But it’s not all one way. Europe is still an important market, and while local events are established, companies based in places like Dubai are looking to participate in the sport. One of the teams who have taken advantage of the new opportunities is Team Pindar. Having launched Sail Bahrain late last year, the team has today announced that they will enter the Extreme Sailing Series Europe with the backing of Dubai-based global logistics provider GAC.

Team GAC Pindar will race under a British flag and will be skippered by Australian all-round yachtsman and experienced Extreme 40 sailor, Nick Moloney. Nick has competed in the series since it began in 2007 and boasts a rich and successful sailing career, including 2 America’s Cup campaigns and 12 individual World Sailing Speed Records. He will be joined by three other accomplished international sailors – Britons Andy Walsh (helmsman) and Olly Smith (bowman), plus New Zealand yachtsman, Fraser Brown (trimmer).

Director of Team Pindar, Nick Crabtree commented,

“The Extreme Sailing Series combines all that is exciting about sport and offers some fantastic marketing and hospitality opportunities at key territories around Europe. We are delighted to be joining a world class line-up and are looking forward to some exciting and competitive racing.”

This is the first time the team has entered the Extreme Sailing Series. Its partner for the jointly-managed ‘Team GAC Pindar’ entry is the global logistics provider GAC, which delivers a complete range of international supply chain and logistics solutions, including air and sea freight, warehousing and distribution, road transportation, project logistics, ship spares logistics, international moving and courier services.

Captain Peter Gronberg, Managing Director of GAC (Bahrain) said:

“We have been working closely with Team Pindar over the last year on its Sail Bahrain project and it has become clear that there are a number of synergies and business opportunities for a sailing team and a shipping and logistics service provider to work together. We are thrilled to be partnering the team in the Extreme Sailing Series, as we look to extend our niche maritime services into the European market.”

Team Pindar has named international environmental organisation Earthwatch as its nominated charity, to help raise awareness of its oceans research programme, which comprises projects around the world, studying coastal ecosystems and threatened marine species.

What many people in the sailing business tend to forget is that the sailing doesn’t matter. Brands don’t really care if their name is on a car, a horse, the side of an opera house or a sailboat as long as the message is seen by the audience they want to communicate with. Most sailing sponsors are businesses that are trying to sell to other businesses, therefore the number of spectators is important, but the visitor experience is even more important.

Andrew Pindar OBE, Chairman of the Pindar Group, believes that the fit between the World Match Racing Tour and Pindar is  a good one. Pindar has a long-standing relation with the sport of sailing and has supported sailing campaigns across every level, ranging from grass roots and local community projects, through to match racing and global offshore events at the very pinnacle of the sport. The Pindar owned AlphaGraphics is the title sponsor of the US Sailing Team.

Pindar sees the value in sponsoring the sport of sailing, match racing and the World Match Racing Tour in particular. For more than 25 years, he has been leveraging the sport of sailing as a way of promoting his business. In an interview with Valencia Sailing recently he said:

“I could see that sailing had a lot of connections, a lot of metaphors with it that were relevant to the changing world of my industry,”

Similar to the Pindar Group’s business in a print and electronic media that had advanced tremendously with the advent of digital technology, the sport of sailing in recent years has also been completely revolutionised by the use of advanced technology in the hulls, masts and sails. In addition, sailing helps the company bring its message to the audience that it is serious about conserving the environment.

Printing has been an industry with the stigma of endangering the environment with waste products and with digital revolution that has changed. Hence, Pindar was quick to see the opportunity and relevancy between his business and sailing, and being associated with sailing helps send the message of environmental responsibility.

“I saw that sailing had many assets that would be relevant to the message we wanted to communicate in our marketplace.”

He explained that he has taken and interest in what was taking place in the world of match racing over the last five years. Pindar witnessed the St Moritz Match Race in 2004 and was impressed with the way the event was run especially the fact that spectators could be very close to the action.

“It was exciting, cut-and-thrust, a very good spectacle to watch and the races were understandable to all audiences, regardless of whether they were sailors or not, because races were short, happening in front of your eyes and it was clear which boat was going to finish first, and I thought this was something to learn more about.”

In having taken a liking to the sport, Pindar was introduced to skipper Ian Williams by Peter Holmberg (who was then racing with Alinghi) in 2005. Holmberg told him that Williams was the next big star in match racing and most significantly, that he did not have a sponsor. That was the start of Pindar’s foray into the World Match Racing Tour and being sponsor to Ian Williams.

