Back from the high seas - for now...

Well it has been a very busy couple of months, what with sponsor hunting and speaking.

Sponsor hunting is the hardest thing in this game. Even though we believe we have a great proposal (and keep getting told so) with great benefits for a sponsor, one of the most frustrating things that I keep hearing is 'We love the campaign and we have the funds, but we can't be seen to be spending it!' So frustrating for us.

I will be giving a talk at RORC in London on the 21st of this month to a select bunch of city high flyers. Organised by Michelle from Dream Sailing, the idea is to try and find a major sponsor for the campaign, then we can at least get the boat built in time for us to start the long process of getting the boat prepared and up to speed before the race.

For the last 2 weeks I have been speaking onboard P&O Ventura about my life racing and the future campaigns I have planned. While many guest speakers only manage a couple of dozen people in the audience, we were regularly filling the theatre with several hundred people with only standing room at the back and sides.

We know that there is a lot of interest in the campaign from the general public, but we need to secure the main funding.

Racing around the world is the easy bit - getting to the start line is the hard part!

Right race, right boat, right time...

If ever there was a race that was ‘of the moment’ then the Global Ocean Race must be it. It is a race for Class 40 yachts around the world double handed. The Class 40 represents a development in yacht design that allows sailors to achieve incredible speeds for a fraction of the cost of the Open 60’s. Although obviously not as fast, the smaller Class 40 costs about 1/10^th that of the Open 60 allowing the class to grow very quickly. Already they have proven themselves in many major offshore races, beating much bigger boats time and again. Even though the Global Ocean Race is relatively new, the first race in 2008/9 attracted almost 30 million hits on its website even though there were only 5 boats racing. The next race plans to do much better, already with 15 entries from 11 countries, there is also plan to run a ‘virtual race’ online.

Alex Alley is lucky enough to have an entry in the Global Ocean Race 2011/12. Starting in Mallorca next September, Alex and co-skipper David Thomson will race against an international fleet around the planet, stopping in Cape Town, Wellington, Punta del Este and Charleston before finishing back in Mallorca in 2012, some 8 months later. For Alex and the team however the race has already begun; the race just to get to the start line. In order to help with the funding of the campaign, Alex set up the People’s Boat campaign, which allows anybody to become a sponsor and have their picture on the hull (see www.peoplesboat.com). Already attracting attention, Alex has been asked to bring the boat to Liverpool and have it on display in the centre of the city’s biggest shopping centre during the new Liverpool boatshow next year. ‘We have had several meetings now with the directors of Liverpool One and we are now just working on the logistics of putting a Class 40 in a shopping centre in the middle of town. It will certainly draw the public’s attention’ commented Alex.

‘We have been talking with several potential major sponsors and also working with charities such as the RNLI as the plan is to sell the boat after the race and donate all the proceeds to charity. It would be great to be able to generate a significant amount and we have our target set on £300,000, but we need everyone’s help to achieve it.’

For Alex the Global Ocean Race is not the end of the story... ‘I am already planning two other projects for when we return, both sailing world records. One is a new record and another is an existing record which we believe we can beat by some margin.’ More details will be released once a sponsor has been found.

Go to www.peoplesboat.com to sign up and put your logo/picture on the hull of the yacht.

At last - a start port is announced

Finally the start port for the 2011/12 Global Ocean Race has been announced by the organisers - and it is.................. Mallorca.

Already there are 14 confirmed entries from 10 countries.

Nico Budel Holland

Patrice Carpentier France

Alex Alley UK

To Be Announced* USA

To Be Announced* UK

Michel Kleinjans Belgium

Jacques Fournier France

BT Boats New Zealand

To Be Announced* Austria

Conrad Colman New Zealand

Marco Nannini Italy

Hannah Jenner UK

Lenjohn van der Wel Bahamas

Adrian Kutell South Africa

Also the host ports are now all signed up.

Leg Starts:

Leg 1 (7400 miles) 25th September 2011 Mallorca - Cape Town, RSA

Leg 2 (7500 miles) 27th November 2011 Cape Town – Wellington, NZ

Leg 3 (6100 miles) 29th January 2012 Wellington – Punta del Este, Uruguay

Leg 4 (6000 miles) 1st April 2012 Punta del Este – Charleston, USA

Leg 5 (4200 miles) 20th May 2012 Charleston – Mallorca

The official website for the race, which received over 30 million hits during the last race will be improved again for this race. An interactive virtual online game is planned to run alongside the actual race which can attract huge numbers of followers - you can race against us in real time, only you will get the chance to sleep and eat properly as well as have some dry clothes to wear - but where is the fun in that eh?

