(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) A total of 13 teams, including top contender Team Aqua, have confirmed their participation in the year's opening Championship Tour event, the RC44 Oman Cup, which will begin on January 30. The competition will be presented by Oman Shipping Company and hosted by Oman Sail at The Wave, Muscat. After dominating the fleet-racing leaderboard throughout 2011-2012 season, Chris Bake's Team Aqua will once again start the new season as the defending champion. There is no change to the afterguard on last year's Match Race champion as Ed Baird will be back supporting Valentin Zavadnikov and his Synergy Russian Sailing Team. Stepping into its first full RC44 season is Brian Benjamin's Aegir Racing. The UK-based team will be joined for the season's opener by class founder Russell Coutts. Three new professional sailors will join the Tour - 2008 Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison will join David Murphy's Ironbound, Spanish Olympic sailor Gustavo Martinez Doreste will race with defending world champion Peninsula Petroleum, and former America's Cup helmsman Flavio Flavini will be calling the shots on the newly-named Team Italia. From Muscat, the Tour will travel to Trapani, Italy, for the second event of the season (May 1-5), the home turf of Massimo Barranco and his Team Italia. This year, Muscat Municipality is supporting the RC44 Oman Cup as one of the key events coinciding with the 2013 Muscat Festival. Team AquaCountry: Great BritainBoat owner: Chris BakeProfessional skipper: Cameron AppletonCrewChris Bake - Owner/driverCameron Appleton - Match Racing helmsman/tacticianAndrew Estcourt “ Main trimmerChristian Kamp “ TrimmerBen Graham “ GrinderChris Noble “ Offside trimmerMatt Cassidy “ BowmanMark Towill - PitmanMAG RacingCountry: PolandBoat owner: Krzysztof Krempec Professional skipper: Piotr PrzybylskiCrewKrzysztof Krempec - Owner/driverPiotr Przybylski - Match Racing helmsman/tacticianJacek Wysocki - BowmanMartin Rymer - PitmanGrzegorz Baranoeski - TrimmerLeif Tom Loose - Main TrimmerMariusz Klupinski - TrimmerArek FedusioPeninsula Petroleum Sailing TeamCountry: Great BritainBoat owner : John Bassadone Professional skipper : Gustavo Martinez DoresteCrewJohn Bassadone - Owner/driverGustavo Martinez Doreste - Match Racing helmsman/tacticianMikel Pasabant Quintian - GrinderOliver Gongora - TrimmerGerman Panel - TrimmerMiguel JaureguiRobin ImazPablo RosanoRC44 Team CEEREFCountry: SloveniaBoat owner: Igor Lah Professional skipper: Michele IvaldiCrewIgor Lah - Owner/driverMichele Ivaldi - TacticianMichele Cannoni - Boat captainDon Cowie - Mainsail trimmerSarah Callahan - Main assistantKazuhiko Sofuku Maciel CichettiTine Lah Jaro FurlaniRUS“7 Sail Racing TeamCountry: RussiaBoat owner: Kirill Podolsky Professional skipper: Serguei ChevtsovCrewKirill Podolsky - Owner/driverSerguei Chevtsov “ Tactician/skipperNikolay Kovalenko “ PitmanVitaly Rozhkov “ Mainsail trimmerAnatoliy Tischenko - GrinderEgor Ignatenko (RUS) “ TrimmerRoman Konstantinov (RUS) “ BowmanIgor Matvienko (RUS) “ TrimmerArtemis RacingCountry: SwedenBoat owner: Torbjorn Tornqvist Professional skipper: Morgan LarsonCrewTorbjorn Tornqvist - Owner/driverMorgan Larson - Match Racing helmsman/tacticianDaniel Fong - TrimmerAndy Fethers - BowmanIvan Peute - Boat captainColin Orsini - Main trimmerDarren Hutchinson Noel DrennanAegir RacingCountry: Great BritainBoat owner: Brian Benjamin Tactician: Russell CouttsCrewBrian Benjamin - Owner/helmsman: Match Racing and Fleet RacingRussell Coutts - TacticianJuan Meseguer - TrimmerJoan Fullanan - TrimmerMatthew Barbare - GrinderGuy Barron - PitmanErik Malmberg - BowmanTeam Italia Country: ItalyBoat owner: Massimo Barranco Tactician: Flavio FaviniCrewMassimo Barranco - Owner/helmsman: Match Racing and Fleet RacingFlavio Favini - TacticianDiogo Cayolla Lars Borgstrom Matteo Auguardo Michele Gnutti Filippo La Mantia Giuseppe Leonardi - Boat captainTeam NikaCountry: RussiaBoat owner: Vladimir Prosikhin Professional skipper: Tomislav BasicCrewVladimir Prosikhin - Owner/driverTomislav Basic - Match Racing helmsman/tacticianTomaz Copi - Main trimmerMitja Margon -TrimmerDarko Hajdinjak -TrimmerIztok Knafelc - GrinderTo? Skrt-Golja - PitmanSimon Johnson - BowmanIronboundCountry: United StatesBoat owner: David Murphy Professional skipper: Paul GoodisonCrewDavid Murphy - Owner/driverPaul Goodison -TacticianWarwick Fleury - MainJohn Gundersen - Primary trimmerEric Junge - GrinderJustin Clougher - PitmanShawn Burke - Secondary trimmer David Tank - Bowman /boat captainSynergy Russian Sailing TeamCountry: RussiaBoat owner: Valentin Zavadnikov Professional skipper: Ed BairdCrewValentin Zavadnikov - Owner/driverLeonid Lebedev - Owner/driverEd Baird - TacticianMaxim Logutenko - Project managerAnton Sergeev Konstantin Besputin Nikolay Kornev Valery Zatsarinsky Alexander Ekimov Egor Larionov Mshenskiy PavelAleph Sailing Team Country: FranceBoat owner: Hugues Lepic Professional skipper: Mathieu RichardCrewHugues Lepic - Owner/driverMathieu Richard -TacticianGreg Evrard “ Main trimmerThierry Briend “ Jib and spinnaker trimmerJean Baptiste Marcon - BowmanOlivier Herledant - PitmanNicolas Dore - FloaterYannick Simon “ GrinderKatushaCountry: RussiaBoat owner: Gennadi Timchenko Professional skipper: Andy HortonCrewGennadi Timchenko - Owner/driverAndy Horton - Match Racing helmsman/tacticianMarco Constant - Main trimmerRobbie Naismith - TrimmerIan Baker - TrimmerJonas Hviid Nielsen Chris Schirmer Matt Kelway
