Mount Gay Rum Neptune Regatta 2013 – ready to launch

by Neptune Regatta Media on 18 Dec 2012 The countdown to the third Mount Gay Rum Neptune Regatta 2012 – the yacht race and motor yacht rally to the equator which takes place over Chinese New Year, 10-16 February 2013 - kicked off last week with a sponsor’s party held in Singapore with 200+ guests and VIPs celebrating the addition of three new sponsors to the existing regatta partnerships and the doubling of the 2012 fleet numbers.

The party was held at the Gem Bar and Lounge in Singapore’s trendy Club Street. Over 200 guests, predominately Singapore sailors, were welcomed with a ‘Neptune Island Sundowner’ cocktail, famously served to participants ‘Racing to Zero’ on Neptune Island Beach, 8 miles north of the equator in the Riau Archipelago, Indonesia. Partygoers enjoyed free-flow Mount Gay Rum Mojitos to wash down plates of freshly prepared tapas.

The main event of the Neptune Party was the announcement of some key sponsors joining the Neptune Partnerships from 2013; Garmin join as the Official Race Navigation Equipment and naming rights of ‘The Garmin Race to Zero’, the regatta’s headline sprint race from Neptune Island that crosses the Equator into the southern hemisphere before crews pay homage to King Neptune and then race back up to Neptune Island, a total 16 nm round trip sprint race.

Tony An, Business Development Director, Garmin (Asia) said ‘the Garmin Corporation is pleased to announce sponsorship of this unique event. This is a positive step forward for Garmin as we and Oceantalk, our regional OEM distributer, continue to expand our commitment to installed marine electronics in the region. We see the adventure lifestyle nature of the event as a particularly good fit for much of the Garmin product range.’

Part of the partnership package is the inclusion of Oceantalk’s 58ft BuzzCat (motor catamaran) as one of the Race Committee vessels.

Neptune Organisers were also proud to announce Leica Camera Asia Pacific as the Neptune Regatta’s Official Optics Sponsor: ‘Leica Camera Asia Pacific is thrilled to be crossing the equator with Neptune Regatta as the Official Optics Sponsor. Leica’s premium binoculars makes fine focusing fast, precise and sure. With no colour distortions, they provide impressive performance in poor light conditions and detailed viewing, even in twilight. Thanks to their rugged design and construction, Leica binoculars make light work of almost all challenges encountered in outdoor use. Perfect for the adventurous and brave few.'

Also onboard from 2013 is Spinlock, widely acknowledged as the world experts in rope holding. Part of Spinlock’s support is supplying Neptune with a range of personal protection equipment widely used at top races and regattas - Spinlock Performance Safety Lines, world-renowned Spinlock Deckvests (personal harness and lifejacket solution) and Impact Protecting Knee Pads for Neptune’s Search and Rescue Team of ex-British Royal Marine Commandos who accompany the fleet during the Neptune Adventure.

The Neptune Regatta Partners (Sponsors) include:
Mount Gay Rum as the title sponsor (2013-15)
Wonderful Indonesia (Ministry of Indonesian Tourism)
Garmin Corporation
Leica Camera Asia Pacific
Ocean Talk
Spinlock
Predict Wind
Pro Sail Asia
Elite Resorts of Asia Pacific
Media Partners Yachtstyle and Sail-World Asia
and a number of product support/supply sponsors. Details on the regatta website: www.neptune-regatta.com

The party was hosted by Remy Cointreau’s Brand Manger for Mount Gay Rum Asia Pacific, Laurent Soulat, along with Neptune Organisers, Tudor John and Alex ‘Ferret’ Voss.

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