In 2012, the Royal Southern Yacht Club will celebrate its 175th Anniversary. In a country where the average life expectancy of a business is 12 years, the Royal Southern continues to show how a yacht club can be commercial enterprise and a thriving hub of social and racing activity.

The Royal Southern yacht club is several businesses, some of which run 7 days a week, around the clock. The management team control the revenue and expenses of a restaurant, marina and event space. But in order to stage the activities planned for 2012, the club requires commercial sponsors.

Sponsorship is something that yacht clubs around the world are coming to terms with as an essential part of their business model. The subject was the topic of discussion at a recent Conference of the International Council of Yacht Clubs (ICOYC), which will hold their 2012 conference at the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

At an event at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, the Royal Southern Yacht Club Commodore, Mark Inkster introduced some of the companies that will partner with the club to support the calendar of events including a new race.

Royal Southern Yacht Club 175 partners will include sailing apparel company Gaastra, Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, Swarovski Optik, and Sunsail Racing. The deal with Sunsail is particularly clever and is good for the club, but also for the sport of sailing.

Sunsail Racing will be the technical partner for the new Biscay 2012 Race, with a new fleet of Sunsail F40 performance cruiser/racers, built by Beneteau, constituting the largest part of the Royal Southern Yacht Club’s inaugural Biscay 2012 race fleet. Sailors looking to get into offshore racing will be able to charter the yachts at a reasonable cost, lowering barriers to entry for top level sailing.

Sam Davies, an honorary member of the Royal Southern Yacht Club will also be an ambassador for the new race. She said:

“Any sailing initiative that helps encourage a wider audience to participate in some competitive offshore racing has to be a good thing. Being able to encourage the Club’s racing members to sign up to this but also open it up to a wider sailing fraternity to enter Biscay 2012 is very welcomed. The Royal Southern’s Race Management is superlative and Biscay 2012 couldn’t be in better hands. Congratulations to you all and thanks again for inviting me to be a part of it.”

More Sailing Sponsorship News

Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week has a new website, and it’s pretty good. The site is simple, clean, easy to navigate and most importantly is designed to understand that the event has multiple stakeholders and audiences.

Title sponsorship of Cowes Week has been missing from the event in recent years, and as a result, money has been spent in other areas. With the support of Aberdeen Asset Management, the web presence of the regatta has been given a much needed face-lift.

Organisers have also created a mobile site which is intended to give instant access to results, news, start times, courses and entertainment schedules during the regatta, but using an Android powered Samsung Galaxy II S, we can’t find it yet.

The site also links to the required social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook. So far, 2260 people like the facebook page, which is almost the same as Emirates Team NZ. The social media element is not mentioned in the press release directly, although the site is refferred to as anonline presence which is a trendy digital marketing term that alludes to a brand’s web footprint being more than just its website.

And for those sailors who want to take their expensive smartphones sailing, and have enough battery to keep the GPS on throughout racing, Aberdeen Asset Management have funded a new tracking system trial.

The ‘ngTrack’ system uses competitors’ own smartphones instead of expensive dedicated tracking devices to monitor the locations of boats taking part. Position data is transmitted in real-time to regatta HQ and is available to view online through a simple, easy-to-use viewer. The system is being trialed with the IRC Class 0, Dragon and Multihull classes this year, but Aberdeen hope to extend the facility to the wider Cowes Week fleet in 2012.

Commenting on this year’s tracking trial, CWL Chief Executive, Stuart Quarrie said:

”I have been keen to secure a tracking solution for the regatta for some time and this trial bodes well for a total solution in future years. Being able to track the fleet will be a huge bonus from both a spectator and race management viewpoint”.

Martin Gilbert, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management said:

“The new tracking system is something we’re really pleased to have been able to support in our first year at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. At Aberdeen we are aiming to help enhance the event and hopefully this cutting-edge GPS tracking system trial will do just that for all those taking part. We are very much looking forward to receiving feedback from these initial trials to find out if this initiative has been the success we all hope it will be so that we can look to extend it to the whole fleet in 2012.”

The Aberdeen Asset Management sponsored Extreme 40 has also taken to the water off Cowes. The team will compete in the UK round of the Extreme Sailing Series, which takes place during Cowes Week.

More Cowes Week News

Audi Australia, a long-time supporter of sailing, has anounnced that it will not renew it’s sponsorship deal with the Sydney Harbour Regatta organised by Middle Harbour Yacht Club (MHYC). The title sponsorship has run for five years.

