Last week, we were off taking a look at sailing from the other side of the Atlantic. As well as catching up with a few of our fans in Boston at the Extreme Sailing Series, we also talked to some of the top sports marketing people in the US about sailing and its place in 2011. More of that later, but in the mean time, there are a couple of stories that we need to catch up on.

Some positive news for the IMOCA 60 Class and the Vendee Globe with the announcement that UK sailor Mike Golding has secured sponsorship from wind energy technology company Gamesa.

Sailing and wind energy seems to be a pretty obvious tie-up, and with the renewable energy sector becoming increasingly competitive – sponsorship is one way to create awareness and build momentum in both home and new markets. Previous energy sponsorships have included Iberdrola’s backing of the Amercia’s Cup and TP52 campaigns and the 34th America’s Cup may also feature a team with significant sponsorship from an energy brand.

Mike Golding is one of several UK sailors who are looking for budget to compete in the next Vendee Globe. The announcement that he has secured the money to compete in the race might help other sailors like Dee Caffari in their quest to be on the start line in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on 10 November 2012.

According to Gamesa’s website – in 2010, Gamesa’s consolidated revenues amounted to more than 2,764 million euro and the net profit was 50 million euro. International markets accounted for almost 93% of whole sales.

While Gamesa is a Spanish company, it will have a significant UK offshore operation in the next few years. The company is working to launch two offshore platforms and plans to invest over €150 million in this activity by 2014. Gamesa’s offshore business will be headquartered in London. The announcement about The Gamesa Sailing Team was made to 135 of the company’s top global executives at their annual convention in Windsor, England.

Jorge Calvet, Chairman and Chief Executive of Gamesa commented on the synergies between the company and Mike Golding’s offshore campaign:

“This sponsorship comes at an important time for Gamesa and our planned programme of expansion into the offshore market in UK. The sea and the wind are similarly part of the Gamesa challenge and there are synergies between Mike’s Vendée Globe campaign and our own activities in the wind power market in the UK and globally. We have a vigorous business plan over the coming years with many common values, including innovation, teamwork, leadership and passion for our customers, and we look forward to working with Mike and his team to achieve both our goals and his.”

Mike Golding said:

“This is obviously fantastic for us to be able to formally announce our partnership with Gamesa. With Gamesa’s support and our existing infrastructure we are now certain to be able to mount a very competitive campaign for the 2012 Vendée Globe – which is simply wonderful news. Having enjoyed enormous success in the sport of sailing, the Vendee Globe remains ‘the event’ I would most love to win.”

“Furthermore, having spent the past decade championing environmental products and issues, it is really exiting that Gamesa’s core business is in renewable energy – an area increasingly critical to performance in competitive round the world yacht racing.”

More Open 60 and Vendee Globe News

As the IMOCA Open 60 fleet finish the Barcelona World Race, attention is being focussed on the next edition of the Vendée Globe. While several British skippers are finding the task of raising sponsorship difficult, French brands are investing in proven stars. The concept of the sailing ‘super-team’ which leverages sponsorship of the sport across multiple events and disciplines, seems to be working well for brands like French bank Banque Populaire.

The company, perhaps best known in recent years for its backing of the record breaking trimaran, has just announced that it will sponsor Armel Le Cléac’h in an IMOCA Open 60 for the next solo, round the world race.

Chantal Petrachi, Head of Communications for Banque Populaire said:

“The Vendée Globe is the only major offshore race that Banque Populaire has not yet taken part in. It was only normal that we attempt this new challenge which bears the very same human values that Banque Populaire has always been attached to: courage, pushing back the limits, the conquering spirit and adventure.For this new project we have chosen Armel Le Cléac’h, whose talent is well known and who has had a lot of experience on this type of boat. Second in the last Vendée Globe and the Route du Rhum, he has had an exemplary career and always shown his determination.”

Armel Le Cléac’h, the skipper of the Banque Populaire VI monohull said:

‘I’m very pleased. It’s a surprise for me to be joining Team Banque Populaire. They are one of the sailing world’s top sponsors. I have just finished with one sponsor who had been with me for five years and I’m proud to have been chosen. With all the skills you find in this team and around this fleet of boats, I believe this is an ideal situation.’

