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Displaying items by tag: DDay 70th Anniversary

#D-Day70anniversary -Major events are been held on both sides of the English Channel today in advance of the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Allied Invasion, writes Jehan Ashmore.

To find further details commemorating the momentous D-Day (6th June 1944) they can be found from the D-Day Museum's events programme by visiting their website.

The busy UK ferryport of Portsmouth is synominous with the Royal Navy's homeport and main naval base from where commemorations and elsewhere in the city are taking palce this week to Sunday.

During World War II the Hampshire port was one of the key strategic locations across the south coast from where thousands of Allied troops departed for Normandy.

To mark the critical and momentous event, on the UK side of the English Channel there is to be an exodus from Portsmouth today of a flotilla which will set sail overnight for France for the international commemorations on D-Day.

A flotilla of Royal Navy vessels featuring HMS Bulwark will be accompanied by allied nation naval ships. On arrival they will be in position off those Normandy beaches from where the landings took place.

The eyes of the world will be focused on the five code-named beaches of Normandy as veterans will be joined by world leaders and figures to commemorate those who served. Among those gathering at the ceremonies will be Queen Elizabeth, President Barack Obama and French president François Hollande.

 

Published in News Update

About Match Racing

A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.

In yacht racing, it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with their results being combined.

A match race consists of two identical boats racing against each other. With effective boat handling and clever use of wind and currents, a trailing boat can escape the grasp of the leader and pass. The leader uses blocking techniques to hold the other boat back. This one-on-one duel is a game of strategy and tactics.

About the World Match Racing Tour

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors