Emirates win final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy

Carrying the 4 flag of the host country, and their title sponsors, Emirates Team New Zealand won the final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy series in Dubai when they beat the America’s Cup holders, BMW Oracle, 2-0.

The 27-year relationship between French luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton with the America’s Cup will be given a 30th birthday when the challenger series for AC34 will again be for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. The luggage manufacturer will also use its watch brand for the official timing and it is likely that the Moet et Chandon champagne house which is also part of the LVMH group will also be bubbling again.

Earlier, the Scarborough-inspired Team GAC Pindar confirmed it would be contesting both the World Match Race Tour and the Extreme Sailing Series next year.

Skipper Ian Williams, who will be at the helm in both events, each with nine regattas, was runner up in the Sunseeker Australia Cup in Perth, losing in the final to the young Kiwi Phil Robertson, who had beaten Ben Ainslie in their semi-final. Triple Olympic gold medallist Ainslie then edged the local defending champion Torvar Mirsky into fourth place.

Williams, world match race world champion in 2007 and 2008 moves, as does Ainslie, to the 2010 finale in Malaysia for the Monsoon Cup this week. His first Extreme Sailing Series event in 2011 will be back in the Middle East, in Oman, next February.

Oman is one of several Middle East countries being visited by the America’s Cup Event Authority as it lines up five venues for next year’s world series, which will be contested in 45-foot wing sail catamarans being built in New Zealand.