Happy Christmas

It's odd to think that two years from now, I will (hopefully) be in or near Wellington, New Zealand having blasted through the Southern Ocean again.

This year has been difficult finding sponsorship, but there seem to be three potential major sponsors in the mix right now, all making promising noises, so fingers crossed in January.

The boat we are looking to get is still in south America and due to be shipped back soon.

We have meetings with North sails Uk to discuss the sail wardrobe for the campaign.

January I will be at the London Boat show trying to drum up support for People's Boat and have a PR photo shoot arranged for the Wednesday (if you see me walking around do come and say Hi).

August we will be in Ramsgate, sailing dignitaries around, and I have been asked to hand out some of the prizes for Ramsgate Week regatta.

So for now Have a happy Christmas and here's to a great 2010.

Cheers

People's Boat Limited

With thanks to Mark Hendy, we have now filed the 'new company' application with Companies House to make People's Boat a limited company.

We have decided to do this for two reasons;

Firstly we wanted to portray a professional image to potential sponsors and make the campaign more bona fide,

Secondly we wanted to open up a completely separate business bank account for the People's Boat, again we want to show that we are a serious, professional campaign.

I'll keep you up to date with how this progresses and let everyone know the new bank details in case you want to BACS sponsorship rather than use Paypal.

Tenth entry announced

There are now 10 confirmed entries in the 2011/12 Global Ocean race with the addition of South African Lenjohn van der Wel.

The competition is hotting up now and the race organisers have announced that the race will be for 2 handed entries only - there will be no singlehanded division.

The hunt is now on for a COMPETITIVE class 40 boat and there are several on the shopping list.

Will let you all know as soon as something comes along.

And the winner is.......

Congratulations to 'Jen and Chalky' (Colin Rotchell) as the first winners of the day out on the People's Boat. Now they have to decide which one of them is going to go sailing.

Both have been RNLI crew on the Thames so know their way around a boat and I look forward to a day out on the yacht with either one of them, let's just hope we don't need the services of their colleagues.

We will be having a draw on the first of the month for the next 5 months and we will then have a day out with the six lucky winners. By sponsoring the People's Boat you will automatically be entered into the draw as well as helping the campaign and Cancer Research.

Competition

Win a day sailing with Alex on the People's Boat Class 40

We will be making regular prize draws from all the sponsors of the People's Boat. Each square = 1 entry in the draw, so the more squares you have, the better your odds (www.peoplesboat.com). Also as we are still in the early days of the campaign, the odds of winning are also greater.

We will make the draw on the first of each month for the next six months and the lucky winners will be announced and notified by email.

The sailing day will take place in the Solent during the Summer.

An opportunity to join the campaign, help Cancer Research and have the chance of a blast out on the boat.

Good Luck

Radio Show Podcast

You can listen to the Radio Show 'Yacht Blast' which interviewed Alex on Sunday 29/11/09.

Click on the link to listen - Radio Show

Press Release - David Thomson

PRESS RELEASE 25 Nov. 09
British yachtsman, Alex Alley, was the sixth entry to sign-up for the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 and while the total number of confirmed entries now stands at nine Class40s, Alex is the second team to formally announce a co-skipper for the circumnavigation. Earlier this week, he verified that Gosport based, offshore sailor, David Thomson, will be co-skipper in The People’s Boat campaign (http://www.peoplesboat.com/).
Thomson competed in the Portimão Global Ocean Race 2008-09 taking third place in the double-handed class with Jeremy Salvesen, an adventurer and entrepreneur, on the Akilaria Class40, Team Mowgli. “David has just got back to me and said ‘Let’s do it’,” explained Alex on Tuesday. There were two potential co-skippers, but the choice of Thomson was fairly straightforward. “The reason I chose David was due to his immense Class40 experience,” explains Alex. “He’s also like me and he’s in it to get a result and do very well. We’re not planning to cruise around,” assures Alley.
Thomson – aged 34, five years younger than Alley – has very broad experience as a professional racer, sailing teacher and project manager. He has broken several world speed records as crew on the maxi-catamaran Playstation, competed in the America's Cup and Classic British Yacht Regattas and has also sailed on many of the latest generation IMOCA Open 60s, including Hugo Boss currently being campaigned by his brother, Alex. Added to the enormous number of offshore miles logged in the Portimão Global Ocean Race, this accumulated knowledge will be invaluable on board the duo’s Class40. “David has all the right experience and I’m happy to go to sleep and let him drive the boat and I know that he’ll make the right decisions while I’m asleep and I’m certain he feels the same way about me,” confirms Alley.
For Thomson, the partnership with a sailor who has extensive and diverse experience racing Global Challenge yachts, Mini 6.50s and Class40s presents a second opportunity to race around the planet. "The Portimão Ocean Race was challenging, but fun and exhilarating,” says Thomson, who is currently based in the USA working with David de Rothschild’s conservation campaign on board the recycled plastic catamaran, Plastiki (http://www.theplastiki.com/). “I am looking forward to repeating this experience in the Global Ocean Race and working in a competitive team,” he adds. “Alex has proven successful as an offshore sailor and enjoys the adventure that racing a Class40 brings as much as I do."
Race Director, Josh Hall is particularly pleased to welcome Thomson back for the second edition of the race. “David is a fantastic offshore sailor with a wealth of experience and this duo will be a formidable entry in the race. It is very rewarding for us all that we have yet another sailor from the 2008-09 event returning for the next race,” he said. “On a personal note, David is a close friend and I am delighted that he will be competing again as we will get to spend some more time with an exceptionally good guy!”