Pindar saw a good fit with WMRT and the places the Tour visited, as those countries are also very important markets for the company’s business. In addition, the events have great visibility and guests and spectators alike get to experience top-level sailing themselves.

“The key difference with offshore racing for instance, such as the Transat Jacques Vabre or the Vendée Globe, is that, whilst you can follow them on the Internet you cannot really experience it the same way you can with a match racing event, that happens right in front of your eyes.”

He added that another attractive draw is that the match racers spend time during dinner with the guests and make efforts to explain what they did during the race and why they won or lost.

The new WMRT website lists Pindar as an Official sponsor, but the tour has been without a Title Sponsor for some time. Despite being an official world championship with a large international footprint and television coverage, the WMRT has perhaps not made the most of its potential. The new owners of the tour have ambitious plans to change that.

“We decided to partner with the Tour because we could see that it was going to grow and develop and that what Peter Gilmour and Datuk Patrick Lim had achieved with the event in Malaysia was a model of what could be achieved elsewhere on the Tour.”

“I firmly believe the Tour will keep growing and is an exciting proposition for companies to associate with, either on an event basis, by sponsoring a team or as a partner to the Tour itself.” This is why Pindar has been partnering the Tour for the last four years with the main involvement being to promote the Pindar business. Pindar seeks brand exposure – for people to see the Pindar name, visit its website and learn more about what the company does. “It is also a very good avenue to drive traffic to our website and great opportunity to take our best clients to the events.”

Pindar has launched a sailing initiative in the Middle East, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, called ‘Sail Bahrain’ with the aim of, amongst others, nurturing the next generation of local sailing champions and attracting events to the region. Ian Williams will be involved in various activities in Bahrain and ultimately, Pindar aims to host a WMRT event there.

As the bickering billionaires edged closer towards actually sailing an America’s Cup race, Andrew Pindar OBE and Team Pindar were launching the first phase of the Sail Bahrain project at Amwaj Marina.

Just as the Oman Sail project aims to use sailing as a nation building exercise, the main objectives of Sail Bahrain are to work with the BMSA on developing a best-in-class sailing and water sports academy; bring major international sailing and water sports events to Bahrain on a regular basis and create training and educational programmes targeted at young people from across society. Sail Bahrain aims to work with schools, polytechnics and universities to ensure that the right courses and teachers are in place and qualifications gained.

Andrew Pindar along with HE Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa, Chairman of the General Organisation of Sea Ports, officially welcomed the arrival of the two spectacular 60 foot Volvo ocean-racing yachts with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Operated by Team Pindar and offering unique sailing experiences, in Bahrain and throughout the Gulf, both Volvo 60s are available for training, corporate hospitality, team-building and yacht charter initiatives.

HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board commented:

“We are delighted to welcome the launch of Sail Bahrain and two of its magnificent 60 foot yachts to our Amwaj Marina. Bahrain’s 5000 year history and culture has always been closely linked to the sea and that tradition is very much alive today with the new Khalifa bin Salman Port and the growth of our maritime tourism infrastructure.

“Sail Bahrain will create a training school for young Bahrainis to help develop our sailing champions of the future, be it Olympians or round-the-world adventurers. Initiatives like Sail Bahrain nurture sporting heroes for the future and so create role models who can inspire every Bahraini to be proud of our nation’s achievements. We wish Sail Bahrain every success in becoming a world-class centre of excellence, enhancing the Kingdom’s ability to host world class sailing events, building on the success of Andrew Pindar and his team and of course Bahrain’s own sailing Olympian Sami Kooheji. Good luck everyone.”

The brainchild of Andrew Pindar, the Sail Bahrain project has been in development for well over a year and with the arrival of the highly visible and exciting Volvo 60′s the project is now a reality. Based in Amwaj Marina at Amwaj Islands, the boats are a platform for the Sail Bahrain project whilst offering bespoke marketing opportunities at key locations throughout the Gulf.

Chairman of the Pindar Group and founder of Sail Bahrain, Andrew Pindar OBE DL said:

“We are delighted to launch Sail Bahrain and welcome the arrival of the Volvo 60′s as the first stage in the Sail Bahrain project. The Kingdom of Bahrain has a rich maritime history and is a great country which is blessed with perfect sailing conditions. Sail Bahrain aims to create a new and exciting future for sailing and water sports in the Kingdom which will create many jobs and opportunities for the people of Bahrain. Having the Volvo 60′s here is the first step, with future plans including an intention to develop an iconic yacht club along with a youth education programme giving Bahrainis the chance to compete on the global sailing stage.”

