Swedish Match Tour 2004-05

The 2004-'05 Swedish Match Tour stands to be the most lucrative ever. Nine events comprise the Tour calendar with total prize money exceeding $1 million, a milestone for the professional sailing series.

Lucrative season
The lucrative season begins in earnest with the 150,000 Euro (approximately $185,000) Portugal Match Cup first on the schedule. The inaugural event to be sailed off Cascais, Portugal, has 40,000 Euros (approximately $49,000) earmarked for its champion. Three other events on the 2004-'05 Tour calendar - the Bermuda Gold Cup, the Toscana Elba Cup and the Swedish Match Cup - also have prize purses of $100,000 or more, and each offers $30,000 or more to its champion.

More additions intended
Five of the nine events - Danish Open, King Edward VII Gold Cup, Match Race Germany, ACI HTmobile Cup and Swedish Match Cup - have been part of all five previous Swedish Match Tours. The Portugal Match Cup may not be the only addition to the Tour schedule this season. The Tour is hopeful of beginning a new event in Cape Town, South Africa, next March to help fill the winter void.

2004-'05 SWEDISH MATCH TOUR SCHEDULE