My goals are clear. I will be taking part in a full programme leading up to the ultimate goal of the Vendée Globe 2012-2013. For the 2011 season, I shall be training to begin with from the start of June, before taking part in the Artemis Challenge and the Fastnet in August. In November, I shall be lining up at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre for which I haven’t yet chosen my co-skipper, even if I do have a good idea.

The long term commitment to the sport of sailing by sponsors such as Banque Populaire, Groupama, Telefonica, Hugo Boss and Fonica shows that there is real ROI from this kind of activity, and it should help others to raise campaign budgets.

More Open 60 News

The Solo Racing Festival took place recently at the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble, UK. After a welcome from Commodore Mark Inkster, British Offshore legend, Mike Golding spoke the crowd about what inspires him and what the sport needs to to to inspire others.

Golding’s passion for sailing was driven 100% by the people who went before him. His impressions of the sport were born of adventurers like Chay Blyth, Sir Robin Knox Johnston and Chichester. Later there were French sailors like Eric Tabarly who inspired a whole nation to become the best in the world at offshore sailing. These people make the Vendee Globe more than sport.

However, in the UK, despite there being a rather long list of world-class sailors, times are tough and finding the ever increasing budgets to compete in the Vendee Globe is hard.

It’s not just the Vendee Globe. According to Golding, there is a great British Volvo Ocean Race Team, who will sail under the flag of Abu Dhabi due to having to look for money outside of the UK. The raw talent that wins gold medals doesn’t translate into the big sponsorship deals that happen just 60 miles away in France.

Mike Golding says that when he thinks about how he was inspired, he believes that:

Someone has to go out and win races.

Before Eric Tabarly, the French didn’t care so much about the Vendee Globe. Now it is more than sport. The race village, which opens three weeks before the start of the race is crowded with thousands of people who come to see boats, tied to the dock, with or without sailors. Some people say that the crowd is bigger than that of the Tour de France and the EVA is $1.73 billion.

Golding is still motivated to compete in the Vendee Globe and believes he can win it. He says that if he didn’t think he could win, he wouldn’t do it and part of that rationale is that to inspire the next generation (and the sponsors).

The next Vendee Globe starts in November 2012. Golding and others with Vendee aspirations like Sam Davies, Dee Caffari and Steve White have 18 months to raise budgets in the region of £2 million per year for 2 year campaigns. According to Golding, a new Open 60 costs about £3 million, but the cost of the boat is not really a big deal.

More Vendee Globe and Open 60 News.

Premier Ocean race for Open 60 yachts launched at the Paris Boat Show.

The Vendée Globe 2012/2013 will set sail from les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday 11th November 2012 at 1400hrs GMT, and after a year or two of mixed fortunes for the Open 60 class, the iconic yacht race is shaping up to be one of the best. The Vendee Globe has already received interest from twelve solo sailors and the target is for a fleet of 28 and 35 boats to start the race.

The Vendee Globe is of course a challenging sporting competiton, but it is also a platform for the Vendee region of France to promote itself and the area’s history and culture. The event is a partnership between local interests and the Open 60 class to generate revenue and media interest around the world. Bruno Retailleau, President of the Vendée Council, Louis Guédon, MP and Mayor of les Sables d’Olonne, Luc Talbourdet, President of the IMOCA class and Patricia Brochard, CEO of Sodebo officially launched the seventh Vendée Globe on Wednesday at the Nautic, the Paris Boat Show.

An estimated 1.7 million people attended the start and the finish of the last edition of the ocean race, generating revenues valued at more than 39 million euros. Part of the commercial success of the race is an understanding of the sailing public – the fans have been considered – not just the B2B partners and the sailors. In order to encourage the public to participate in the start of the next Vendee Globe, the date chosen for the start coincides with the middle of the half-term holidays in France and is in fact a bank holiday.

Those who compete in the Vendee Globe promote it as an adventure, a challenge akin to climbing Mt Everest. There is great milage to be made from competing in the race, but of course this is a sport and as well as returning to a heroes welcome in France, the winner of the race will bank 160,000 euros. The winner’s purse is part of a total prize fund of 600,000 euros.

