Ryan lands post in America's Cup team

SAILING:A Dún Laoghaire sailor Leslie Ryan is to play a leading role in Britain's next America's Cup team announced yesterday in London.

Keith Mills, the British businessman who ran London's winning bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, announced he is to create a new 150 million British America's Cup sailing team with Ryan, of the Royal St George YC, as one of its management team.

Britain has had a poor record in the America's Cup over the last 155 years. The current line-up of challengers in Valencia who will battle it out to determine which team challenges the Swiss team Alinghi, holders of the Cup, in June does not include a British team.

The new team, to be named Origin, will comprise some of the world's leading sailors and boat designers but these will not necessarily be British, says Ryan. The aim is to win the America's Cup and bring the world's longest running sporting event back to British shores for the first time.

Ryan, as the new head of marketing and branding, was involved in Peter Harrison's GBR campaign and she personally raised €10 million in private sponsorship.

The Origin budget, says Ryan, is now over €30 million per annum and it will need to run, if necessary, until 2011 as the next cup date - after July 2007 - is not yet fixed. "We intend to build a team capable of winning the America's Cup to ultimately bring the cup back to Britain for the first time since 1851," Mills said yesterday.

"The reason that we have announced our launch today is that there is much to be done while the current 32nd America's Cup competition is under way. We will be contracting team members, establishing our UK base, acquiring the necessary assets and discussing the opportunity with prospective syndicate members and sponsors. In essence, we are officially 'open for business'," he added.

Talks are being held with potential skippers including Ian Walker, the skipper of GBR challenge and the current skipper of Galway's TP 52 world championship winner Patches owned by Eamon Conneely.

However, the talks will ultimately focus on how Origin can sign Ben Ainslie, Britain's Olympic Gold medallist, a hands-down favourite for the helmsman's post if he is not contractually tied to another campaign.

Meanwhile, there will be a bigger than normal presence at this morning's first day at the London Boat Show with Irish dealers on all of the major yacht stands.

The show runs until January 14th at ExCeL London. More details on www.londonboatshow.com

The show includes a number of Irish exhibitors too including Waterways Ireland, Carrickcraft, and Experience Ireland, a stand funded by Fáilte Ireland that includes a number of sail training and boat hire firms.

The founder of Glenans Irish Sailing Club, Hélène Viannay, who died on Christmas Day, was responsible for introducing over 40,000 people to sailing in Ireland since she formed the club in 1969 and is credited with making sail training accessible here.

A civil ceremony was held yesterday at the crematorium at the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.