I will be over in Cowes this week from Wednesday so hope to see a few people over there.

A

Not sailing but out on the water!

Well for the last week I have been kayaking down the Thames, from the source to the sea - at least from the first navigable bit anyway.

Saturday 17th with the kayaks in the back of a white van, we drove to Cricklade, just the other side of Swindon, and were dropped off in a little car park to begin the adventure. At that point the Thames really is just a small stream a few inches deep. Never having been in a kayak before the first thing that became very obvious was how unstable they are! It wasn't very long before the inevitable happened and Paula hit a tree and capsized, dropping the camera in the process and filling the kayak up with water. By now the water was about 4' deep and luckily we managed to find the camera, which is waterproof so that was fine - however one of the dry bags leaked and money and phone was now dripping wet. Mobile phones don't like the water so that was the end of that one...
We paddled on to a pub for a drink and some food, and to dry off and warm up. An hour or so later we continued on our way, only to bump into four guys in two inflatable canoes looking for somewhere to camp for the weekend. They offered us some wine and we joined them as they made a fire, which helped us warm up some more. Rather surprisingly, two of them knew the owner of one of the kayaks we had borrowed - what a small world we live in!

After about 11 miles paddling we arrived at Lechlade and camped for the night. Arms and shoulders not feeling too bad, but we knew we had to push on more if we were to make Teddington by the end of the week.

Sunday was the Fairford airshow and on the river we had front row seats, with Tornado's, Vulcan bomber and a B52 all flying low overhead - fantastic. By now the river was getting wider and with less weed so we could paddle easier, however we were surprised that there was virtually no flow to the river. We were expecting a knot or two to help us along, but if we stopped paddling then we really did stop. This meant that we would have to paddle harder and push on for the next 150 miles.

Lots of wildlife and hundreds of swans kept us company as we made our way along, taking in the sights from the river. Wild camping when we could, or asking locals if there was nowhere obvious to pitch a tent. One evening as we paddled through Abingdon, I got chatting to a chap in the local sailing club (Abey sailing club) and he kindly offered to let us camp on the lawn in front of the club house. He also let us use the facilities there and we had our first shower for 5 days.

Determined to paddle all the way along the river, we decided to go through the locks, all 42 of them, rather than carry the kayaks around them. Each lock had it's own appeal with the keepers tending their gardens with care. Fabulous houses with immaculate lawns reaching down to the river - one wonders who actually owns such properties (and if they would be interested in sponsoring the People's Boat!)

Finally we made it through Teddington lock and onto the tidal section of the Thames, which proved to be not as daunting as we suspected. Timing now was critical as we had to make Putney before the tide turned, which in the end was not too difficult.

150 miles paddled in 7 1/2 days, averaging 20 miles a day. A great experience if you ever need one. A good challenge, but I felt if was a little less challenging than the 200 mile coast to coast walk we did last year.

Back now on the campaign trail, off to Cowes next week racing a Figaro, and talking to lots more sponsors.

A

The official Wight Vodka press release

13th July 2010 – Wight Vodka Teams with Alex Alley & David Thomson in their Global Ocean Race Campaign

Cowes, England

Competing in the Global Ocean Race takes determination, intellect, ego and attitude. It also takes money!

Alex Alley and David Thomson are the co-skippers of their Class 40 yacht, which they will race around the world in the Global Ocean Race from September 2011. Over the next 14 months, they will be preparing themselves and their yacht for the rigors of the 30,000 mile circumnavigation. Both Alex and David have many regattas, trans-atlantics and circumnavigations under their belts, and this time they’re determined to share the experience with as many individual and corporate sponsors as they can.

“It’s great to have the Wight Vodka brand onboard our Global Ocean Race campaign!” said Alex Alley, skipper of the Class 40 yacht. “Wight Vodka’s gained such an incredible following within the British yachting scene in a very short time, and to have their support is totally welcomed. We’ve agreed with Ritu and her team at 50 North that the next five sponsors who contribute £150 or more to our campaign will receive a bottle of Wight in return. How great is that!?”

Scheduled to start in September 2011, the Global Ocean Race will follow the same route raced by the yachts competing in the 2008-09 event. Starting in France, the race stops in Cape Town, South Africa, Wellington, New Zealand, Punta del Este, Uruguay and Charleston, USA before finishing back in France, a total of over 30,000 nautical miles.

“Working with Alex and David on this project is exhilarating,” said Ritu Manocha, owner of 50 North, the company behind the Wight Vodka brand. “Their enthusiasm and competitive spirit go hand-in-hand with the Wight Vodka brand, and we can’t wait to see them cross the start (and finish!) line in next year’s race. We encourage our Wight Vodka fans to support their efforts, and follow them online from September 2011.”