Bruno Retailleau – President of the Vendée Council commented:

“I wish to remind everyone and stress once again how attached we are to the Vendée Globe, which is a sort of marker for us, a real DNA breakdown of what Vendée is. This race is extremely important because of its philosophy, the purity of the sporting spirit of the race and its huge popular success with the general public and the media. The Vendée Globe fits in with Vendée, which is a French department closely linked to the sea and we know its dangers and pleasures. Apart from safety, which is an ongoing concern, we are working on the next race to develop it as an international event, while opening up its educational aspects. In fact, we intend that after the start of the race on the 11th November in les Sables d’Olonne, the Vendée Globe Village will move to Paris so that even more people can enjoy its educational features. I would like to thank the race partners, the town of les Sables, the Vendée Chamber of Commerce, the IMOCA class, but also our headline partner Sodebo, a businesss that is anchored in Vendée and which has never forgotten its basic values in spite of its huge success. Involved in sailing for twelve years Sodebo will be alongside us for the third consecutive race and I would like to thank their President Patricia Brochard”.

Louis Guédon - Mayor of les Sables d’Olonne added:

“A few years back, we wondered whether we weren’t assassins to allow sailors to set off non stop around the world alone and without outside help. Today, even if there is still a risk, the Vendée Globe has become an event where safety remains paramount”.

Patricia Brochard – CEO of Sodebo, race sponsor said:

” Thanks to sailing and the Vendée Globe, the reputation of our company has made giant leaps forward and I invite those companies, who still hesitate to become involved in sailing, which is a remarkable means of communication. The Vendée Globe is a living legend and a race in which, as in our business, a human remains at the heart of the event”.

Yachtsponsorship.com will create a new dedicated Vendee Globe page in coming days, but until then you can read about Open 60 news including the Barcelona World Race here…

In the last Vendee Globe, Sam Davies delivered incredible value to her sponsor Roxy. The investment by the womens outdoor sports brand was relatively small compared to some Open 60 campaigns, but due to Sam’s performance on the water and engaging media updates, the company would have achieved a very high return on investment. While Sam is still an ambassador for the brand, the step up in budget for a new boat is out of reach of the company, so Davies has been looking at other options for the next Vendee Globe.

In an interview on the official Vendee Globe website, Sam talks about a new plan to purchase a 2nd hand boat to compete in the next edition of the solo round the world race.

The Open 60 formerly known as Roxy is currently moored in Port la Forêt, but Sam Davies hopes to complete the sale of her beloved monohull in the coming days. The boat is then expected to start the Barcelona Race in the hands of another skipper.

Like many Open 60 sailors, particularly those in the UK, Davies is finding it difficult to raise sponsorship budget for the amounts required for a new build. She says:

I had dreamt of building a new boat, but for the moment it’s not that easy to get the funding together. That was particularly so last year, when it was really hard to interest sponsors. The time limit I set myself to start work on a new boat was 15th July, so now I’ve switched to the second option, which is to set sail aboard a good second-hand boat. I have found some investors, but we haven’t yet got the final budget together. We’re talking about a project with several joint sponsors and I’m looking for some more. I’ve got a few ideas and I hope they will work out in the next couple of months.

Xavier David, who was previously the Roxy project director is still working with Sam, looking for partners. Meanwhile, Sam has been busy sailing:

I’ve had a lot of meetings and have been sailing a lot too: the Round Britain Record with Aviva, the Transat Jacques Vabre with Sydney Gavignet on Artemis and the Transat AG2R with my partner Romain Attanasio.

Now that Davies is looking to buy a boat rather than build one, she has a few in mind:

I’m not the only one, but I’m looking at the new Foncia, which is due to be launched in the next few days. She is bound to be the most expensive of the lot, as she will be the only boat from the latest generation that is up for sale. Apart from her, I’m looking closely at the first Foncia, which will be back on the market after the Barcelona. Things worked out well last time with one of Mich’s former boats (Editor’s note : Roxy was in fact PRB, the winner in 2000 and 2004), so I’d quite like to buy one of the two Foncias. All of the good boats that will potentially be up for sale are currently lining up for the Route du Rhum or the Barcelona World Race. Even if I find the money tomorrow, I won’t be able to start sailing until next spring. So this winter I think I’ll be training on a Figaro or a 40-foot boat. That will make it easier to get through this waiting period.

