ASB Banks on Slater in Olympic Finn for 2008
by Sail-World on 19 Apr 2006
Dan Slater training before leaving for Europe and his 2006 regatta campaign, in his newly logo’’d Finn. Dan Slater
ASB Bank have swung in behind Olympic Finn sailor, Dan Slater, in his quest for the 2008 Olympics.
ASB have become the naming sponsor of his 2008 Olympic Finn Campaign.
Slater says 'the sponsorship will allow me to campaign against the best in the world and help me reach the goals I have set for myself in this campaign'.
His Finn is branded in the ASB logo, as is his coach boat.
Slater updates on the tight schedule for his immediate campaign: 'Today I leave for Europe and will be on a timed run to the first regatta. I will fly into Amsterdam at 7.30 am on the 19th June. I will pick up a rental car and then have a tow bar fitted which I am told will be done by 11.30 - 12 .
'Nikola (my girlfriend) will travel with me and we will then drive to Amsfoort which is an hour's drive to pick up my road trailer which has been kindly stored for me over the European winter.
'Once the trailer is on the car we will drive to Rotterdam (another hour) where we will pick up my coach boat, mast and sails all before 5pm.
'The drive to Hyere in the south of France is about 20 hrs so we hope to arrive at the first regatta venue some time, very late on the 20th April.
'On the 21st I will take ownership my new Finn that is being delivered to the venue and fit it out. The 22nd April is the Practice race so with some luck I will be on the start line ready to go in 72 hours. '
Slater's Olympic class program for 2006 is as follows:
Hyere France 22-28 April
Holland regatta 25-29 May
Kiel Germany 21-25 June
Finn Worlds Croatia 8-16 July
Pre Olympics China 18-31 August
He will be working with former Olympic crewmate, Nathan Handley who is acting as Dan Slater's coach for the 2006 program. Handley and Slater represented New Zealand in the 2000 Olympics in the 49er class and sailed together in both 18ft skiffs and in the 2003 Team New Zealand America's Cup campaign.
In 2005, in his first year in the Finn class, Slater finished second in the European Finn Championships and then sixth place in the Finn Gold Cup sailed in Moscow. On the basis of these performances he met the Yachting New Zealand performance criteria for inclusion in the 2006 YNZ Olympic Squad and was announced as part of that Squad in December 2005. Slater is also a former ISAF World Youth Champion in the singlehanded Laser class.
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