For a few years now, Artemis has sponsored an event within an event at Cowes Week. The Artemis Challenge invites Open 60 yachts to sail around the Isle of Wight to win £10,000 for a chosen charity with some celebrities brought in for the day to help generate interest amongst press that otherwise might not care too much.

For sailing fans, the Artemis Challenge is a rare opportunity to see the Open 60s race in British waters and with wind in excess of 25 knots yesterday, the offshore boats were in their element.

The media center at Cowes Week, which has been relatively quiet all week, was full of photographers, for whom taking pictures of yachts was a bit novel. The reason they were there was to get something for a glossy mag – no real story – just a caption. A bit of a space filler with an ‘A-lister’ or royal in it.

The real stars, from a sailing point of view are skippers like Dee Caffari and Vincent Riou – sailors who can actually justify being called ‘the best sailors in the world’, but during the Artemis Challenge, the sailors, who could sail the Open 60 boats by themselves, take a back seat and put on their brand ambassador hats to act as chaperons for the celeb names used as  bait to bring the photographers who chase royals and film stars.

On the one hand, the presence of people like Zara Phillips and Ewan Mcgreggor, helps to raise awareness of sailing, and helps their chosen charities, but on the other hand, it can perpetuate certain stereotypes of the about the sport.

Take the article that appeared in Hello! which opens:

Newlywed Zara Phillips larks around on yacht with a friend. TV presenter Natalie Pinkham came a cropper when she tried out her sea legs and was forced to beg a helping hand off the royal.

The “article” goes on to inflate the prize-money by 10 times to £100,000 and trot out the cliche about yachts being the F1 cars of sailing.

The Daily Mail does a little better with the facts and even mentions the racing, but opens with:

Two days after retiring her beloved show-horse Toytown, newlywed Zara Phillips fled to the ocean. Despite the emotional course of events, Zara, 30, was all smiles as she was spotted aboard a 60ft yacht on the Isle of Wight this morning.

Luckily, the weather helped put on a show for those who stuck around after the smiley posed shots off the Royal Yacht Squadron at the start of the race.

There is absolutely no doubt that Artemis is a fantastic supporter of the sport of sailing. TheArtemis Offshore Academy, modeled on similar programmes in France, aims to develop British offshore sailing talent to maintain the traditions and successes of names like Ellen McArthur, Mike Golding, Sam Davies and Dee Caffari.

The eminently sponsor-able Caffari is still looking for backers to get her to the start line of the next Vendee Globe. Despite an unequalled round the  world track record, media skills and a strong support team, Caffari is yet to find a sponsor for the world famous solo round the world race.

In the meantime, Dee is working hard to build relationships through working with British charity – Toe in the Water, which is the official charity of Cowes Week and the charity that she and celebrity ring-in Zara Phillips were representing on-board the Artemis Ocean Racing Open 60 in the Artemis Challenge.

In the end, the fifth edition of the Artemis Challenge was won by the French entry PRB skippered by Vincent Riou, in a time of 4 hours, 14 minutes and 1 second, narrowly missing out on breaking the previous fastest time by just 13 seconds, set by Team Pindar (4h 13m 48s) in the 2008 Artemis Challenge.

Although the winning French boat didn’t have celebrity ring-ins on board (at least none that were promoted by Artemis), Riou still had a chosen charity which will benefit from the £10,000 prize. The Foundation Movement for Children’s Village Foundation (MVE) is a major player in child protection in France. It protects children at risk by hosting in his Children’s Villages and Households, children and adolescents entrusted by the courts.

Amongst the noise of Cowes Week, getting your story out amongst the myriad of announcements and prize givings requires something extra. Thanks to the celebrity involvement, the Artemis Challenge got column inches in major media like the BBC and was covered as far afield as Sky News Australia, but the stories do nothing to promote the sailors as world-class athletes or promote the sport in the way that the Artemis Offshore Academy does.

More Cowes Week News

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

40, 50, 60, 70 feet… round the world, stopping, non-stop, crewed, solo… 1 hull, 2 hulls, 3 hulls…One Design or Open… the choices for sailors and the fans of sailing seem to get more and more complicated. There’s only so many sailors, so many sponsors and so many months in the year to try and support a sustainable industry, yet this doesn’t seem to deter both old and new promoters from trying to make their particular model work.