Captain Peter Gronberg, Managing Director, GAC Bahrain stated:

“We are very proud to be involved and associated with the Sail Bahrain initiative. As the first phase of Sail Bahrain the two Volvo 60 racing yachts give locals and visitors alike a unique opportunity to get a taste of the very best of ocean racing. The Sail Bahrain project is extremely exciting and offers so much more than bringing these spectacular boats in the Kingdom. Here at GAC we are delighted to be involved in this exciting project which offers sailing and education as well as the chance for Bahrainis to engage from beginner level through to developing world championship sailing skills.”

The dynamic experience of being part of the Team Pindar crew and sailing on one of these incredible boats is available to individuals and corporate companies alike. Team Pindar Director, Nick Crabtree explains:

“What we’re offering in the first phase of Sail Bahrain is tailor made experiences that are not available anywhere else in the Gulf. The opportunity to helm and sail on the Formula 1 of offshore sailing vessels will truly be the experience of a lifetime. We have a full professional crew with exceptional international sailing experience and thousands of ocean miles under their belts. At Team Pindar we pride ourselves on operating at the very pinnacle of the sport whether that is in competing at the highest levels or through our bespoke sailing services. Sailing on one of our yachts whether it is with your colleagues, friends or as part of our crew, we guarantee you a memorable voyage.”

There are two stories here. One is the purchase of the boat by Hugo Boss Racing, and the second is Pindar’s change of direction – away from the Open 60 to concentrate on a ‘new project’ in the Middle East.

Hugo Boss Racing Buys the Open 60 – Pindar.

The Pindar IMOCA 60, which conforms to the new IMOCA regulations, is one of the most powerful in the IMOCA fleet. Alex Thomson said:

“I believe that power equals speed, and so it makes sense to buy the most powerful boat in the fleet. I believe that it will really suit my sailing style and that the true potential for this boat has yet to be achieved. I think I can push the boat to the limits that it was designed for. I am very excited to start sailing on her, and see what she and I are capable of over the next three years. The Barcelona World Race will be out first major race together and I will be hoping to go one better than last time!”

OC Group CEO, Mark Turner, who runs the Open60 programs for BT and Artemis said – via Twitter….

RT @PYL: Alex Thomson vend Hugo Boss et rachète Pindar http://tinyurl.com/nz7hwe. Alex needs more power? ***

The sale is perhaps not surprising, given the relationships involved. Sir Keith Mills has been a long time backer of Alex Thomson Racing and Mike Sanderson and Juan K (both key members of Mill’s TeamOrigin) were involved in designing the Pindar boat.

As a result of the purchase of Pindar, Alex Thomson Racing will sell it’s current IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss (built in 2007).

Pindar Focusses on the Middle East.

Following on from Pindar’s relationship with the Kingdom of Bahrain, Team Pindar will now focus on a new sailing programme and in the next few weeks will ship two Volvo 60′s out to the Middle East, to embark on a corporate hospitality, team-building and boat charter initiative. Based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the boats will provide a platform for bespoke marketing opportunities at key locations throughout the Gulf and will be managed by Team Director, Nick Crabtree, who has developed extensive contacts in the region.

Chairman of the Pindar Group, Andrew Pindar OBE commented:

‘It is with mixed feelings that we are selling the Open 60. It has been an amazing journey and we are sad to see her go, but equally delighted she is going to a skipper (Alex) and team who will maximise her true potential. The opportunities in The Middle East offer a new direction for Team Pindar and sit well alongside our activity with Ian Williams on the World Match Racing Tour.’

Team Pindar’s Team Director, Nick Crabtree commented:

‘With Ras al-Khaimah set to host the America’s Cup next year, there is a tremendous feeling of excitement and intrigue about sailing in the region. We witnessed firsthand, in Bahrain, the enthusiasm generated by following Brian Thompson’s epic journey in the Vendée Globe and we are delighted about having a physical presence, which will enable us to develop unique sailing experiences throughout the Gulf.’

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Since the end of the most recent Vendee Globe, the huge expense of Open 60 programs has started to bite. Even though they represent the pinnacle of offshore sailing, the backers of these campaigns are subject to the same sponsorship constraints as everyone else, and several have indicated that the sums might not add up.