Audi says it is looking for new sponsorship opportunities within Australian sailing. In May, Audi announced that they would also not renew their sponsorship of Victoria Week – a two year deal that also came to its end without being continued. The brand is a major sponsor of the Australian Olympic sailing team.

Uwe Hagen, Audi Australia’s Managing Director, said:

“After five years of this great event, it’s time for Audi in Australia to focus on new areas of sailing sponsorship. We have enjoyed our time as title sponsor of this spectacular and popular regatta, and we wish the event all the success for the future. It has been a pleasure to work with the Middle Harbour Yacht Club, which has delivered a thoroughly professional event each year.”

“The conclusion of this sponsorship nonetheless sees Audi continue to be involved at a high level with the sport of sailing in Australia, although our activities will take a new direction for the future.”

Commodore of MHYC, Julie Hodder, commented:

“Middle Harbour Yacht Club is proud of the partnership developed between the Club and Audi Australia in building this event into the iconic landmark sailing event for Sydney that it now is, with over 300 yachts and 2,500 crew members competing inshore and offshore, over two days of racing, on eight course areas and over 24 divisions. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Audi via its ongoing involvement in the sport of sailing in Australia.”

Audi’s commitment to sailing around the world continues to be strong through events like the Audi Med Cup and recent sponsorship of Match Race Sweden.

More Australian Sailing News

Some product categories always seem to stay with sailing. Sailors are desirable consumers for companies selling financial services, cars (that can tow), clothing and apparel and even accounting software.

Spirits are also closely associated with sailing. Rum and Whiskey particularly seem to accompany many regattas around the world and sailing in some countries is one of the only sports that allows hard liquor to be a sponsor.

Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week have announced that long term sailing sponsor Mount Gay Rum will continue its relationship with the Isle of Wight based regatta in 2011. Mount Gay will be the ‘official Regatta Rum’ and the brand will activate its sponsorship through tastings and events.

Mount Gay Eclipse and the premium Extra Old variants will be sampled at a variety of events and functions throughout the Week and the sailor’s favourite tipple will also be available in bars, yachts clubs and venues throughout the town. With its official Regatta Rum status, Mount Gay will also be supporting a number of special events and functions including the largest and oldest fleet racing in the regatta, the XOD Class who are celebrating their centenary and Toe in the Water, the event’s official charity.

Alvin Saal, Brand Manager for Mount Gay Rum, comments:

“We are happy to be associated with one of the UK’s longest running and most successful sporting events as it is the ideal platform for us to promote the world’s oldest rum. Our connection with the sailing community has helped cement the brand’s position in the golden rum category and after a highly successful regatta as Supporting Sponsor last year, Mount Gay Rum’s status and popularity has increased even more.”

Will the America’s Cup‘s return to American soil create a sustainable professional sport of sailing in the USA? Probably not – at least in the short term. Could a national circuit of for pros be established along the lines of the US PGA or NASCAR? Absolutely… but there are some cultural hurdles to overcome before that, not the least of which is a determined effort to cling to a ‘corinthian’ ideal.

Nevertheless, sponsorship of sailing in the USA is playing an increasingly larger role in funding sailing events and is key to the ‘business model.’

This week, Key West Race Week announced that Quantum Sail Design Group would become the title sponsor of the event and allow professional race organisers Premier Racing to deliver a quality regatta. The sponsorship is also key to the ‘long term viability’ of the event.

Ed Reynolds, President of Quantum said:

“We recognize that Key West Race Week is the flagship regatta in this country and has been for well over two decades. This has been reinforced by many people we’ve spoken with both here and abroad. Even with the smaller fleet sizes of recent years, this midwinter, big-boat regatta is very important to North American and international sailboat racing. We would like to see it continue and are committed to supporting the regatta during this transition period.”

Quantum have delivered some great marketing and promotions through their Audi Med Cup team in recent years. The brand was one of the first sailing companies to really get social media and use the internet to communicate with fans and partners through video. Many other brands in the space a playing catch-up.

Premier Racing’s Peter Craig said:

“We are very thankful to Quantum for stepping up to fill the important role of title sponsor. It’s gratifying to know its fundamental reason for doing so is the continuation of Key West Race Week. As we work to develop a sustainable business model for the event, Quantum has solved a critical short-term need by serving as a bridge to the future.”

