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ddThanks to the vision of Investors Guaranty™ and to the sponsorship of Renaissance Reinsurance, the Junior Gold Cup will once again include international optimist sailors. Renaissance Reinsurance's sponsorship allows twelve top optimist sailors from around the world to travel to Bermuda to compete, along with the top 28 Bermudian optimist sailors in the four day regatta on Bermuda's Great Sound with the final race sailed on Hamilton Harbour. The winner is awarded the Junior Gold Cup.

Joining 28 local Bermuda Junior Optimist sailors this year are the 2005 Optimist World Champion Tina LUTZ (GER) and Worlds' runner up Matthew SCHOENER SMITH (TRI). Also competing will be Philip AUTENRIETH (GER), Claire BETHEZ (FRA), George KOOL (NZL), Sean MOYNAHAN (USA), Sacha PELISSON (FRA), Kevin PEPONNET (FRA), Matthew RAINBACK (GBR), Mark WHITTINGTON (AUS), Daniela ZIMMERMAN (PER) and Stephanie ZIMMERMAN (PER).

This select handful of the junior sailing world's elite competitors will be in Bermuda from 19-23 October to participate in the event created to expose juniors to international sailing in a mentoring atmosphere and provide advanced opportunities for juniors to learn about match racing.

Over the course of the week, the Junior Gold Cup schedule will mirror that of the skippers and teams participating in the King Edward VII Gold Cup. The juniors will fleet race in their own regatta. Fleet racing involves all competitors sailing in a series of races. Match racing involves a series of races between just two competitors at a time.

A flat-bottomed, eight foot long dinghy with a seemingly chopped off bow and a single spritsail, the 'Opti' has been described as, 'a bathtub that breeds some of the best sailors in the world.'