More Open60 News…

Cowes Week 2010 featured several special events. Along with the 1851 Cup exhibition regatta for old America’s Cup boats and the Extreme Sailing Series, the Artemis Challenge returned to the regatta to showcase the powerful IMOCA 60 offshore sailing yachts and to raise money for charity by involving some celebrities in a special ’round the island race’. Yachtsponsorship.com ‘s David Fuller was aboard Dee Caffari’s boat for the event.

On Tuesday morning, the Artemis hospitality tents at Cowes Week were full of offshore racing talent. The Artemis Challenge is one of the only events where fans of British offshore sailors can see them competing in home waters, even if the race is for publicity and charity. There is something that Dee Caffari, Sam Davies, Brian Thompson, Mike Golding, and Steve White all have in common – they are all looking for sponsorship to allow them to compete in the next Vendee Globe.

Each skipper has a slightly different story to sell to potential promotional partners and each has different strategies for raising the required money to compete at the highest level. Like all sport, it is not always the most talented athletes who do well, but those who can attract the financial backing to put together winning campaigns. Talent and financial backing is the best combination.

The Artemis Challenge is as much about raising sponsorship as it is about raising money for worthy causes. The whole of Cowes Week is an opportunity to sail the 60 foot racing billboards that are the IMOCA 60s in front of thousands of people and really show guests what sponsoring a 60 foot ocean going race yacht is all about.

Dee Caffari has benefited from a five year relationship with Aviva. The company has supported Dee to three world records including becoming the first woman to sail solo, non stop, around the world in both directions. Indeed Aviva’s activation of Dee’s most recent Vendee Globe campaign spanned business press, newspapers and school curricula and their involvement in the Round Britain record generated a huge return on investment (ROI).

But marketing strategies change, and the insurance and investment brand has shifted its promotional budgets to other sports like athletics and more recently rugby. In July, Aviva announced a £20 million deal to replace Guinness as sponsor of premiership rugby in the UK.

As Founding Partner, Aviva will remain a member of the team behind Dee Caffari’s 2012/13 Vendée Globe campaign, but to mount a challenge that could see Caffari become the first British Winner of a Solo Round the world offshore race since Sir Robin Knox Johnston in 1969, new sponsors will need to be found.

Before that Dee will be taking part in the Barcelona World Race with sponsorship from GAES Centros Auditivos brought to the team by her co-skipper for the race Anna Corbella. The organisers of the Barcelona World Race have helped many of the competitors secure budget for the race to ensure the host city gets its required return on investment. As a result, Caffari is working hard to keep her goal of an entry in the next Vendee Globe afloat.

The Artemis Challenge is an important part of Dee’s role as an ambassador for the Toe in the Water charity. The race offers a £10,000 prize for the chosen charity of the winning Skipper. Joined for the race by former England rugby international Martin Bayfield, ‘GAES Centros Auditivos’ came in fourth on the day.

Martin Bayfield commented:

“It was great fun, great people and a great experience and I absolutely loved it. Dee was very gentle and very kind, and very polite about my steering.”

Dee said:

‘We had a great sail to the Needles and after our hand break turn back into the Solent we hoisted the spinnaker. The strong winds and good boat speed made for some exciting sailing to the finish, all of which helped hook Martin into a new sport. We are sad that we didn’t win a pot of money for Toe in the Water but everyone onboard had a great time out on the water which is what Cowes Week is all about.’

While Dee didn’t win the race at Cowes, the sister-ship belonging to Mike Golding did. The result shows that the boat is still competitive and will continue to deliver Aviva and Gaes value. Dee herself will also continue to deliver value to her sponsors, because unlike some of the offshore sailors, who are most at home alone at sea and reluctant media performers, Caffari is a media savvy brand ambassador who can engage audiences from boardrooms to classrooms.