About Alex Alley & David Thomson’s Campaign
A unique opportunity for you and your business to raise its profile, the People’s Boat campaign is created to allow our sponsors to track our progress as we circumnavigate the globe from 2011 to 2012. Your branding will be on our hull for the three years of the campaign, and you will be entered into regular draws to win a chance of sailing with us. And now in collaboration with Wight Vodka, for a select few who provide sponsorship of £150 or more, you will receive a bottle of Wight Vodka in return. For more information please visit www.peoplesboat.com.

About 50 North
50 North are the creators of Wight Vodka. The company’s spirit and enthusiasm for the ocean, coupled with the centuries-old regatta traditions of the Isle of Wight (and of course a full appreciation of superior vodka!) culminated in the creation of the world’s smoothest, 42% ABV potato-based vodka. One sip of Wight Vodka will make a believer out of the most discerning connoisseur, and the company welcomes your joining a unique and elite class. www.wightvodka.com. Tack & Gybe Responsibly.

Wight Vodka sign up as sponsors

The People's Boat are pleased to announce that UK based Wight Vodka have signed up as a bronze sponsor and their logo is already up on the virtual boat on the People's Boat website.

Claim your FREE bottle of Wight Vodka:

In order to say thank you to other sponsors, the first 5 people/companies spending £150 or more on squares on the People's Boat will receive a FREE bottle of Wight Vodka (must be over 18 and based in the UK). All you have to do is goto the People's Boat website and click on 'Buy Pixels' then simply follow the instructions onscreen to upload your image, then you can pay through Paypal or with a credit card, or email us at sales@peoplesboat.com.

A few facts about Wight Vodka:

1. Wight Vodka is distilled seven times, which is definitely over the top, but produces ultra pure spirit.
2. Rumour has it that the day after isn't that bad due to the distillation process!
3. It's the only vodka I can take straight up or on the rocks like a great Scotch
4. It's based on potato spirit, which is inherently smoother than 99% of the other vodkas that are made from grain spirit.
5. The team at 50 North are totally committed to the yachting scene, and it's great to have their support!

As well as Wight Vodka, there are several other notable sponsors including Bath Sailing Club and Eventus.

There will be a press release shortly as well as a copy of the article going out in 'Prime Location' magazine which has a circulation of over 1.2m subscribers.

Watch this space...

South American Stop Over confirmed

In the mid-1980s, Punta del Este, Uruguay, was the South American stopover port for the fully-crewed Whitbread Round the World Race and in the following decade, solo sailors in the BOC Challenge pulled into the port at the end of their brutal Southern Ocean leg from Australia. The Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR) can now confirm that Punta del Este is the South American stopover port at the end of the 6,000+ mile Leg 3 from Wellington, New Zealand. The stopover will be hosted by the Uruguay Ministry of Tourism, with the fleet to be based at the prestigious Yacht Club Punta del Este (YCPE).

For Dr. Hector Lescano, Uruguayan Minister of Tourism, the GOR stopover is an exciting prospect. “It is a great honour that this international event has chosen Punta del Este as the South American stopover,” confirms Lescano. “Our national and local authorities are working together to support and coordinate the event and ensure that all requirements for the Race Organisation and racing teams are in place,” he continues.

Located at the southern tip of Uruguay on the northern shore of the Río de la Plata, the South Atlantic port of Punta del Este is an overwhelmingly attractive prospect for round the world race teams. The town is a very popular resort for international holiday makers with the deserved reputation of being the ‘St. Tropez of Uruguay’. With a network of global flight connections for the GOR crews, their teams, friends and families, miles of pristine beaches and a cosmopolitan and relaxed atmosphere throughout the city, there could be no better place for the teams to relax and recuperate after the exacting demands of the Southern Ocean and Cape Horn.

The nature of the GOR Leg 3 demands that the South American stopover provides the vital services required for carrying out checks, maintenance and repairs to the racing yachts following 6,000 miles of hard sailing through high latitudes. The choice of the Yacht Club Punta del Este as the GOR base is ideal with the vastly experienced team at the YCPE capable of supplying all facilities from an essential travel lift to fibreglass work and a comprehensive range of skilled specialists.

Commodore of the Yacht Club Punta del Este, Horacio Garcia Pastori, has been an enthusiastic advocate of bringing the Global Ocean Race to his Club. “We have a long history of hosting round the world yacht races and it is with great pleasure that we will be welcoming the organisers and the brave sailors of the Global Ocean Race to our Club,” he commented.