Radio Show

Just been interviewed by Gary Brown from Island 92 FM.

Yacht Blast is broadcast online at Island 92. It goes out on Sundays and afterwards will be available as a podcast.

There will also be a copy on the People's Boat website.

Thanks very much Gary

Co Skipper Announcement

People's Boat are pleased to announce their co skipper for the Global Ocean race 2011/12.

David Thomson will join Alex on the Class 40 and they will race together for the next three years.

34 year old David from Gosport, has a wealth of racing experience. The younger brother of Alex Thomson, who skippers the Open 60 Hugo Boss, has already raced around the world in the Portimao Global Ocean Race and brings with him a lot of Class 40 experience.

'We are in this race to get a result - not just finish.' Between them they have a massive amount of ocean racing experience to draw on and together will be working on getting the most out of their Class 40.

Ramsgate Week

Good News

The People's Boat has been booked by the Royal Temple Yacht Club to act as the host yacht for the event sponsors. Although we will not be racing in the event, we will be out on the water demonstrating to the sponsors what the boat is capable of.

Come down and see us in Ramsgate next August 26-21

Website

The website keeps going from strength to strength. Yakimbi, the designers, have done a fantastic job in getting the pixel layout sorted as well as keeping the regular updates going. If anyone wants a top notch website designed and hosted then these are the guys to do it. Very professional, and dedicated group of people.

We are very lucky to be working with them as they 'get' the whole idea behind the campaign and are quick to respond to any changes.

Thanks Andrew and the team

Business Scene Berkshire Network Evening

What a great evening.
We were invited by Daniel McLaren to attend the Berkshire Business Scene networking event last night at Reading Audi.
There were around 70 business people there and what a buzz there was. The interest in People's Boat was fantastic with many people offering support both on a presonal level and also on a business level. I think the offer of a day out sailing on the race boat, AND the chance to bring along clients swung it for many people.
Also the charity donation at the end of the race proved very popular with everyone.

We expect the campaign to begin gathering momentum, especially after meeting with one particularly interesting gentleman - Graham Hill, who I look forward to chatting to again in a week or so's time.

Watch this space...

New T Shirts

As well as receiving our new Polo shirts and Musto jackets today, we also got a box of printed T shirts. Also available to buy at £10 each plus postage.

Team Clothing

We have just received our first delivery of embroidered team clothing from Wild Group and it looks FANTASTIC.

The jackets are light grey Musto snugs with the Global Ocean Race logo and the People's Boat logo embroidered on the front. There is a union jack on the right sleeve and the website on the back under the collar.

There are also some rather nice white polo shirts with a dark blue flash at the top of each arm, again they have the same embroidery as the jackets.

If you want to buy any, the jackets are available for £145 each plus postage and the polo's are £35 each. Drop me an email at alex@peoplesboat.com

Another sponsor for the People's Boat

We would like to welcome on board 'Strawberry Fields' hotel in Brighton as the latest sponsor on the People's Boat.
A great hotel only a stones throw from the pier with plenty of rooms. Ideal for a short break and a stroll along the beach. The first hotel in Brighton to offer 'brunch in bed!' with breakfast delivered to your room.
http://www.strawberry-fields-hotel.com/index_1.html

Yesterday we collected our first consignment of clothing from Wild Group in Southampton. They have done a great job in transferring Chads images onto the new jackets and shirts. Thanks to Kizzy there for helping it all go through smoothly.

Unfortunately, due to a spate of sickness, todays planned meeting with Cancer Research has been delayed until next week, after which we hope to have a major sponsor on board soon.

What a busy time the crews in the Solidaire du Chocolat have had. (http://www.lasolidaireduchocolat.com/en). Certainly not the pleasant downwind sailing they were hoping for, instead they have had a week of boat breaking storms and the fleet is now down to 17 boats. Gives you an idea of what life is like on the edge.

