The Insead team need a top seven result at the Rolex MBA’s cup regatta in Sta. Margharita to be sure of winning the MBA League trophy for 2011. Their nearest challengers, London Business School are currently six points behind them in the league, and so can overtake them if they come first, while Insead fall to 8th place or worse. Third place Bocconi, would need to repeat their win in their home regatta again this year and see Insead drop to 11th, with LBS 5th or worse to win the league.
Anything is, of course possible at the MBA’s cup, for two reasons: Firstly, because teams in the “A” racing division must be comprised mainly of students currently at the business school they are representing. This means that may be very different crews competing than at other regattas, where school Alumni compete. Secondly, because of the variable quality of the boats in the fleet, which mean that a great team may end up with a particularly slow boat and be consigned to the lower reaches of the results.
The Rolex MBA’s Conference & Regatta, to give it its full name, starts on Thursday 22nd September, with the first race on Friday 23rd. It has been taking place since the mid 2000s and gets bigger every year: over 50 boats participated in 2010. The regatta has 2 divisions: An “A” division, competing with spinnakers in either Benneteau First 36.7s or Jeanneau Sunfast 37s, and a “B” division, competing under handicap without spinnakers in a variety of charter boats. Both divisions race on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th. The winners of the Beneteau fleet and of the Jeanneau fleet then face off in match races on Sunday 25th, to decide the regatta champion.
The MBA Global Sailing League 