Some sponsorship news from the IMOCA 60 Class. While many competitors from the last Vendee Globe are still shopping for backers,  Dominique Wavre has announced that Swiss Private Bank, Mirabaud, will sponsor his Barcelona World Race 2010, Transat Jacques Vabre 2011 and Vendée Globe 2012 campaigns.

Dominique Wavre has participated in seven round-the-world races. In the Vendée Globe, he placed fifth in 2001 and fourth in 2004, before winning a splendid third place at the Barcelona World Race 2007-08 with his co-skipper Michèle Paret.

Antonio Palma, Partner and CEO of Mirabaud, explained the reasons for the partnership by saying:

“Our partnership with Dominique Wavre is in line with our continuous support for sailing, but opens up new horizons for us. In recent years, we have supported numerous projects that all shared the same quest for excellence and high technical prowess. Our entry into the 60-foot IMOCA class will enable us to reach a new public and to strengthen our attachment to this sport. We are delighted to be sharing these moments of intense emotion with Dominique and his team. ”

Mirabaud is teaming up with Dominique Wavre for a long-term, international programme founded on a common set of sporting, technological and human values. We were captivated by Dominique’s determination and expertise. His rational, calculated approach appealed to us, as well as the highly technical nature of his project. We decided to commit ourselves to the multi-year venture because it embodies numerous values that are dear to us : enterprising spirit, competition, striving for excellence, and technology. ”

The Open 60 Mirabaud allows us to enter a new phase and broaden our horizons.  The Mirabaud Group has grown constantly in recent years, and as we have expanded, we have opened subsidiaries around the world…including in Spain, where the Barcelona World Race will start on 31 December of this year! It was only logical that our sporting ambitions should expand in kind, with the symbolic aim of going around the world.

The partnership between Mirabaud and Dominique Wavre will enable Venture Finanzas, Mirabaud’s new subsidiary in Spain, to communicate actively in this market. The Spanish financial company will begin operating under the Mirabaud brand by mid year, and will be directly associated with the Barcelona World Race via The Mirabaud racing yacht. ”

Mirabaud has participated in sailing competitions since 2005 as the main partner of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, the world’s largest freshwater regatta. It also sponsors Thomas Jundt’s hydrofoil sailboat, the Mirabaud LX, one of the most innovative prototypes of the decade. Mirabaud is moreover the main partner for the Surprise category on Lake Geneva ( the Mirabaud trophy ) and supported the UK women’s Yngling racing team, gold medal winners at the Beijing Olympic games.

Dominique Wavre and Michèle Paret will be at the start line in Barcelona on 31 December for this double-handed, round-the-world regatta with no stops. It will be a 3-month race of the highest level, and a thrilling human adventure – not only for the crew onboard the Mirabaud, but for the supporters, friends and partners of this ambitious project as well.

Photo : Jean-Guy Python / Mirabaud: From left to right: Andor Serra, Dominique Wavre, Michèle Paret, Antonio Palma.

There’s something about winning that makes it easier to raise money. While many in sailing like to talk about the human interest element, the stories, the enduring struggle of sailor versus the elements or overcoming great adversity to finish, sailing at an elite level is a sport and the best way to ensure maximum positive exposure is to come across the line first. It also helps when you live in a country where winning a yacht race has meaning amongst the wider population; where to be a top sailor is to be as prestigious as being on the national rugby team.

Perhaps it doesn’t come as a big surprise then, that Fonica has renewed its relationship with Vendee Globe Winner Michel Desjoyeaux. The company has been involved with the sponsorship of sailing for 10 years and likes the returns it gets. The new deal with Desjoyeaux will run through to 2014 and cover both monohull and multihull projects.

Yves Gevin, CEO of the Foncia Group said:

‘Due to sailing and the extraordinary talents and professionalism of Michel we have succeeded. We will continue this way so that the French know us better and also know of our ambitions and the services we can offer them. The cost of sponsorship compared to the other opportunities, is extremely reasonable in terms of its outlay. The victory of Foncia in the Vendee Globe demonstrates this and the impact of the sponsorship project in relation to the equivalent purchase of advertising space was 10 to 15 times the initial investment.”

The new programme reinforces the below-the-line support strategy orchestrated around sailing sponsorship with Michel Desjoyeaux as a brand ambassador for Foncia.

