Please find some Photos from Monday's racing here:

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All Photos by: Rolex / Kurt Arrigo. Find the complete gallery on http://www.regattanews.com/photos.asp?eventid=179.

After a two hour delay waiting for the wind to fill in, the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup got underway shortly before lunchtime today with two windward-leeward inshore races in the Western Solent. Conditions could not have been better for the 45 boat fleet with 12 knots of wind from the southwest and brilliant sunshine.

Race one saw the French defenders, Géry Trentesaux's France Blue, pull into first place tied with GBR Red, led by John Shepherd's big boat Fair Do's VII, followed by the two Irish teams. In particular Trentesaux's own Class 1 boat Lady Courrier, won her division with their small boat, Marc Alperovitch's Prime Time, scoring second, while in GBR Red Peter Rutter took honours in Class 2 aboard his new Corby 36 Quokka 7, and Jerry Otter posted a third on Erivale III.

A record-matching fleet is due to take to the water tomorrow for the first inshore races of the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, the event will see 45 yachts, divided into 15 three boat teams, representing six nations competing in what is the world's premier event for cruiser racers. The crews, who are almost entirely amateur, will race over the next week on a mixture of courses: windward-leewards in the Solent, a long offshore and - new for this year - a race around the Isle of Wight.

The main event begins on Sunday 29th June, with the first race scheduled for 10.30AM on Monday 30th June, but there has been no shortage of activity since close of challenges for the 9th biennial Rolex Commodores’ Cup 2008. 

Organiser, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, has had to deal with last minute changes to the British Blue team following the IRC Nationals, the French making their final team selections at the last possible moment and the usual amendments to ratings.

The teams are leaving nothing to chance. Every advantage is a good advantage and no detail is being overlooked.  Fifteen teams, comprising a total of forty-five yachts spread over six nations will be on the start line next week all fired up in anticipation of a highly competitive event.

The full National team listings are available on line at www.rorc.org and www.regattanews.com, and here are some highlights:

Close of Challenges for the 2008 Rolex Commodores' Cup was on Monday 26^th May. The result: 6 nations and 15 teams, two up from 2006. With the weeklong competition commencing on 29^th June, team managers are putting final touches to some of the combinations and continuing the process of honing skills.

Event Organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), are understandably delighted with the increase in interest. The participation of Spain and Hong Kong is extremely positive and, alongside the strong, multiple challenges from Ireland, France, The Netherlands and the UK, bodes well for some intense action on the water.

Two weeks to close of entries for the Rolex Commodores’ Cup 2008 and a battle royal looks on the cards between the big guns of recent competitions – Ireland, France and Great Britain. But the teams from Spain and Hong Kong will undoubtedly feel that they are in with a chance too, since you do not take part in this international regatta just to make up the numbers. And, whilst the sixth participating nation, The Netherlands, has never won the Rolex Commodores’ Cup, the Dutch would happily point to their success in the Admiral’s Cup in 1999 together with second overall at this event in 1998 and 2002 as proof that they will be no pushover when the event starts on 29th June.