As the MOD 70 gains momentum (up to 9 boats are now believed to have been commissioned), perhaps at the expense of IMOCA, and the Global Ocean Race tries to make the most of a strong Class 40 fleet, the Velux 5 Oceans Race will add a new boat option for its next edition in 2014-15. The ninth edition of the race will continue to extend the life of older Open 60 boats through the Eco 60 Class, but will also allow the SolOceans One Design.

Like the Class 40, the new class is supposed to allow sailors to race solo around the world on a level playing field with ‘reasonable and controlled budgets’. The aim is to increase the number of skippers and sponsors of all nationalities, but in doing so, will have to tempt sailors from other classes or events.

The SolOceans Class has an impressive pedigree on paper, but the project has taken a long time to get off the ground. The 52.5 foot high-tech carbon one-design yacht (16 meters), has been designed by Jean-Marie Finot and Pascal Conq, with Michel Desjoyeaux as Technical Consultant of the Class. Three boats have been built to date with a goal to having 5 to 8 boats on the 5 Oceans start line in 2014.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said:

“…we are adapting to the global economic environment in evolving the type of boat we accept to compete. From our side, we innovated with the Eco 60 Class. We started this approach to favour more modest budgets from 2005, even before the financial crisis hit in the summer of 2008. We are now taking this strategy even further in launching this new category of high tech round the world boats.”

“The SolOceans One Design Class will offer skippers and their sponsors a fantastic opportunity to race around the world on an equal footing, increasing further the emotional intensity of the adventure to the benefit of the general public.”

Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French Sailing Federation (FFVoile) said:

“I am delighted that the 5 OCEANS is opening its start line to the SolOceans One Design Class. It will offer young skippers coming out of our centres of excellence of training for solo offshore racing a future thanks to a series of high tech, one design boats which are financially, technically and competitively accessible.”

“One design racing allows costs to be controlled. The Figaro Class has shown this each season. It is a philosophy that our federation encourages. It allows not only young racers to build their sporting career, but equally for small-medium size companies to engage sustainably in our sport with a real visibility on budget. In these times of economic crisis, this element takes on even more significance. The 5 OCEANS therefore has the support of the FFVoile in this approach which marks a major evolution in oceanic racing.”

It’s a great concept, but now that concept has to be sold to sailors and their backers. The sponsors couldn’t really care less how long the boat is or who designed it. The one-design nature does appeal to some sponsors because it focusses attention on the ability of the sailors rather than the size of their budget.

More Offshore Racing News

Times are tough in IMOCA land. Despite a ‘full grid’ for the recent Barcelona World Race, the budgets to be competitive in the Open 60 class get bigger and bigger. Even with the advances in offshore communications and the development of multiplayer games that engage tens of thousands of people, the list of companies with cheque-books is dwindling. With the ultimate Open 60 race – the Vendee Globe on the horizon, many sailors are struggling to find the money to get to the start-line – let alone be in a position to win.

Now The Transat™ has been dropped from the pre Vendee Globe calendar by its promoters OC Thirdpole.

The release says that the race has “been rescheduled away from its habitual 2012 slot.” Ordinarily, the event has been organised every four years since its inception, but it is not the first time the event has struggled.

The race was “Rescued at the last minute” for the 2004 edition by current promoters – OC ThirdPole and in 2008 the event became a monohull only race with a strong commitment made to the 60-foot monohull IMOCA Class tothe exclusion of all multihulls.

Having Artemis as title sponsor enabled the event to rebuild, and the event’s success, including a very well attended pre-start village in Plymouth, the historical ‘home’ of the event, probably had a lot to do with Plymouth’s successful bid to host a round of the America’s Cup World Series.

The rescheduling of the Transat allows another IMOCA event, also starved of entries, to be run before the next Vendee Globe. The Istanbul Europa Race had been due to start in July, but insufficient entries forced its cancellation. OC ThirdPole says that their actions to postpone the Transat will help solve a difficult position for Istanbul Europa Race organisers – Olay Nautic.