In addition to the world class yacht racing facilities at the YCPE, the clubhouse can also provide accommodation; an exclusive restaurant with a decked balcony overlooking the River Plate; the Recalada Bar - renowned for mixing the best cocktails in town - and the atmospheric and famous Sailors’ Bar.

Race Director, Josh Hall, has personal reasons to be delighted by this announcement. “Having visited Punta del Este as a solo racer in the 1990-91 BOC Challenge, I know first-hand just how welcoming the Yacht Club Punta del Este members and the people of this remarkable city are,” says Hall. “Excellent facilities, fabulous people and a perfect geographic location combine to make Punta del Este a dream stopover for the Global Ocean Race 2011-12, where sailors and sponsors alike will enjoy a very unique experience at every level,” he continues. “We would like to thank The Ministry of Tourism and our long-standing friends at the Yacht Club Punta del Este for granting us this exciting opportunity to bring a highly competitive round the world yacht back to their shores.”

France - finally

Well we eventually made it to the boatyard in Nantes, up the Loire river, where Palanad is to have a survey.

The trip began on Friday morning at Hamble Yacht services with Tim and I getting the boat ready for the 350 mile trip. Plenty of fuel would be needed as the forecast was for light Northerly winds over the next few days. Sails collected from North Sails lock up and stacked on the boat and the Fuizion food packed away.

After shuffling a couple of boats around so that we could make it out, we left mid morning and motored off to refuel, stocking up with an extra couple of 10L cans.

Great conditions (for motoring anyway) as we headed out past the Needles and set course of 230 degrees towards the NW corner of France.

The crossing itself was pretty uneventful, apart from having to change the impeller on the engine as the old one gave up the ghost and the engine began to overheat! We also noticed a small amount of water behind the aft watertight bulkhead - above the rudders. Not too concerned as it probably came in through the holes in the deck left while the push-pit was off. However now a new one was fitted that was no longer an issue.

After a round of lovely freeze dried Chicken Jalfrezi , it was time for me to get an hour of kip. When I woke however, things were not quite right! Apart from the usual noise of water rushing past the hull, there was an ominous sloshing noise coming from the back of the boat. On further investigation I could see an awful lot of water behind the watertight bulkhead, through the clear plastic hatch.

Up on deck Tim and I then spent about an hour bailing out a few hundred litres of sea water! Obviously it was not coming in through the deck. As the water level was reduced we could see the source of the problem. Just in front of the port rudder, water was bubbling up through the hull - not a good sign. Was the hull fractured? We gybed over and filled the starboard ballast tanks to heel the boat and keep the rudder out of the water while we investigated some more. There was a small round hole just in front of the rudder stock. While in the States having the rudders worked on, the small stainless steel weed cutters had been removed and not replaced. the holes had been filled, but it seemed that during the work, one of the plugs had been dislodged. Out with the Sika and very soon the whole area was dried out and the offending hole filled - no more water problems.

We made good progress across the shipping lanes and caught the tide gates at the Chanel du Four and the Raz du Seine - just! The wind filling in occasionally over Saturday night meant that we could sail again and were making a healthy 12 knots through the water, but fuel was getting low and we still had well over 100 miles to go to the mouth of the Loire and then a 25 mile motor up the river - we were going to have to stop for more fuel.

A quick pit stop at the small marina on Belle Ile and we now had enough fuel to motor the rest of the way. But now time was against us, as we needed to be at the crane lift in Nantes for 1800. It was touch and go as we motor sailed trying to get the best out of Palanad.

Someone must have been smiling on us as once again the wind filled in and we managed to keep the sails up all the way to the boatyard. Arriving right at the top of the tide. Tim made a great job of squeezing the boat in the slipway under the crane. With a 3m draft, it was going to be close as the boat slowly rose out of the water - the keel seemingly going on for ever. As the crane lifted as high as it could, right to the stops, the keel was only 2" clear of the ground!

After getting the rest of our kit off the boat, and having a well earned beer (or maybe 2!) we grabbed a nights kip in a hotel before flying back to the UK in the morning.

The next thing, after a sponsor meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) is to sort out a contract with Palanads owner and then hopefully get her back to the UK as soon as possible and begin the 'on the water' side of the People's Boat campaign.

Dream Sailing special offer

We have just been contacted by Dream Sailing, one of our bronze level sponsors, with an incredible offer just for People's Boat sponsors.

They run a very high quality charter company in St Tropez, with some beautiful yachts on their books - all fully crewed.

Any People's Boat sponsor who books a charter with Dream Sailing of over 7 days, will receive a complimentary helicopter transfer from the airport to the boat, instead of the usual taxi transfer.

