K-Challenge official christening (06/17/02)  (Source : K-challenge) In the Saint-Tropez’s harbour, on the last 13th of June, the K Challenge has been blessed by its godmother, Florence Masnada, who put all her enthusiasm in the champagne bottles which broke magically on the 2 IC45’s hulls, training boats of the team : K Challenge ONE and K Challenge TWO. Triple medallist at the Olympic Games and Ski World Championships, Florence Masnada is above all a woman, and nothing less than a godmother working and moving in extreme sports was required to support a team where women represent a very important part in the project of taking part to the 32th America’s Cup, which will take place in 2006. The 2 boats came in the Saint-Tropez Bay to train for 4 days, 6 months after the project’s launch at the Paris Boat Show and with a few regattas behind where the teams have already been noticed. So another step has been completed, before revealing the place of the future base and purchasing a first Class America boat in 2003, while starting actively the programme to look for future partners and sponsors. Emotion could be felt amongst all K Challenge’s members, who wore for the first time their « official uniform » like the 2 IC45. This allowed to realize how motivated and united this multicultural team is towards its participation to the 32nd America’s Cup. Don’t forget that the team is taking advantage from the early start of the project, which no other French Challenge has ever been able to complete till now, and which is mainly why financial problems occurred around those projects. The team spirit is already applying very efficiently amongst the 41 crew members, where 8 are women and 16 are foreigners, just like Dawn Riley who is at the head of the team, as an American who already won the America’s Cup. We can also find amongst others in the team Thierry Peponnet, Alain Fedensieu, François Brenac and Nicolas Charbonnier, to name only a few, parts of a mix between experience, diversity and youth. Nicolas Charbonnier and Dawn Riley are also training towards the 2004 Olympic Games. For now, the crews are already working at getting a victory at the One Ton Cup, which will take place from the next 7th till the 12th October in Saint-Tropez. Information pack (in French)    Introducing K-Challenge on June 13th (06/04/02)  (Source : K-Yachting) K Challenge officially announced their intention to compete in the XXXII America's Cup. This is the second challenger for the 32st Cup (with the Polish Polska 1 challenge). In Saint-Tropez (on french Riviera) on June 13th, Ortwin Kandler (CEO & Chairman), Stéphane Kandler (General Manager) and Dawn Riley (Team Manager) will meet the journalists during a press conference where they will outline the campaign.     More about K Challenge 2006 (12/16/01)   (source : seasailsurf.com) Interviewed by Seasailsurf.com, K-Challenge's Spokesman Philippe Mounier delivers very interesting information about the new French Challenge, launched on December 4 of this year during the Boat show of Paris. "We consider that it is necessary to approach the Cup with two last generation ACC and that the time after the conclusion of an America's Cup is too short to prepare the following, especially when the goal is to build a solid and experimented crew". "We decided to take some advance by launching up for the next year a sailing program on the 50 ' IMS Krazy K-Yote II (with Thierry Péponnet at the Helm), the IC 45 Faster K-Yote I and II and on Mumm 30 (with a participation in the Tour 2002 led by a young crew), what will allow us to create an opened hardcore". "The following stage will be to purchase one or two of the 2003 IACC just after the competition, to be operational (technical base, navigation on ACC, selected crew) as soon as possible". "As long as the next Cup is not ended, it is necessary anyway that the armature of the challenge remains very flexible. We don't know where and when exactly will take place the XXXIIth edition and then we want to work with persons (architects, skippers...) who are worked in a 2003 syndicate. But we also want to bet on the potential of people as Nicolas Charbonnier, who are preparing the Olympic Games of Athens in 470". "About budget, we estimate our project around €50/60 millions".     K Challenge 2006 is Official (12/05/01)   (source : Reuters) After days of speculation and rumour the official existence of a new Syndicate for the 32st America's Cup was revealed today as part of a party organized onboard « Batofar » Café in Paris. K Challenge 2006, the second challenger for the 32st Cup (with the Polish Polska 1 challenge), has been set up by French-German Ortwin Kandler, one of the Airbus Industry's pioneer. "Our objective is to reunite the competence of several countries [a kind of Airbus of sail] to build an ambitious project with a new vision " declared Stéphane Kandler, son of Ortwin Kandler, who has appointed general manager. To develop the Team, Ortwin Kandler has appointed Dawn Riley, who has sailed the Cup three times, as Sport Director and missioned her to recruit the best of European sailors. At this time, the first names reveales are the French Olympic champion Thierry Peponnet (former tactician on Sixième Sens), Alain Fédensieu and several members (?) of the former French challenge. The Syndicate will train from the next winter in Corel 45 and aboard the Ortwin Kandler's 50 feet monohull. K Challenge 2006 aims on a budget from 50 to 60 million euros. The nationality of this international challenge was not yet fixed because the Yacht club it will represent colours was not yet appointed but the Kandler's wish is to launch a French challenge.     A new french challenge ... for 2006 (12/01/01)   (source : sail-online) K-Yachting International will unveil its project for America’s Cup 2006 during the Paris Boat Show 2001. This presentation will be held on December 4th as part of a party organized onboard « Batofar » with Dawn Riley’s in attendance. Riley has sailed in this legendary event three times and twice in the Whitbread Round the World Race. Since last America’s Cup in 2000, she often reaffirmed her fascination with the famous silver pitcher, the true sailing “Everest”. Riley’s expertise and focus are two of the reasons that K-Yachting International decided to join forces with her on this ambitious project. With America’s Cup XXXIIth in 2006 as a target, K-Yachting International's project will have a different approach, one which gives a key role to the human factor. An additional goal will be to develop a generation of a very highly talented crewmembers, who are able to meet the America’s Cup’s level of demand. Dawn Riley, who said – and proved – that “if you can dream it, you can do it”, is the very person for the management of this new sailing program, which will begin as soon as 2002. Dawn Riley : - Born in 1964 in Detroit (Michigan), USA ; - 2004 : Member of the US Sailing Team (Yngling class) for Olympic Games in Athens ; - 2000 : CEO and Captain of America True (first woman to manage an America’s Cup syndicate) in 2000 America’s Cup ; - 1995 : Captain of America3, the first all-women’s team in 95 America’s Cup ; - 1993-94 : Skipper of Heineken, the all women’s entry in the 1993-94 Whitbread Round the World Race ; - 1992 : Pitman for America3, winner of 1992 America’s Cup (first woman to have an active role on an America’s Cup team) ; - 1989-90 : Watch captain/engineer on Maiden, the first all-women’s team in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race.