Sail for the Station

Every now and then we do something good for the sport. Okay, we rarely ever do anything besides bitch, but in this case one of our most loyal readers, B.J. Porter, has helped put together something for a good cause. And because we're putting it up, we'll expect full credit for it. Just kidding - if you can help, please do..- Ed

Many of you will remember that on February 20, 2003 the band Great White was to play at the Station, a nightclub in West Warwick, RI. At the start of the band's first set the pyrotechnics from the show set fire to the building, and it burned to the ground. Ninety-nine people were killed, and more than 180 were injured. In a small and tight-knight area like Rhode Island, the impact was devastating - almost everyone knew someone that suffered the loss of a friend or family member.

In the wake of the tragic fire, SA regular & Narragansett Bay sailor B.J. Porter is putting together a fundraiser to help the sailing community raise money to benefit the victims of the tragedy and their families. "Sail for the Station" is a way to provide longer term fundraising throughout the summer months and to maintain awareness of the plight of the ninety-nine victim's families and the seriously injured survivors.

This is not an "event" type of fundraiser, it is more like a "Sail-a-Thon". Participating skippers will collect pledges from sponsors for every first, second, or third place finish in the 2003 sailing season. Every time the boat places in a race, more money is raised for the fund from the sponsored pledges. The better you sail, the more money you raise.

This is open to any skipper racing in any sort of boat; due to the nature of this fundraiser it can be done as easily in a Laser as in a Farr 40. Depending on participation and sponsorships, there may be a social event towards the end of the season with prizes for top fundraisers - that will depend on how successful the program is.

So far, two Anarchist boats are entered - B.J.'s Beneteau First 40.7 "Shadowfax" and Vin McAteer's J/29 "Keyser Sose".

We are looking for more participants - both boats and crews and sponsors. Also we are looking for corporate sponsors to provide burgees for participants, clothing, prizes, and maybe event sponsorship.

The web site http://www.sailforthestation.org contains more details, as well as provides for on line skipper registration and pledging.

Please feel free to contact B.J. (bporter@teamshadowfax.com) for additional information or if you'd like to get involved.

04/08/2003