Certainly something to make the holiday even more special - if that is possible.

Simply go to the Dream Sailing website and let them know that you are a sponsor of the People's Boat to receive this amazing offer. (Of course you have to be a sponsor of the campaign and have your picture on the boat to get the offer)

Thanks to Michelle and everyone at Dream Sailing for this offer.

Sailing Again...

After a week of sponsor hunting, it is time to get back out sailing again. It seems too long since I was last out (over a week anyway!)

The jobs list on a Class 40 never ends!

· Sort / set up asymmetric pole
· Spinnaker and genoa halyards covered and moused back
· Collect red kite, deck bag from North hut
· Radar reflector on
· Main onto track
· Reefing lines in
· Main block check
· Spectra line to gate roller furler in place of metal gate
· Aft nav lights on (after replacing push pits)
· Raymarine ram brain off and nke auto working

This is just a sample of what we need to do before Tim and I sail the boat to France on Thursday. The plan is to leave Port Hamble in the evening and head out into the Channel and then down towards Brittany (about 400 nautical miles in all)

The grib file below shows the expected weather at 2100 on Thursday when we plan to leave. Mid channel 20 knots northerly – perfect... power reaching all the way.

Shouldn’t take us too long to get down past the Channel Islands, mind you it looks like some rain is on the way too. But I think we will be getting wet from the spray anyway so the rain will just wash the spray away.

Once we get there, we then have to get the boat ready for her survey.

If all goes well, then the plan is to bring her back to the UK soon after and start getting her branded up as the People’s Boat.

Thanks to everyone who has already sponsored us and put their picture onto the website. We will be getting them all printed onto transfers and put on the hull for everyone to see.

We still have a long way to go with the campaign though and still very much need your help if we are to hit our target of raising £150,000 for charity.

All you need is a picture or logo you want to have on the website and hull of the boat, goto www.peoplesboat.com and click on ‘buy pixels’. Decide where you want your picture to go and upload it. Then link it to your website and pay for it. You don’t have to have a PayPal account, you can do it with a credit card through PayPal or you can BACS it through. Just email me and I will give you the account details for People’s Boat Ltd.

Don’t forget, we can’t do any of this without your help – it’s easy to say ‘I’ll do it later’ – later never comes!

More to follow soon on the sail to France...

Newsletter

Well what a whirlwind the last 10 days have been!

It started with a shorthanded training weekend with Brian Thompson and the team at SORC. Based out of Haslar marina in Gosport it was a really well run few days with a good mix of classroom and on the water sessions. I was acting as co-skipper for a friend who is preparing for the AZAB race next year in which he intends to do the outbound leg to the Azores single handed and then the return leg two handed – good luck with that one Rob...

Over the weekend I was receiving various emails from a couple of new potential sponsors, Sailing Networks and Dream Sailing. By the end of the weekend both had agreed to become sponsors of the campaign and already their logo’s are on the website. Both of the new sponsors are also promoting the campaign to their customers, Dream Sailing in the high end charter market and Sailing Networks to their own global network of members which totals over 40,000. This campaign thrives on coverage, so thanks guys for helping out. The campaign website as always is www.peoplesboat.com where you can see the virtual boat and the current sponsors.

Earlier in the week I got a call out of the blue from a well known Yachting publication interested in running an article on the campaign, so we will see what happens with that one, but it looks very promising.

On the boat front, GBR43 returned from the USA on Friday and I was able to be re-united with her, my first time on board since racing back from the Azores. This is the boat we are hoping to secure for the Global Ocean Race next year and talks are well underway with the current owner – fingers crossed and watch this space. Once we have secured the boat and moved it to our base then we will be able to start with our corporate hospitality program of sailing days. Apart from sponsorship these sailing days are important to us to help us run the campaign.

And finally...

Last night I was asked if I could do an interview for a very high end lifestyle / property company. Each month they produce a magazine that is available by subscription only. Next month will be a feature on the People’s Boat campaign going out to over 1.2 million people. Now that’s what I call coverage and something we could only have dreamed of a few weeks ago. Great news for us and also for all those already with us.

Last thing for me to do is say a great big THANK YOU to all those who have already sponsored us and for those that haven’t, then come on and get onboard – especially before the big story next month!

Dream Sailing

The latest sponsor to appear on the side of the People's Boat is luxury charter company Dream Sailing.

Based in the South of France, owners Michelle and Alan take a real pride in what they do. Their fleet of three 55' Jeanneau yachts and the 90' Dark Star make for an impressive line up. They also have an 84' yacht under construction and like the rest of the fleet it is specified to the highest level. They also have access to some of the biggest and best yachts in the world. Each boat comes fully crewed so there is no need to get involved with the sailing - unless of course you want to.