So far, Ecover and Team Gitana have stepped away from Open 60 programs, focussing on the iShares Cup in 2009. Aviva, long time backers of Dee Caffari, seem to have switched to handing out wedges of cash to Hollywood stars rather than the double world record holder, backed up by a ‘tweet’ from Dee this week that said:

Sailing everyday for the rest of the week and I am very happy about that. It seems my sailing days are numbered.

Even long term sailing evangelist Andrew Pindar is taking a step back from the Open 60. Yesterday it was announced that the radical Juan Kouyoumdjian designed Open 60 yacht Team Pindar is up for sale.

Whilst the sale means a step away from the Open 60 class, the team continues to progress its ‘Sail Bahrain’ plans in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Andrew Pindar said:

“There is a definite interest and excitement in developing a comprehensive sailing programme in Bahrain. As an island nation, they are blessed with fantastic natural sailing conditions, however it’s not going to happen overnight. We have made extensive contacts in the region with people who share the ‘Sail Bahrain’ vision.”

Sam Davies, who provided sponsor Roxy with probably the best ROI of all competitors in the last Vendee Globe has signed on with Artemis Ocean Racing, who with the  OC Group’s backing are comitted to the class. As a result of Sam’s step up, her old boat is also up for sale.

The Open 60 is a fantastic platform for any sponsor, but as new build costs start pushing £10 million, there may be an opportunity for boats like the Class 40 to grab a bigger share of voice and sponsorship money.

As the cycle goes around and the next Vendee Globe approaches, no doubt the teams and sponsors will shake out to provide another compelling race and in the mean-time, the Artemis Challenge during Cowes Week will give buyers and sellers of these amazing boats a chance to see them in action.

Sharon Cook will become director of marketing and public relations, and Eli Sackett e-commerce consultant. The company is also announcing the promotions of Art Coley to vice president of global development and Suzette Bergin-Blakemore as business development director.

CEO Kevin Cushing:

“One of the keys to maintaining our leadership position in the industry is to continually enrich the senior management team. We are confident that Sharon, Art, Suzette and Eli are going to make significant contributions to the AlphaGraphics brand.”

More About AlphaGraphics

Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America’s Cup, has entered the 2009 World Match Racing Tour in preparation for the next America’s Cup. Brad Butterworth, Alinghi team skipper, comments:

“These are the sort of regattas we enjoy doing; with multi-national teams and we are really looking forward to measuring ourselves against some of the best match racers in the world, particularly as some of them are entered challengers for the 33rd America’s Cup.”

Ed Baird (USA), helmsman, will lead the four-man Alinghi crew of Pieter van Nieuwenhuijzen (NED), Lorenzo Mazza (ITA) and Warwick Fleury (NZL) at up to 10 match racing events around the world, starting with the Marseille
International Match Race on 10 March and culminating with the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia in December.

Baird, a three-time Match Racing World Champion said:

“The World Match Racing Tour puts a premium on teamwork and mastering ever-changing conditions. We’ll get a lot of different opportunities to race all the top match racers, which will ultimately be great for our Cup preparations,” said three-time Match Racing World Champion. I haven’t been a regular on the Tour since 2005, but it will be great to get back into the action and to remind myself and the team what it takes to win short, tough races against all the top guys.”

The top guys, most of whom have America’s Cup affiliations, include

• Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar – 2 x defending ISAF Match Racing World Champion.
• Sébastien Col (FRA) French Team/K-Challenge – America’s Cup helmsman and ISAF ranked number one match racer
• Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Team/Team French Spirit
• Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza
• Adam Minoprio (NZL) Emirates Team New Zealand/Black Match Racing
• Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team

“Getting back on the Tour will keep us up to date with the latest thinking on rules, tactics and strategies,” said Ed Baird. “We’ll also have the chance to keep communicating with the race teams from the many syndicates that are part of the next America’s Cup,” he concluded.

Cookson Boats Lays off its entire workforce.

The build list, for the New Zealand yard, reads like a Who’s Who of famous yachts, some more recent builds being the late Steve Fossett’s Playstation, Roy Disney’s Pyewacket, Greg Elliott’s Maximus, Brian Thompson’s Pindar and a gaggle of TP 52s, including Bribon, whiwh is often campaigned by HM King Juan Carlos of Spain.

The yard has also built the Team New Zealand America’s Cup boats and has just delivered the TP52 that the team will campaign in the 2009 Audi Med Cup.