Other sponsors and partners of the event include Lewmar/Navtec, Mount Gay Rum and B&G and the regatta also features am Industry Partner Program, with over 30 companies participating. Marine Industry companies are encouraged to lend their support to contribute to the viability of the regatta.

As those cities bidding to host major sailing events like the Extreme Sailing Series or World Match Racing Tour know, support from government, councils, local business and tourism authorities is important to deliver a great experience for competitors and participants.

More Sailing Event Managment News

While the America’s Cup aims to make sailing cool for ‘young people’ by promising a youth America’s Cup sometime after the current guys have moved onto the 72 foot version of the AC catamaran, Jessica Watson, who is arguably the best known sailor in Australia at the moment has launched a campaign to compete in the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Watson will be joined by Michael Perham, who in 2009 became the youngest person to sail around the world. The average age of the crew for the Sydney Hobart Race is just 19.

The campaign is an interesting juxtaposition against other parts of the sport and shows how personality and human interest can appeal to a wider audience while talking about the technology can leave people behind. While Olympic sailors have their heads down trying to qualify for 2012 and the ‘stars’ of other pro series are mostly reluctant media performers, Watson is in her element sharing her passion for sailing with a wide demographic.

Some in the sailing media criticised Watson’s round the world voyage on technicalities, but there is no way to underestimate or denigrate the sporting challenge that is the Sydney Hobart Race.

Garry Linacre, Commodore of the The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), the host of the iconic race said:

‘We look forward to Jessica’s participation in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Jessica has been able to bring together a talented and committed crew that includes Alex Paton, an active member of the CYCA’s Youth Sailing Academy. It is passionate sailors such as these that are the future of sailing in Australia and we wish them all the best in their training and preparation for Australia’s most iconic yacht race, which commences at 1pm on Boxing Day.’

The full crew is Michael Perham (19),another solo circumnavigator from the UK, Peter Woodward (21), Will Broughton (19), Cameron Dale (20), Leigh Thorne (21), Alexandra Paton (20), Levi Curtin (18), Sean Lindsell (21), Genevieve Warlow (19).

More Australian Sailing News…

Despite the success of the Volvo Ocean Race‘s successful stopover in India during the last race, the country has not really received the attention it should from sailing rights holders. Recent viewing figures that we’ve seen show that the television audience for sailing in India is huge – much larger than some S.E. Asian countries where world series’ currently have events (or are planning on having events?).

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is taking advantage of this demand for sailing content in the region by announcing that the race will be broadcast throughout Asia, Pacific & Indian Sub-Continent via the Australia Network.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia had granted rights for the broadcast of the entire ninety minute start program of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2010. The gross media reach is up to 31 million homes across 45 countries in Asia, the Pacific and the Indian sub-continent, including Australian troops serving in Afghanistan and other parts of the region.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race joins a list of other top sporting events such as the Melbourne Cup, Tri Nations rugby and State of Origin that are shown on the Australia Network.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Garry Linacre said:

“We are extremely pleased that we have the opportunity to bring this iconic yacht race and the sport of sailing to an even larger regional audience through this agreement.”

Rod Webb, Head of Programming of the Australia Network said:

“Our main interest is to continually provide our expatriate audience with content, and we hope that we can begin a tradition this year by including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race start program into our offering and that it will become a regular must-view program in the years to come.”

The start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an iconic part of Australian sporting culture. On Boxing Day, sports fans switch between the sailing and the Cricket while they recover from Christmas celebrations the day before.  In 2010 the Seven Network reported 1.2 million Australian viewers had tuned into the race start, with an additional global audience watching the broadcast online.

More Australian Sailing News…

Yacht racing in the Caribbean will benefit from the return on the Voiles de Saint-Barth in 2011. The race will run from the 4th to 9th April and organisers are planning to build on the success of the maiden event. The race invites many superyachts and maxis from all over the world to compete. Class 40 yachts have also been invited to compete. The growing offhshore monohull class attracted over 40 entries for the Route du Rhum and would swell the numbers for the Voiles de Saint-Barth significantly.

François Tolède, Luc Poupon and the whole team of organisers are working hard to promote the Voiles de Saint-Barth with the help of Peter Holmberg, a sailor based in the US Virgin Islands. Holmberg, an Olympic medallist and America’s Cup winner, took part in the very first Voiles de Saint-Barth sailing aboard the 114 foot ketch Sojana.

Organisers hope to attract 60 boats to the yacht race, with 25 boats already signed up.