As far as the People's Boat goes, things have been ticking along. We have some funky new designs for shirts and a new logo from graphic designer Chad Lethbridge (http://www.chadlethbridge.com/). The new logo is cleaver mix of sailing and people, shown above.

I will be at an event in Reading on the 12th November to promote the campaign, but before that I am off to a meeting with Cancer Research to finalise the agreement between us, then it's full steam ahead to find a major sponsor.

Busy Busy - mind you I would rather be out sailing :-)

Solidaire Du Chocolat

After another difficult night racing, the fleet is now down to 20 boats with 5 retirements.http://www.lasolidaireduchocolat.com/en
Nicko and Tim are coping well on Palanad II and are currently tracking the leading bunch in 8th place. Soon the winds will ease as the fleet head for the trade winds which will scoot them towards the equator and the doldrums. Hopefully they will keep clear of the Canary islands which put paid to our last trans Atlantic race from Portsmouth to Buenos Aires. The islands create a huge wind shadow and we dropped from the leading trio to 9th place in 24 hours, only to recover one more place before Buenos Aires - a costly error. Lets hope Nicko and Tim have learned from it!

Once in the trades these boats fly. Here is some video footage from the Azores race Nicko and I did in August. Enjoy

More entries

With 2 new entries in the Global Ocean race, things are hotting up and it's still 2 years away! Every time I read something about the race I just get more and more excited.

Here is an extract from the Organizers website www.globaloceanrace.com

"Shortly before the start of the double-handed transatlantic La Solidaire du Chocolat race for Class40s, President of the Class40 Association, Jacques Fournier, announced that he is entering the Global Ocean Race 2011-12, the official Class40 round the world race. His co-skipper for the current transatlantic race, Treasurer of the Class40 Association, Jean-Edouard Criquioche, will be joining Fournier for the 33,000 mile circumnavigation in two years time. The pair have co-owned and co-skippered their current Pogo 1 Class40 for some time already.

Having secured a three-year sponsorship deal with energy supplier, Groupe Picoty, Fournier and Criquioche have a well-funded campaign for the Global Ocean Race. “It is the dream of every sailor to race around the world,” said 39 year-old Criquioche on Sunday morning as he boarded Groupe Picoty for final, prestart preparation for La Solidaire du Chocolat. “We are very pleased and proud to have contracted with Josh Hall and his team to organise what will be a fantastic event for Class40.”

The French duo’s campaign for the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 is already well advanced with a Pogo Version3 on order. Fournier and Criquioche will compete against each other in the single-handed Route du Rhum next year, both under the Groupe Picoty sponsorship, with Criquioche racing the current boat and Fournier the new one.

“The Groupe Picoty entry is a very exciting one for us,” said Josh Hall. “A two-boat campaign in preparation for the Global Ocean Race with two prominent members of the Class40 Association onboard is amazing – we extend a warm welcome to Jacques, Jean-Edouard and Groupe Picoty and we will be following their project with great interest.”

Fournier and Criquioche have now ensured their place on the start line and will join the seven international entries already signed-up for the Global Ocean Race 2011-12: Adrian Kuttel from South Africa; Patrice Carpentier from France; the Dutch solo sailor Nico Budel; British yachtsman Alex Alley; Belgian Yachtsman of the Year, Michel Kleinjans, and two entries from the USA and UK who wish to remain anonymous while their projects develop."

Website

I have to thank Peta at PR Works UK who pointed out that I don't have a link to my campaign website.

Well here it is:

People's Boat

Thanks again Peta for pointing that out. Guess thats why you work in PR and I don't.

Wild Group

Well I have just had a count up and see I have 197 pixels covered on the boat now.

The latest addition is the Wild Group based in Southampton and the Hamble. They are a graphics company who specialise in marine. They are also the company who will supply the hull graphic for the boat, so they have a vested interest in the project too.

Have a look at their website www.wildgroup.co.uk and see if they can help with anything. As well as clothing they do all sorts of other branding.

Wow
I just found myself on a couple of other websites I didn't even know about. It's a wierd feeling finding other people posting things about you.

http://www.puresail.com/2009/09/21/global-ocean-race-alex-alley-sixth-confirmed-entry-for-2011-12-event/
http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=60853

Sponsorship

This is my first ever blog, so i hope it all goes ok!

Well, the people's Boat website is live and working, with people starting to populate it with their pictures and links. Many thanks to those that have.

My entry is in and I am confirmed as the second British entry.

Next job is to finalize the contract with Cancer Research UK as the campaign charity, then find a major sponsor for the campaign.

Other jobs include announcing the co skipper. I have 2 potentials with huge experience, either of them would be great to sail with.

On going is the push to get pixels sold and the hull populated, arrange a press launch, keep sailing.

I think thats it for now, but please do have a look at the website, www.peoplesboat.com, and get your picture or company logo on the boat.

A