event?
I have not had many opportunities to sail or race since moving to Moscow and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to scrape off some the rust and get back into racing. This event is interesting to me because of the enthusiasm of the organizers. I think all of us, sailors and spectators, will have a great time.

How did you choose the members of your crew?
CERBA made a general call to all members and it turns out there are at least a boat full of CERBA members in Moscow who sail. Not everyone could make this date, so I hope we have another regatta next year. I am not sure about the racing ability of the crew since we have not yet had a chance to practice, but I am very excited about our chances in the regatta.

Do you sail in your country of origin? Have you practiced yachting here, in Russia?
I have sailed since I was ten years old. I have raced on Lake Michigan, the Chesapeake Bay, and Long Island Sound. I have also had a chance to sail in Greece and the Caribbean. I have raced both one-design and keelboats but I haven’t raced competitively since 2004.
In Russia I have not had a chance to sail. I have known about the yacht clubs in Moscow, but most summers we have gone abroad. I plan to sail this summer when I visit my parents. Perhaps this regatta will introduce me to the Moscow sailing scene. I have been invited to go to Irkutsk to sail and to race and hope to do so soon. I wonder if it is colder than Lake Superior.

What do you think about the development of sailing in Russia?
I remember when the Soviet boat Fazisi was competing in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race and I wondered how many people sailed in Russia. The was a Russian boat in the last Volvo Ocean Race and St.Petersburg has been on the course a couple of times but it does not seem that Russian sailors have moved up into to the elite of oceanic racing. The 2008 variant of Team Russia had only one Russian sailor. I know that there are excellent Finn sailors based in Moscow and that Ekaterina Skudina is a top-ranked Yngling and match sailor who sails at Pirogovo Lake in the Moscow Region. There is only a limited amount of sailing at the university level and this is where the best Canadian and U.S. sailors come from – youth programs at yacht clubs and university racing teams.
Yachting seems to be the purview of the wealthy in Russia since it is very expensive to own a boat in Moscow. The model for yachting also seems to be based on the Russians’ experience in Monaco. This is only one aspect.

Tell some words to your supporters
We hope that we have many supporters - Canadian and Russian friends and colleagues cheering for Canada boat. Racing is a very thirsty experience and we hope to be celebrating victory with many toasts to the strong support we have received from the CERBA community.



Interview with Campbell Bethwaite, captain of the Australian boat
Why did you decide to participate in the Moscow Sailing Cup? What is interesting for you in this event?
I decided to participate in the Moscow Sailing Cup because I thought it would be a great chance to do something with my countrymen, while getting some fresh air & exercise, meeting new people, and hopefully winning!

How did you choose the members of your crew?
We had an exhaustive selection process involving selection regattas across each of the 6 continents, including lake sailing, ice sailing, ocean racing, and of course dinghy racing. Of the hundreds of Australian Muscovites eligible to compete, we narrowed the field down based on the number of World Champions and Olympic medallists present, and assessed their zeal by threatening to cancel their citizenship if they didn't win.

Do you sail in your country of origin? Have you practiced yachting here, in Russia?
I did a lot of sailing back in Australia, starting around the age of ten, and competed extensively in various dinghy, skiff, and Olympic classes. Unfortunately, since leaving Australia almost ten years ago, I haven't done much since! I haven't yet had the pleasure of sailing in Russia.

What do you think about the development of sailing in Russia?
I think the development of sailing in Russia (especially Moscow) is a little limited by the ice covering the water 9 months of the year, and the lake of conveniently located oceans.

Tell some words to your supporters.
We have supporters? I'm very excited to hear we have supporters, and we'll do our best to make you proud!! The Australian team tends to be powered by national pride & alcohol, so if anyone has some Bundaberg Rum handy, we assure you it will help us win! (anyone providing Fosters will be keelhauled).