Yves Gevin continues:

‘With Michel, we’ve taken a step further in communicating Foncia to the public, and we can say that today about 1 French in 2 know of Foncia , just 2 years ago it was 1 in 4. A second milestone was reached last summer by communicating more about our business in our TV commercials. Like all companies involved in this sport, we will seek an image, values that stick to the reality of our profession … Sailing embodies the values of authenticity, sincerity, perseverance, courage, teamwork, rigor. All very powerful messages that we send to our employees and we want to develop that mindset towards our customers. Therefore Foncia persists in this process alongside Michel who gave us an exceptional year 2009 with a series of stunning victories. And how do we go further? By embarking on ambitious new projects and being innovative’

The next four years will be devoted to the launch of two innovative and ambitious projects:

1. The construction of a new 60-foot Imoca to participate in the Route du Rhum and the Barcelona World Race
2. Entering the 2011 Multi One Design 70 circuit (trimaran-design 70 feet).

http://www.teamfoncia.com

The issues around the sponsorship of sailing are complicated but there are two fundamental conditions that have to be in place for it to work.

1. A brand that understands the value of sponsorship in the first place.
2. An understanding of which type of sailing platform will deliver return on investment and objectives.

Over the last year, economics have sorted out the companies who include sponsorship as part of a well thought out, integrated marketing strategy and those who were doing it because someone told them it was a good idea and they enjoyed the hospitality. While sponsorship was seen by some as a way of justifying executive perks and subsequently withdrawn when it ‘didn’t look good’, other brands who really understand their audiences and objectives have stuck with their relationships and a few have even extended them.

In recent years, Hugo Boss has been one of the most recognisable and innovative sponsors in sailing. Alex Thomson’s distinctive black open 60 showed how 300 square metres of sail area could become a massive racing / floating billboard with its groundbreaking boat branding.

In 2009, Hugo Boss and Alex Thomson have continued to innovate and get the most value out of their platform. The boat has been strategically positioned at major sporting events including the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, attracting extra television exposure and several photo stunts have been picked up by media around the world.

Alex Thomson is the only UK Open 60 sailor that started the Transat Jacques Vabre yesterday with a fully funded campagin to take him through the next Vendee Globe. Dee Caffari’s relationship with Aviva has come to an end, Sam Davies is skippering Artemis for this race only and is looking for a reported €9 Million for a four year campaign. Ecover will not continue their backing of Mike Golding and even BT’s relationship with OC Group is ending. While there is natural churn of sponsors after each Vendee Globe cycle, questions have been asked about the value of the IMOCA 60 class.

The news that Hugo Boss have renewed their relationship with Alex Thomson should be good news for other sailors in the class. The endorsement of such a savvy sponsor should help others make a case for backing.

Till Pohlmann Head of Sports Sponsorship for Hugo Boss said:,

“We are delighted to retain our title sponsorship of Alex and his team. HUGO BOSS has seen the IMOCA class deliver substantial media interest, which makes it very
appealing to us. We will continue to develop close relationships between our markets and the sponsorship and to explore the programme further. We are lucky to work globally with an ambassador like Alex.”

The seven year partnership stands as one of the longest within the IMOCA class and the teams says it has exceeded expectations in terms of media return for HUGO BOSS.

Alex said:

“I am delighted HUGO BOSS are retaining title sponsorship of the project, it has been a great partnership and I know there is still so much we can do. I will announce a full programme of events for the team soon. A brand like HUGO BOSS brings a new level of glamour to the sport, it is exciting to work with such an innovative and distinctive company. I am proud to have a reliable and successful partner onboard especially in tough times like these where sponsorship of such a scale is difficult to find. I would like to thank HUGO BOSS for their continued support and I am looking forward to exciting years ahead.”

The new deal means that Alex Thomson is able to commit to the next Barcelona World Race and the next Vendee Globe. In the meantime, as well as the current TJV, Hugo Boss will focus on creative cross promotion ideas, which have in the past seen a huge return.

Hugo Boss will also continue to leverage their other sponsorships. The brand has achieved huge exposure from cross-over promotions involving Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and international golfer Oliver Wilson.