Sailor Peter Holmberg Ranked
Number Four in New Listing

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands--May 6--In new World Match Race Rankings released last night  by the International Sailing Federation in England, St. Thomas native Peter Holmberg is currently ranked fourth out of more than 1,200 international sailors.  Holmberg, co-founder and skipper of the Team Caribbean America's Cup Challenge 2000, moved from sixth to his new position as a result of his victory last March in the Grade One Congressional Cup raced in California.

The three skippers in front of Holmberg have been residents of the top ten for several years.  Australian Peter Gilmour holds the top spot, followed by American Ed Baird and Bertrand Pace of France.  But Pace, who is out of commission for the immediate future because of a broken  arm, is only 169 points in front of Holmberg.

The international match racing circuit has long been regarded as the training ground for the America's Cup, the sport's most prestigious event which also uses the match racing (two boats racing each other) format.  Proof of this is that Gilmour is currently the skipper of Japan's America's Cup Challenge, Baird has been selected as the helmsman for the New York Yacht Club's team Young America, and Pace is involved with the Yaka France syndicate.

"The Team Caribbean match racing team has enjoyed a good deal of success over the past year  and a-half," said Holmberg, "and that's indicated in the rankings. As we continue to train and raise money for the next America's Cup, it's important to keep racing against top competition both for the racing value and for the exposure to potential sponsors."

Holmberg will be in action again next week at the Golden Gate Invitational in San Francisco, beginning next Thursday.  A full schedule of events around the world will follow, leading to the World Championship of Match Racing next November in Japan.  Only the top ten ranked skippers are invited to the Worlds, so Holmberg's goal for the next six months has been established.