Why crewed charter? Well it offers privacy and exclusivity as well as fun and excitement. Each boat has a full selection of 'toys' including rib and water-sport equipment.

The fleet is either owned by Dream sailing or exclusively managed by them, so you will not find the boats anywhere else.

Press Release 11/05/10

Press Release 11/05/10

People’s Boat campaign gathers momentum...

‘How do you find over £600,000 to fund a round the world yacht race campaign when you are not a multi-millionaire?’

That was the problem facing Alex Alley when he came up with the concept of the People’s Boat and his entry in the Global Ocean Race 2011/12. Instead of having a single sponsor funding the entire campaign, which in the current economic climate is all but impossible, Alex decided on splitting the load and now has a campaign that is open to everybody, from the armchair sailor to philanthropist to the man in the street, each paying less than a night out down the pub. This not only involves them in the campaign and gets their picture on the actual race yacht, but also helps the team raise over £150,000 for charity. Never before has there been an opportunity for everybody to literally be on the boat, right from the outset, in a two handed round the world yacht race.

1 boat, 2 crew, 8 months and 33,000 miles. People’s Boat – Let’s sail the world together.

The People’s Boat is also one of the few campaigns to announce the full team for the race. Alex Alley and co skipper David Thomson (brother of Alex Thomson – Hugo Boss) have both raced at international level and between them have 2 circumnavigations, 2 world sailing speed records and over 250,000 miles of ocean racing. They are not in this race for the experience – they intend to win it.

The website is now live and people are already putting their pictures and company logo’s onto the yacht – www.peoplesboat.com. The site contains links from all the squares to each person’s own website, be it a business page or a personal one like face book.

Preparations are well under way with weekend race training coming up with Brian Thompson. Alex commented ‘We have also been looking at several different designs of Class 40 and have settled on an Akilaria. Both David and I have experience of Akilarias and believe them to be a design that is very easily driven hard for long periods of time – something that is very important for such a long race’.

Alex and David are also offering the opportunity to send regular updates to the press to keep readers up to date with the preparations for the race as well as during it. Alex also writes a regular blog which can be accessed at www.peoplesboat.blogspot.com. Here you can find out the latest sponsor news and also see some impressive video footage from his last race.

This is why I love Class 40

I keep getting asked to put this video on my blog.

It is one of the clips I use in my talks and also promote the People's Boat Campaign and shows some great sailing in Class 40's, including my race back from the Azores.

Turn the volume up and enjoy :-)

End of the talks

Well after spending the last two weeks on the P&O cruise ship Arcadia giving talks to the passengers, it is time to get back to the sponsorship trail.

Giving 8 different talks was quite a challenge, but the theatre onboard was superb, something to rival anything in the West End. Initially the numbers were quite low, with most people thinking it was a talk on how to sail. Once they realised that it was a story of how I got into sailing and what it is like to race around the world, through the Southern Ocean and round Cape Horn, interest grew rapidly as word got around the ship. From then on we were getting audiences of several hundred - more than the 'Celebrity' speaker onboard :-)

I think the rough weather video footage helped. It was great, standing on the stage while the video was playing, looking around at all the stunned faces. As the story unfolded, some were crying, others just listening in disbelief as we criss-crossed the ocean dropping off crew during the now famous 'leg 2'. (Yes that is me in the picture, on stage dwarfed by the huge central video screen and the two smaller screens either side).

I love telling the story, and it was a fantastic chance to plug the campaign to a captive audience. Many wanting to help with sponsorship, and some even giving me cash there and then. I'm expecting some more sponsors to join in when the ship returns to the UK in a couple of weeks time.

While in Antigua I bumped into Richard Shead, head of marketing for Yachting World. He was fascinated in the People's Boat story, suggesting they run an article on it, and would pass it onto one of the features writers. This campaign thrives on PR.

More blogs coming soon :-)

Alex

Off talking - again

Well having just come back from talking at a sports sponsorship event last night in Ipswich, I am now about to embark on a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean. But it's not all play - I am the guest speaker on board and will be talking to a captive audience of around 3000 people, so hopefully pick up a few sponsors for the campaign. You never know who is listening.
One of the pieces of advice I gave last night was to talk to everyone about the campaign. The individual £25 sponsors really do make a difference, after all that is where over 1/2 the funding is coming from.

Still waiting to announce a title sponsor for the campaign. We were hoping to have something in place before yesterday as it would have been good to mention the main sponsor,
and the cruise! - well that is a dream marketing opportunity for any company, but not to be this time. However, I have just been booked to go again in September on another 2 week cruise, so if there is a title sponsor signed then there will be another opportunity to get promoted to another 3000 people!