Lewmar Restructure with Job Cuts.

Marine equipment manufacturer Lewmar has announced up to 95 job cuts in a major company re-structure in response to tough global trading conditions. The majority of the job loses will come from its UK manufacturing base in Havant with some additional redundancies in USA, Australia, France and The Netherlands. This news comes on the back of important re-financing of the business by its bank and major shareholders to reorganise and secure the future of this long established yacht hardware manufacturer.

In a move to resize the business, Lewmar’s chairman and CEO Peter Tierney explains;

“Lewmar has seen equipment sales to volume boat builders decrease globally by over 30% in recent months, with no real indication of a recovery this year. We have been left with no alternative other than to re-structure the business to suit the market. Although it saddens me to announce these redundancies, it was the inevitable and necessary action that needed to take place in response to the tough trading conditions we face in 2009.”

Reeds Nautical Online Almanac Ltd Ceases Trading.

Reeds Nautical Online Almanac Ltd, the internet version of the Reeds Nautical Almanac, has announced it has ceased trading.

The company, which was launched at the Southampton Boat Show last September, cited: “the worsening economic conditions” as the reason for being unable to continue trading.

The Reeds Online website states:

“We sincerely apologise to all those who have purchased the product over the past few months as we will be unable to continue to deliver the online edition of the Almanac.”

Sam’s boat Roxy, which as PRB won the last two Vendée Globe races, will give Roxy’s parent company Quiksilver the best return on investment of any Vendee Globe campaign. We understand that the backing by the global surf and snow apparel company was nowhere near the level spent by teams with a high profile before the event. Sam Davies has managed to beat the likes of Hugo Boss, Aviva, Ecover and Pindar – both on the water and in the media battle for exposure, hearts and minds.

Comparisons have already been made between the tone of communications from Sam and Ellen MacArthur, who at age 24, seemed to have a harder time with the gruelling solo race. Even at the end of the race Sam kept the same light-hearted optimism she displayed in the Southern Ocean. When asked about her approach to the race, she said:

It really was all such fun. Maybe as well that is just my way of getting through the hard moments, trying to find the positive side of everything and use that energy to battle through the tough times, but, no I enjoyed every single day of this race, and I surprised myself even, I knew I would enjoy it, but I did not realise I would enjoy it this much and it is an amazing way to do the race.

Asked if she had any bad days, Sam’s response was:

“No! Because it’s an amazing opportunity. I always said to myself that if everything started feeling hard I’d remind myself that I was lucky Roxy had given me myself the opportunity to do this race and that three months is actually very short and you need to make the most of every day. I knew at the end I’d be sad if I had any regrets.”

Hopefully, Sam’s achievement will put sailing back in the eye of mass media in the UK and around the world. Unfortunately, BBC world decided this morning, that David Beckham going back to play soccer in Los Angeles was a more worthy story. The BBC sport homepage at 15:22 (GMT) on Saturday has no mention of the result. Similarly, the Times Online Sport Homepage has no mention of the story.

Skippered by Brian Thompson, the yacht that features the Bahrain’s national crest on its sails was named after His Majesty King Hamad during a ceremony in France last week.

Speaking at an event to mark the start of the race, Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi called for Bahrain’s private sector to take more of an interest in events that help promote the country abroad.

He said businessmen, the tourism sector and the Information Ministry should do more to support activities that draw in foreign investment and help to put the island on the map.

Dr Al Alawi made the comments during a Press conference at the Labour Ministry headquarters in Isa Town, attended by public relations head Subah Salem Al Dossari and the head of his office Fawzia Shehab.

“The Vendee Globe is held every four years and today the boats race from Les Sables d’Olonne in France and all the 30 yachts will race around the globe for three months,” he said.

“Bahrain has had the chance to be promoted by having one of the yachts promoting the country.”

Dr Al Alawi and Bahrain’s Ambassador to France Dr Nasser Al Balooshi attended the event to mark the naming of the vessel in Les Sables d’Olonne.

The yacht is backed by the UK-based Pindar Group, whose chairman Andrew Pindar is a long-standing friend of the minister.

“The initiative comes from Team Pindar and there is no money being given in return for it is based on my personal relationship with Mr Pindar,” said Dr Alawi.

“The race will be viewed by more than 500 million people worldwide and this is the first time Bahrain will be presented at the event.”

“Team Pindar also has plans to develop the shipping manufacturing and open a sailing school for youth in the kingdom.”