OC ThirdPole understands IMOCA better than most. They have been involved at an event and team level and their involvement and support includes the creation of the Barcelona World Race, the organisation of the Artemis Challenge, as well as management of numerous IMOCA campaigns including Kingfisher, Skandia, Estrella Damm, BT, and Artemis Ocean Racing.

But OC Thirdpole is also a commercial organisation where yacht racing is not just an activity for its own sake.  It’s not just the America’s Cup that is having a hard time reinventing itself as a commerically sustainable sporting event – OC Thirdpole’s statement suggests that IMOCA needs to revisit how the class stays relevant:

OC ThirdPole hope that IMOCA will now work on a much needed long term strategic marketing plan and vision, in order that the Class can once again attract new sponsors at both team and event level.

In terns of the Transat – OC ThirdPole will now re-evaluate, along with its partners, the future timing and format of the race. One plan is for a biennial event, alternating between the historical solo and duo formats, supporting IMOCA’s key pillars of a round the world race every two years (Vendée Globe, Barcelona World Race).

More IMOCA 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…

Sailing Sponsorship Lessons from one of the UK’s top Open 6o Skippers.

While the business of yacht racing covers many commercial aspects, a large part of it is dependent on corporate sponsorship. Like most sports, there are more participants and rights-owners than there are sponsors, so differentiating yourself by having a working knowledge of what sailing sponsors are looking for and how they can activate and get the most return on investment (ROI) and Return on Objectives (ROO). One sailor who has had the benefit of sponsorship of a large brand in the past is Dee Caffari. She talked to the World Yacht Racing Forum (WYRF) about the lessons learnt.

WYRF: What lessons have you learnt on the subject of sponsorship from your partnership with Aviva in your last campaign?

Dee Caffari: “Aviva’s sponsorship was concentrated around brand awareness and the company name change from Norwich Union to Aviva, creating ‘One Aviva’. A visible return on investment is paramount in order to attract sponsors into the world of sailing and having clear communications early on in the campaign between the team and sponsor help ensure clear external messaging both to the public and the media. If the message is confusing the audience can drift or switch off. A clean, simple message is easier to communicate, more particularly in the ever increasing streams of new media. Often sponsors use sailing for internal communications, however, it is essential to be able to quantify returns across a broad area (ROI and ROO) when making approaches to new sponsors.”

WYRF: How should a sponsor in the sport of sailing make the best use of its investment in the sport?

Dee Caffari: “Sailing sponsorship gives a unique platform for marketing. It has global reach and the unique asset of a branded 800m2 billboard to display at a variety of media and public environments. In solo sailing there is also the opportunity to identify with the skipper and their journey at an emotive level. The chance to sail the same yacht the skipper has raced around the globe and to be able to learn exactly what he / she has encountered when at sea is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Sponsorship of sailing enables companies to align themselves with a sport that focuses on performance, determination and pushing limits in a competitive environment. Typically, these are all aspirations of large companies. A strong association can also be made with environmental responsibility and sustainability as sailing is perceived to be a ‘clean’ sport which harnesses natural power for performance and tackles nature at its rawest. Alternative power is an emerging reality in the sport of offshore sailing as we investigate solar, wind and hydro developments to reduce the amount of fuel required. Not only a good thing for the environment but also resulting in a reduction in the weight of the yacht and subsequently increasing speed.”

WYRF: What do you consider are the important points to consider when presenting to a sponsor?

Dee Caffari: “You need to have an understanding of what a company or brand is hoping to achieve through sponsorship. Once you have identified a likely market fit and direction for the potential sponsor then you can focus on this area. Common reasons for sponsorship are:

• Brand awareness – branding of the yacht and the team working around the campaign are key to conveying a consistent message.
• Marketing a new product or increasing a company’s standing in the market place.
• Corporate hospitality – a unique platform for entertaining clients.
• Internal communications – which is increasingly important for large multi-national corporations to bring employees together around an event or relationship.

Introducing or highlighting a name, product or message in the media and public forums can be achieved more easily when it is wrapped around an event. As a sportswoman taking part in an international yacht race, I can very simply weave a sponsor’s message into interviews about my boat and sailing campaign. A company new to sailing sponsorship can sometimes be unaware of the many opportunities that surround a campaign, so identifying the variety of options available is key at presentation stage.”