I'll be on email on the boat and will try and update the blog if I can.

Cheers

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk at the Mercedes GP factory in Brackley to help launch the Brawn Lifeboat Challenge in aid of the RNLI.

The talk was given to 11 corporate teams, each charged with raising money for the RNLI to help fund a new boat on the Thames.

Using a mix of creativity and ingenuity the teams are challenged to turn £1000 into as much money as possible for the RNLI by 31st December. Whichever team raises the most net income will win the Brawn Lifeboat Challenge.

Teams there included Clifford Chance, Barclays, JP Morgan and John Lewis Partnership.

We will be involved with the campaign till the end in December and I will add updates as i get them.

Next speaking engagement is for the UK Sports Network in Ipswich on 14th April. The following day I sail out from Southampton as Guest Speaker on the cruise ship Arcadia, bound for St Maarten. I will be giving 8 talks on my racing career so far, including next years Global Ocean Race and the story behind the People's Boat campaign. A great chance to talk to a captive audience of 3000 wealthy people :-)

PHPR latest sponsor

PHPR is a UK-based results-driven on and offline PR agency. A wealth of B2B and ecommerce experience is behind the results they get for businesses. MD, Penny Haywood Calder, launched the world's first online bank in the mid 1980s, and have been online ever since, bringing a wealth of on and offline know-how. They regularly land clients on page one of the natural search results on Google. Yet remain a boutique agency: small, experienced and cost-effective, with no junior staff to fob you off with. Just top professionals personally driving your business forward.

This is what Penny has to say about herself and her company:

'I love getting results for clients, on and offline. I am a connector, seeing opportunities for people. Whether it's the news possibilities of a throw-away remark or a gem of a statistic buried in your data.
I launched the world's first online bank in 1985 and have been online ever since, so it's not surprising that we are very good at generating Google page one results for our clients. We haven't failed to get a page 1 result this year. And the results persist, sometimes for months.
We'll help you achieve your key business goals and can co-ordinate revamping your on and offline image and providing advanced media training before raising your profile to ensure that you get the maximum benefit from PR.
Although finance and IT have been constant sector themes throughout our client list, we get results for business-to-business companies and have worked with the professions, and in CCTV/security, property/ building, forestry, water, and industrial biotechnology sectors.
We take clients into new markets though our membership of PR Boutiques International (PRBI) (http://www.prboutiques.com), a network of small but highly experienced PR agencies around the world providing you with local savvy PR people on the ground .
I recently joined 4networking and am the voluntary marketing assistant for their Edinburgh Leith group. I'm also on the Edinburgh Fund-raising board for the Prince's Trust.
I'm a passionate advocate of Toastmasters International's public speaking and leadership skills training and I regularly speak to business groups on PR-related matters.
We are winners of various Communicators in Business UK and Scottish awards and are accredited through the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in the UK.
We have had an environmental policy since 1986 and have recently been shortlisted for a VIBES Scotland environmental award.'

http://www.phpr.co.uk/

People's Boat off to the Caribbean

Alex has just been confirmed as the Guest Speaker onboard a 2 week P&O cruise to the Caribbean in April.

Alex will give a series of 8 lectures on Ocean Racing, representing his country and the preparations for the People's Boat campaign.

'A great opportunity to talk to a captive audience of 3000 people.' Alex commented.

With talks now very advanced with a potential title sponsor for the campaign, things are getting very exciting. An existing boat is lined up to buy, and there is also the potential to have a new boat designed and built before the race.

'We have been talking to a leading Class 40 designer about the prospect of a new boat designed for us specifically for the Global Ocean Race - this is very exciting proposition indeed and we just need to get the funding in place first'

People's Boat to be on TV

I have been asked to talk at a sports conference on 14th April on the idea behind the People's Boat campaign and how, in a difficult financial market, it is still possible to raise sponsorship with a little ingenuity.

The event will be filmed and then go out on the 'Your Sport' program.

Details of the event itself can be found here. If you are interested in going you can pre register, although this event has not been officially announced yet you can still book early.

In the mean time I will be attending the solo/short handed sailing festival being held on Saturday at Southampton University. Other attendees going include Dee Caffari.

Might see you there?

Latest Sponsors

There has been an influx of new sponsors in the last couple of days.

Profile Development and Training is a work based training provider based in Kent. Their aim is to provide high quality training to both companies and individuals across Kent. They offer a range of qualifications including NVQ and Skills for Life as well as bespoke solutions.

