OCEANPLANET NEWS
08-16-2006

Sailing Sailing Sailing....

Better late than never: Thanks to all who attended my OceanPlanet II talk at The Inn on Peaks Island (July 18) or the Third annual OceanPlanet Lobstah Dinnah at the Osprey Restaurant (Aug 21).  Huge thanks to Fred Forsley and Shipyard Brewing for supporting both events, and to Ed Rodgers of the Osprey Restaurant for throwing another memorable party!

I'm honored to be doing my next show at Hannaford Hall on the USM (University of Southern Maine) Campus on September 28.  More about this show at http://www.usm.maine.edu/cce/.  This is a truly great venue, a big and modern auditorium with great sound qualities.  I may have to play a guitar tune or two if I can get away with it...;-)

One reason you haven't heard much from is that I have been sailing constantly...the racing scene here in Maine on both modern racers and classics is great.  Sailing both for fun, and as a "hired gun" on various boats I've been racking up some very satisfying results.  As tactician aboard Ed Rodgers "Revolution II" we've had more that our share of bullets and are now leading Class A in the Gulf of Maine season championship. 

Those of you who remember "Rumbleseat" know that I love to race classic yachts as well.  One of the most famous and fun regattas in the Northeast is the IYRS (International Yacht Restoration School) cruise/race that culminates in the fabulous "Eggemoggin Reach Regatta".  Over Aug 2-4 as guest driver on Edgar Crocker's "Crocodile" we took three races in a row over the competitive Concordia 39/41 class and 1, 2, and 3 in fleet.  This was my first time in these events and I will definitely be back...sailing in the Penobscot Bay/Vinalhaven/Deer Isle region in the summer in Maine is simply NOT to be missed.

Later this week I have been invited to sail at the Celebrity Invitational Regatta aboard IOD's (International One Designs) in Nantucket. There event is hosted by Gary Jobson and will feature some pretty big "round the cans" names, like Ed Baird, etc  Hopefully yours truly, while an experienced buoy racer is more of a "jack of all trades" solo ocean guy, will be able hold his own!  At the very least, it will be fun.

In other news:
The sale of OceanPlanet to an aspiring American solo sailor has not yet gone through.  The potential buyer is doing his best to pull it off, and I certainly know how hard it is to raise the $ needed.  If he can come through, I will likely be hired to train him for his own solo adventures.  I wish him luck but you can bet I'll be a tough coach....;-)

Support needed:
We are on the hunt to secure sponsorship for OceanPlanet II.  However, this is very involved process and we can use your help.  To take our story and create the type of sponsorship proposal package that will succeed we need to complete our comprehensive media analysis from the last Vendee Globe.  Also necessary are media projections and valuations for what we can offer in the IMOCA circuit including the next Vendee in 2008/2009.  To finish the development of this material and create, print, and deliver targeted packages, our team of volunteers needs your financial support.   It is definitely a "chicken or the egg" situation and to make it happen we need you. 

I'll be honest. I'm not interested in going around the world again for the novelty of it.  Twice around so far has certainly worn that off. I want to be in a position to win, and to do that we need serious backing which means a Title Sponsor.  We can provide a huge value to that Sponsor, and it is definitely time for a competitive American program.  Help us get to that Title Sponsor, and then I'll take care of the rest.

Speaking of sponsors, special thanks to OceanPlanet Supplier Sponsor Epaint.  We certainly know what paint will be on the bottom OceanPlanet II:

Bruce Schwab, Skipper
OceanPlanet