PETER HOLMBERG BIO

Peter Holmberg was born October 4, 1960 on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.  He attended St. Peter & Paul, Charlotte Amalie High School, and the College of the Virgin Islands before receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Sonoma State University in California.

(Parents Richard and Louise Holmberg, one older brother John Holmberg)

(Married Denise Balzac of Puerto Rico in December 2003)

Peter learned to sail at age five in St. Thomas and began racing internationally at age nine.  After many years of training locally in the Virgin Islands, Peter won the Silver Medal in the Finn Class  at the 1988 Olympics in Korea.  This is the first and only Olympic Medal ever won by the Virgin Islands.

After winning the Olympic Medal, Peter began racing as a professional sailor and has since gone on to win numerous World and International Championships.  In 1992 Peter shifted his focus to Match Racing and traveled the world extensively with his small team of Virgin Islanders, finally reaching the #1 ranking in the World in 2002.

In March 1996, Peter formed the Virgin Islands America's Cup Foundation.  This was an ambitious endeavor whose goal was not only to challenge for the America's Cup, but to re-unite Virgin Islanders with the water, promote water sports and careers, improve race relations with a national endeavor, and promote the Virgin Islands as a tourist destination.  The Foundation raised over 4 million dollars, gained international acclaim, and taught hundreds of residents to swim and sail through its public VI Marine Program.   But unable to raise the additional monies  required to meet the minimum budget, the syndicate merged with Team Dennis Conner in January 1999.   Peter went on to race in the afterguard of Stars & Stripes in the 2000 America's Cup Challenger Selection Series where they finished third. 

Peter then joined the Oracle BMW Team for the 2003 America's Cup where they finished second in the Challenger Selection Series.

Following this, Peter joined the winner of the 2003 America's Cup, Team Alinghi from Switzerland, as one of the helmsmen. After four years of training and racing, Alinghi successfully defended the 32^nd America's Cup in July 2007 in the waters off Valencia, Spain.

Peter is a past President of the Virgin Islands Sailing Association and a past Commodore of the St. Thomas Yacht Club.  Peter is also the recipient of the 2003 Paul Harris Fellow Award and the 2003 St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce Bill Lamotta Community Service Award.

Through his efforts of representing the Virgin Islands around the world in sailing, Peter hopes to encourage more Virgin Islanders to pursue excellence in sports and better enjoy, utilize, and respect the waters around them while also promoting the culture and beauty of the Virgin Islands to the world.

HIGHLIGHTS OF HOLMBERG'S RACING CAREER

2007   Winner, 32^nd America's Cup, Team Alinghi

2006   1st Place, Monsoon Cup Malaysia

2005   1^st Place Louis Vuitton Act 4, Team Alinghi

2004   1^st Place Louis Vuitton Act 3, Team Alinghi

2003   2^nd Place, Louis Vuitton Cup, Oracle-BMW Racing

2002   1^st Place, Match Racing World Tour

2001   1^st Place, Bermuda Gold Cup

2000   3^rd Place, Louis Vuitton Cup, Team Dennis Conner

1999   1^st Place, Congressional Cup

1998   1^st Place, Congressional Cup

1995   Silver Medal, Pan Am Games, J24

1990   1^st Place, Maxi World Championships

1989   1^st Place, International 50' Worlds

1988   Silver Medal, Olympic Games, Finn Class

1987   1^st Place, International Rolex Regatta

1986   1^st Place, Antigua Sailing Week

1985, 1^st Place, Antigua Sailing Week

1984, 11^th Place, 1984 Olympic Games

1982, 7^th Place, Central American and Caribbean Games

1976, 3^rd Place, Sunfish World Championships

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PETER HOLMBERG

World Match Racing Tour Bio of Peter:

http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/default.asp?m=da&id=10922

Link to America's Cup Magazine 2004 interview with Peter:

http://www.americascup.com/en/acmag/votre_interview/index.php?idIndex=1194&idContent=735