新年快乐！Happy Lunar New Year from the USCYA!

by USCYA on 4 Feb 2014 The U.S.-China Yachting Association is pleased to announce its 2014 regatta schedule. We invite sailing and yachting enthusiasts from all levels of the sport and industry to join the USCYA, to experience the 'USCYA Advantage' and the thrill and satisfaction of sailing successfully in foreign seas! Sailing in China (and in the US for Chinese teams) is easier and more affordable than you may think, when you sail with the USCYA.

The USCYA is seeking five collegiate sailing teams from the U.S. to race in the Second Pan Pacific Collegiate Sailing Championship in Xiamen, China this July. In 2013 the sailing team from Cal State University-Long Beach swept all seven races, ahead of 19 other J-80 teams from Singapore, Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. This year the Cal State team looks forward to defending its title in an expanded regatta that also includes other U.S. collegiate teams.

The USCYA is seeking two teams from the U.S. to sail in each of the following regattas in China, which are sailed in Beneteau First 40.7’s, Flying Tigers and Far East 26’s.

• Mayors Cup Offshore Regatta in Qingdao, China (August 2014)

• Lushang Cup Regatta in Qingdao, China (August 2014)

• eighth China Cup International Regatta in Shenzhen, China (October 2014)

The USCYA is seeking three teams from China to race in the Dennis Conner International Yacht Club Challenge in New York Harbor in August and two Chinese collegiate sailing teams to race in the Storm Trysail Intercollegiate Regatta in Larchmont, New York, in October.

Plan early! Registration for most events is required two to three months before the event. Teams also need time for fundraising to cover regatta and travel expenses. For more information, please see the USCYA website at www.uscya.com.

With USCYA assistance, teams sailing in these regattas are able to simplify logistics and minimize the expense of international sailing and travel. Sponsors are provided unique access and tailored marketing opportunities. Focused educational or business excursions can also be arranged for participants and sponsors.

Sailing and recreational boating are beginning to really take off in China, says Eliot Clauss, head of the USCYA, who has been involved in U.S.-China business and legal matters for more than 20 years. This expansion provides both recreational and business opportunities. Most sailing clubs and universities do not have the resources, time or contacts, to make connections for their members to participate in boating activities in China. The USCYA has that expertise. Participants and sponsors gain a unique exposure to Chinese culture and business they might not otherwise experience.

'Racing in China is the chance of a lifetime for U.S. sailors of all ages,' said Clauss. This view was confirmed by a sailor who raced with a USCYA team in China in Qingdao’s Mayor’s Cup Regatta.

'Sailing in China and learning first-hand about life in China was a truly life altering experience. I look forward with excitement toward returning and growing my understanding of the ways of the Chinese,' said Jason Delisky, a New York based business consultant and licensed captain.

The U.S.-China Yachting Association helps arrange sailing teams from the U.S. to race in China, and sailing teams from China to race in the U.S. We are a multiplier for yacht clubs, universities and sailing organizations, by providing unique international sailing opportunities to their members, and helping sailors from China and other parts of Asia travel to the U.S. to participate in local regattas.

The value cannot be underestimated of establishing friendships and business relationships among sailors and maritime professionals from China and the U.S., according to Keith Cooper, another participant in the Mayor’s Cup Regatta, and a founding member of the USCYA. As 'Ping-Pong diplomacy' taught us more than 40 years ago, competitive sports and citizen-to-citizen friendship between China and the U.S. have an important role to play in the growth and development of the U.S.-China economic and political relationship.

The USCYA is the only yachting organization with a track record and depth of experience focused on Chinese and American sailors and recreational boaters, and in building unique U.S.-China cross-border yachting relationships and opportunities. We welcome participation by sailors and yachting professionals and enthusiasts from all countries and all levels of the industry in all of our programs and events.

For more information about membership, programs, events and sponsorships, please visit our website at www.uscya.com or contact Eliot Clauss at clauss@uscya.com.