Gary,
You are SO right. For years I have been saying that sails should be utilized as billboards on the water. It works for everybody, because it draws attention to sailing as well as to the advertisers on the sails.

Some may see this as professionalism and taking away from the purist "corinthian" view of the sport. But I don't see having sponsored sails as having anything to do with professionalism in sailing. Professionalism has to do with the sailors, not the boats.

For instance, we have started a Hobie Wave fleet at Put-in-Bay, Ohio and another one in Key Largo, Florida. Both are small tourist communities. One of our planned initiatives for creating more interest in sailing is to get local businesses involved by having each of the boats in our fleets "sponsored" by a local business that will have its graphic on the sail of the boat it sponsors.

Our races are done in close to shore to generate spectator interest in sailing as well as exposure for the advertisers.

Vinyl graphics have been the primary way to put graphics on mains and jibs up to this point, but I am excited about the possibilities offered by "photosails."

Will using sails as billboards take away from the credibility and integrity of the sport of sailboat racing in the minds of the viewing public? Will they see us as nothing more than a glorified version of a person on a street corner wearing a sandwich board? Will they think we are just shills who have sold out to commercialism?

I don't think so. The public is already accustomed to seeing advertising pretty much everywhere. It is probably only the sailing traditionalists who might be opposed to the advertising. And they are not the people who need to be attracted to sailing and racing.

We need to try new things to attract new people!