Organizers of the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race are pleased to announce TELUS as the new title sponsor of the 2011 event. The eighth edition of the race, which is now named the TELUS Van Isle 360, will take place from June 4 – 18. "We are very excited to welcome TELUS aboard", says Janine Bell, event manager, “and are looking forward to working with TELUS to ensure the best race to date."

Match-racing, at its best, is Mano a Mano – hand-to-hand combat. Match-racing here, in the Budget Marine Match-Racing Cup, run-up to the Heineken Regatta, takes that sort of intensity up a few notches. Some of the top racers in the world. No Wednesday night yacht club race, this.

Races are on six Jeanneau Sunfast 20’s. Eight skippers. Each skipper races every other skipper. Each skipper races each of the six boats.

“The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” When he spoke these words, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, recognized as the founder of the modern Olympic Games, could not have envisaged that the initial event with nine sports and 14 nations would grow to include 33 sports, 200 nations, and 13,000 athletes. Nor could he have foreseen the multi-million dollar industry that the Olympics would become or that the triumph would become more important than the struggle – at least in the eyes of those who provide the majority of funding.