Watchmaker Richard Mille will once again be the headline sailing sponsorship partner. Sportswear specialist Gaastra will become a new official partner joining Taittinger champagnes, whose presence at the prize giving last spring helped win over many of the sailors taking part. Other partners include The Banque des Antilles Françaises, the Guanahani & Spa hotel, the St Barth Hoteliers’ Association and the St Barth Tourist Board.

Bringing together so many elegant high performance racing yachts in the spring in the Caribbean is an attractive proposition. Maxi yachts and superyachts are included on the invitation list alongside classic yachts. In the United States, specific measures being put in place to attract North American owners.

More Caribbean Yacht Racing News.

Rolex SA will extend its naming rights sponsorship of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and its associated regattas, the Rolex Trophy One Design and Rolex Trophy Rating Series, up to and including the 2015 race.

Rolex has been the naming rights sponsor of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race since 2002.

Outgoing Commodore Matt Allen said:

“As one of my final duties as Commodore of this great club I am pleased to announce that Rolex will continue to sponsor one of the greatest ocean races in the world – the Rolex Sydney Hobart, for a further five years. Their commitment to the sport and to the Rolex Sydney Hobart greatly assists the international reputation of the race. From the time of Rolex’s involvement we have seen an increasing level of international interest combined with a strong Australian fleet from the smallest yachts at just over 30ft to the larger maxis at 100ft.”

“The CYCA has had a close collaboration with Rolex since it first entered into the sponsorship of the blue water classic. Their association with us has greatly enhanced the Rolex Sydney Hobart and lead up Rolex Trophy Series for the competitors and the interested followers of these events. The CYCA is delighted to make this announcement and thanks Rolex for its ongoing involvement and support.”

Seven Network to be exclusive TV broadcaster through 2015.

The CYCA have also granted an extension of the exclusive rights to broadcast the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race from 2011 to 2015 to Seven Network.  The new agreement takes effective from the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and will continue up until the end of the 2015 race.

The Seven Network will produce and broadcast nationally a 90 minute live program of the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht race, with commentary provided by CYCA member Gordon Bray, who has hosted the last three start broadcast programs. The broadcast will be supervised by Saul Shtein, Seven Network’s Head of Sport, and a former competitive sailor. Having managed the live broadcasts for the last five years Shtein knows the intricacies and technical challenges of covering yacht races and has a great idea of what the public wants.

Further, the CYCA has granted the Seven Network, through its online affiliate Yahoo!7, the exclusive worldwide internet/online rights to webstream the live 90 minute broadcast of the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2010 and the regular in race updates.

More Rolex Sailing News…

A large percentage of sailing sponsorship, especially for major events, comes from tourism authorities. In most cases, the campaigns are pretty unsophisticated – a bit of branding on the spinnaker to increase awareness, but not a lot of activation. Events like the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Galway have shown that people will travel to see yacht racing and buy hotel room nights and spend money to boost the local economy, however these marine tourists usually have to make their own arrangements.

It’s interesting then to see the new campaign from Queensland, Australia. The state of Queensland does tourism promotion as well as anyone else in the world. It helps that they have some great attractions, like the Great Barrier Reef, world heritage rainforest and stunning beaches, but we like the way the new ‘Season of Sailing’ joins the dots between sailing, specifically yacht racing and productised packages for tourists.

There is a microsite (www.queenslandholidays.com.au/sailing) which understands that not all tourists to Queensland are looking for theme parks and the skyscrapers of Surfers Paradise and actually supports event organisers by making it easier for visitors to attend sailing events.

The site of course positions the charter, cruising travel products that are usually the focus of sailing travel promotions, but it also highlights racing as a key part of sailing. The promotional material includes:

Choose from a range of charter boat experiences from catamarans to racing yachts; day sail options including reef and sunset cruises; or sail and stay packages that include accommodation at some of Queensland’s best tropical island resorts and beachfront apartments.

The Hamilton Island Race Week Package, for example, allows people to book with Prosail onboard one of their famous maxi yachts, live onboard the yacht berthed in Hamilton Island, enjoy the festival atmosphere by night and join in the race event by day.

This isn’t some local promoter or travel agent, capitalising on this valuable market, it is the central tourism authority.

Individual race events for Queensland’s Season of Sailing include:

• Brisbane to Keppel – August 6-10
• Airlie Race Week August 12-19
• Hamilton Island Race Week – August 20-28
• Magnetic Island Race Week – September 3-7

More Tourism News….