Thanet District Council and Port of Ramsgate

Certainly one of the more unusual sponsors. Oak Fold Pedigree Highland Cattle is a small fold of highland cattle established in 1985. the best females are retired to the Oak Fold stock and bread to develop the bloodline. The animals are kept in a as natural a habitat as possible. See if you can find them on the boat!

We will certainly be the first boat to race around the world with Highland Cattle on board.

March Prize Draw winner

This months winner of the prize draw for a day out on the People's Boat class 40 is....

Richard Parson

Richard uploaded two pictures onto the hull of the boat of his two new born sons.

Little Ship Club

The Little Ship Club are now the latest sponsor of the People's Boat campaign.

Established in 1926, the Little Ship Club has a long tradition and a unique location on the North Bank of the River Thames in the heart of the City of London.

The modern clubhouse is the base for the club's shore-based activities, including a highly-regarded RYA training programme and many social events. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is the clubs President.

The club has always had two main objectives, social and educational. It provides those with a love of the sea and boats, both power and sail, with a place where they can meet and exchange ideas, and it also gives members the opportunity to learn navigation, seamanship and other skills.

Click on the link above, or the logo on the yacht on the People's Boat website to go to the Little Ship Club website

New sponsor - JW wines

J W Wines is a privately owned Wine Warehouse based in Waterlooville in Hampshire.

Founded some 20 years ago in a little back room in a local village by John Withers who, with his extensive knowledge of good wines from around the globe, supplied wines for local community events. From those humble beginnings the company has gone from strength to strength, and although John retired some years ago his ethos has remained with the new owners who remain dedicated to sourcing the best wines to suit all pockets and imaginations.

"You will not find our wines on your local supermarket shelf."

Click on the link above, or the logo on the side of the yacht, to go to their website.

February Competition Winner

This months winner of the People's Boat draw is...

Mark Hendy

Mark will join the previous winners for a day out on the Class 40 yacht.

To be in with a chance of winning this excellent day out, all you have to do is what Mark did and that is sign up and sponsor a square on the side of the boat. It only costs from £25 to have your picture on the boat and help us raise money for charity.

New Sponsor - BLUEMAPIA

Glad to welcome the latest sponsor onboard.

A great new concept in yachting/social media. Bluemapia is an online community where like minded sailors can share their experiences on cruising. It is based on a Google map format onto which people can place information about a port or a trip they have made, then others can use the information for their own purposes. It is a bit like a Wiki page for cruising sailors.

Go have a look at their website and sign up to upload your own trips and helpful tips on ports you have been to.

As always it seems the simple ideas are the best - well done Marcello and everyone at Bluemapia for creating such an intuitive and brilliant site.

Olympic medalist sponsors People's Boat

The latest sponsor of the People's Boat campaign is none other than Olympic swimming medalist and BBC sport reporter, Steve Parry.

Steve won Bronze at the Olympic games in Athens in 2004 for 200m butterfly and was the first British swimmer to win a medal for 8 years. He has held several records and understands what it means to be committed to winning, much like we are.

He now runs a training company called Total Swimming which encourages people to get into the water and swimming. They currently have a program of touring schools and setting up a portable swimming pool in the school hall and having top swimmers, such as Steve, encouraging them.

'It's great to have someone like Steve in the campaign who understands top level performance'

Disney/Pixar appointment

Well what a great start to the year...

I have just been asked to be the 'sailing advisor' for a new Disney/Pixar film being made right now, called 'John Carter of Mars'

There is a scene which involves airships which 'sail' across Mars, so I will be working with an aviation adviser as well.

Life is never boring that's for sure. I'll keep you posted as to how it all goes.

Here's to a good year

Well with christmas and new year out of the way it is back to looking for a title sponsor. Cancer Research UK are busy working with a couple of potential sponsors, while I have been in touch with some other well know companies - watch this space.

New year was great for me. I was at a party on a friends house boat - huge amount of space and comfort, nothing like a Class 40! However it was nice to begin the new year again on a boat on the water (albeit connected to the shore).

PEOPLE'S BOAT DRAW - JANUARY RESULT

The lucky winner of this months draw for a day out on the race yacht is - SAILING FOR FUN. A small yacht charter company based in Cornwall. They have three pixels on the race yacht on the starboard quarter.

Other news; Ramsgate week is now filling up with corporate days now booked by Hornby, Scalextric and Vattenfall. Although not racing we will be sailing around entertaining the guests for the day and may even join in one or two of the longer races such as Round the Goodwins where we can stretch our legs and show what a Class 40 can really go like once let free.

All the very best to everyone who has supported us in these early stages and here's to a great 2010.