Swiftsure International Yacht Race Debuts Live Race Tracking

World's largest deployment of GPS transponders in a sporting event

VICTORIA, May 26 /CNW/ - When the 63rd Swiftsure International Yacht Race -- Lightship Classic gets under sail on May 26th, in the waters off Victoria, British Columbia, competitors, officials and fans will have a bird's-eye view of the race, thanks to sophisticated satellite positioning transponders provided by FleetPoint and Rogers Wireless. For the first time, supporters, race enthusiasts, family members and friends on shore also can watch the progress of the boats over the course of the three-day sailing event. The battery powered transponders on each boat will continuously determine their position using GPS satellites, and transmit that position, along with the direction and speed of the boat, over the Rogers Wireless network. Boats at sea and everyone on shore can watch the progress of each of the Swiftsure contestants via the Internet at www.swiftsure.org/broadcast.

The technology is not limited to just spectator appeal. Steve Rander, owner and skipper of the 70' Wylie-designed sailboat, Rage, carried a transponder on last year's Lightship Classic. Steve commented after the race, "The transponders fundamentally add to the competitiveness of the race because we have a much better idea of where our competitors are and how they are responding to changes in weather conditions on the course".

Originally considered just a safety aid, many sailors have now discovered that transponders are much more than that. In addition to enhancing safety, these devices allow much greater participation in the live action of sailing and actually improve performance, especially over moderate distances like the Swiftsure. The Lightship Classic, one of seven different races that make up the event known collectively as Swiftsure, is a 140 nautical mile race.

During this year's Lightship Classic the boats will be receiving the data the same way that the rest of us do - on the Internet. At the start, the GPS position information can be used by the race committee to more accurately determine if boats are over the start line early (premature starters) and more accurately identify boats as they finish in the early hours of the morning, when sail numbers can be very hard to read. On the race course the transponders will transmit position reports every three minutes. When the boats approach within one mile of the finish, their transponders will begin reporting every 30 seconds.

The Swiftsure Race is the perfect event to showcase the extensive wireless communications coverage provided by Rogers Wireless - Canada's largest integrated voice and data network, noted Rogers Wireless Vice President & General Manager, Michael van der Lee. More information about Rogers Wireless fleet solutions can be found at www.rogers.com/enterprise.

"This new portable tracking system uses state-of-the-art wireless technology to make the sailing race more exciting and safer for all the competitors. We are proud to have been selected by the Victoria Yacht Club and the Swiftsure organizers to bring this innovative monitoring service, and the reach of Rogers, to one of sailing world's premier events," van der Lee added.

In addition to helping racing sailors, Rogers Wireless' GPS tracking solutions are available to businesses large and small, helping them communicate, track and better utilize fleets, vehicles, field personnel and remote assets. The technology behind the solutions for the Swiftsure Race has been provided by another Victoria company, FleetPoint, a leading location services and technology developer.

"Thanks to the FleetPoint transponder and Rogers Wireless network, all racers will have the opportunity to download their own race results and the course weather conditions to review their performance," said Chris Carver, Vice President of Business Development for FleetPoint. "We look forward to not only providing them valuable data on the course but also giving them the ability to really analyze their performance during the course of this often grueling race."

On shore, race enthusiasts, family members and friends can watch the race live on the Internet at Ships Point (www.swiftsure.org/broadcast) or at Canada's Oldest Brewpub - Spinnaker's, 308 Catherine Street in Victoria (www.spinnakers.ca).

"This race has been a hallmark of sailing in Victoria since 1930," said Paul Hadfield, owner of Spinnakers Brewpub for the last 22 years. "We are looking forward to being the first to bring the race to fans on land through the magic of satellite tracking from FleetPoint. This new capability is sure to change the face of sailing for people both on shore and on the boats".

Spinnakers recently hosted the arriving boats from the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The leg across the Pacific was won by the local favorite "Victoria". The Clipper Round the World racers are also using transponders which transmit position updates daily at http://www.clipper-ventures.co.uk/2006/

The Swiftsure International Yacht Race is the race highlight of the year for many skippers and their crew. Swiftsure 2006 promises to deliver another exciting weekend event to Victoria.

About Rogers Wireless

Rogers Wireless Inc. is Canada's largest wireless voice and data communications services provider with offices in Canadian cities across the country, more than 6.2 million customers, and two powerful brands: Rogers Wireless and Fido. Rogers Wireless, which operates Canada's largest integrated wireless voice and data network, providing advanced voice and wireless data solutions to customers from coast to coast, is Canada's only carrier operating on the GSM/GPRS technology platform, the world standard for wireless communications technology. Rogers Wireless is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI; NYSE: RG), a diversified Canadian communications and media company. For further information, please visit www.rogers.com.

About FleetPoint

Based in Victoria, FleetPoint is a private company specializing in mobility management software specializing in wireless fleet management for vehicles and high value assets. Using telematics, or the wireless transmission of location-based information from within the enterprise FleetPoint helps its clients locate and manage their fleets. FleetPoint offers commercial software solutions for Customer Asset Management (CRM), fleet and productivity management including rental vehicle and lease fleets, bus fleet operators and heavy equipment owners. The company provides software solutions and integration services that allow its customers to marry the internet, wireless communication, mapping and GPS information into cost effective mobile resource management. For additional information see www.fleetpoint.net.

Source: Rogers Wireless