Try talking to Harpoon or Magic Hat. Both are local breweries. One of the Harpoon marketing guys likes sailing. I can't remember his name right now. Red Hook might be willing. They also tend to sponsor more active sports and cat sailing might be a good one for them. I think they are out of Portsmouth, NH.

This is all well and good but the first question to be asked is… “Is it worth it?”

Is it worth your time to identify the right fellow in the beer company, put together your presentation, meet with the fellow and enroll him, follow up with him to get the check or the free goodies, Pick up the free goodies, get the graphics made or get the companies graphics and adapt them, get your web site updated with the sponsor graphics, get all of your paperwork updated with the sponsor graphics, get the graphics produced for display on the boats, get the graphics added to the sails, get the sign made and find a place to hang it on the beach so it gets seen. Get the photo’s taken so the company sees what they paid for, get the letter of appreciation written, get the package of photo’s etc made and sent off….

Seems to me… It’s just a hell of a lot easier for the regatta staff to just go and buy the damn beer or water and charge the sailors the cost of the items they provide. Are we so cheap that we can’t afford to pay for the regattas. Figure two kegs of beer…160 bucks…Water.. 100 bucks... all told say 300 bucks… So… how many hours will all of the above take…. And then the REAL QUESTION…. Who will actually do this work!

I don’t know of too many fleets that have the people who are keen on doing this kind of work, in addition to all of the other work needed to put on a regatta…. Not to mention get your boat ready to go racing.

It sounds great…. But the catch always starts with … Now… why don’t YOU go ahead and do …. It would be great… if it got turned around and came out as… well … I could call and do and do and do…. (but I suspect Hell might freeze first…)

The reality check is to think about the last time YOU actually went up to the guy who actually DID all of this work and THANKED HIM OR HER for getting the free beer!

I almost lost it the other day when speaking to a Regatta chair … he told me of conversations of folks who came up to him at the next regatta and said… “gee… sorry to miss your event last week…. heard it was great... Will you be hosting ANOTHER ONE in the fall “

Hmmm.... people need to get a reality check

Rant off
Mark

Mark

Mark, that is alot of work for some free beer (and even I can afford to buy my own 6 pack of Sam's) but I thought he was asking about getting a sponsor to pay for HIS SAILS...a $1,500-$3,000 expense, plus graphics (another $1,000-1,500) so for up to $4,500, and a new set of sails, he might be willing to do some of that work necessary.

His point was that the Miller guy said, "Sailors don't drink beer..." I say, go talk to someone else. Bud Light seems to sponsor quite a bit of different sports.

Since we sail the Corps of Engineers lakes of Kansas maybe someone such as seeds would buy us a new sail? There's not many trees, I see farm trucks crossing the dam on there way to town...(in your bestest, deep, cheek fulla chew voice) "Is that one of them there cat marin sailboats, Martha?"

Or how about bass lots of basserman around. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

How about we add Duvel to that list of premium beers?
Oh yeah, Duvel, one of the highest ranked Belgian beers, is sponsoring the Statue of Liberty Race this year. And we're pretty happy about that ;-)

Sorry, but I've been in that business for over thirty years and when you do something like this, you do it more for friendship than economic sense: You just don't have enough return for your money.

Wyatt