WYRF: You will be attending the WYRF in December, how valuable do you think it is to have a Forum like this?

Dee Caffari: “I was present at the WYRF in 2009 and think each year the event is developing due to the organisers really listening to and addressing the feedback. To have sports professionals, sponsors and event organisers together in one place allows a good flow of information and ideas to be raised, discussed and worked on. In order to attract new sponsors into the game and be comparable to other big investment or mainstream sports, we all need to work together to increase the profile of sailing and guarantee delivery of objectives. For too long, and indeed still today, there are similar events trying to fill the same points in both calendars and classes. The WYRF is providing the best opportunity we have for showing a united and organised structure.”

Yachtsponsorship will be a media partner of the World Yacht Racing forum in Estoril in December. As well as Open 60 sailors, the conference will feature leaders from the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, World Match Racing Tour and others.

More Open 60 News…

Most sports promoters know that you can have the best platform in the world, but if you don’t have enough competitors, the excitement is going to be limited. Striking a balance between the number of teams that make a race interesting and creating too much sponsorship noise is one that all promoters have to keep in mind. Organisers of the Barcelona World Race have announced another entry for the next event.

A Spanish sailing duo of Jaume Mumbrú and Cali Sanmartí will team up as We are Water for the double handed ocean racing event.

The team members and Open 60 yacht will act as ambassadors for solidarity projects from different organisations. The We Are Water Foundation is supported by the Roca company and works towards raising awareness and creating new attitudes towards water as a precious resource. The foundation aims to carry out activities designed to ease the negative impact of a lack of water resources. The areas of activity include the intervention of infrastructures, education, health and research.

We Are Water will activate their message using the platform of the Barcelona World Race with a global reach to promote the We Are Water Foundation name and objectives around the world. The IMOCA 60 livery will display the brands and logos of other NGOs (Vicente Ferrer Foundation, Intermon Oxfam, Unicef,  Educación Sin Fronteras and Zero Limits.

Jaume Mumbrú is a lawyer with long career as a solo sailor and is one of the most active Spanish sailors in the Mini class, but also sails on larger yachts, such as in the Round Europe 1999 on board the IMOCA Open 60 Optral.

Sanmartí is an engineer but since 2003 he has been a professional yachtsman, specialising in large racing yachts. He too is a past competitor in the French Mini fleet but has also raced on larger yachts such as in the Voiles de St. Tropez and the Rolex Sydney Hobart, as well as a double-handed ARC regatta on board the 63 footer, Grand Filou.

Andor Serra, Director General of FNOB who organise the Barcelona World Race said:

“Having new teams join this competition is crucial for the Barcelona World Race. For the future of an event like ours it’s as important to have the world’s experts onboard, as well as sailors starting off in the elite ranks of sailing competition. Also the presence of solidarity projects in the Barcelona World Race framework means that this regatta transcends the realms of sport”.

More Barcelona World Race News

Groupe Bel will compete in the Barcelona World Race with French duo Kito de Pavant and Sébastien Audigane on board. The ‘laughing cow’ brand is one of the best at activating their sailing sponsorship to a wide audience.

Guillaume Jouët, Communications Director of Groupe Bel said:

‘We want to share an extreme, inspiring and international adventure in the Barcelona World Race with our teams of workers, our clients and our partners.’

Bel is an international group which sells its products in 120 different countries, and generates 80% of its income outside of France. For the whole group, to take part in a truly global event like the Barcelona World Race enhances both the internal and external benefits of their sailing partnership.

Jouët continues:

‘We want to offer our clients and partners an extreme international adventure and that is exactly what the Barcelona World Race is about. This development corresponds to that of our own group, its saling sponsorship programme and its skipper. Especially Sébastien and Kito have a lot in common and bringing their skills together is excellen

Andor Serra, Director General of the Barcelona Foundation for Ocean Sailing (FNOB), organizer of the Barcelona World Race, welcomed the participation of a team of such standing in the race:

‘We are delighted to see another French team with such outstanding skippers as Kito and Seb joining the Barcelona World Race. The event has been considered a good international platform to project themselves globally by Groupe Bel which gives us considerable satisfaction and encouragement to continue on our course. ‘

More Barcelona World Race News…