The Moorings helps U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team

by Marlieke Eaton on 17 Jun 2008 US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, announced today that the yacht charter company The Moorings has donated $5,000 to the U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team, which is the prize money The Moorings had received after winning the 2007 John Southam Award for Excellence in Media Communications.

A donation check was presented to US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee Chair Dean Brenner by The Moorings' David Rohr on Thursday, June 12 at the GE Capital Solutions and Sail America Industry Conference in Newport, R.I.

'We are very grateful for The Moorings' donation of the prize-money,' said Dean Brenner. 'Not only because it will support our country's best disabled sailors, but also because it's a nod towards a program that truly showcases the core mission of US SAILING.'

'Our business is all about promoting sailing and the pleasures the activity brings to so many people,' said David Rohr. 'We are honored to have received the John Southam Award, and it brings us pleasure to re-invest this $5,000 cash prize back into sailing, to support some of our most talented sailors headed off to China this summer.'

The Southam Awards, named in honor of John Southam, former publisher of Cruising World and Sailing World magazines, are administered by Sail America and have been awarded annually for the past 15 years. 'Little People, Big World', (Learning Channel TV series episode #36), produced by Gay Rosenthal Productions in conjunction with The Moorings was selected among the best in a broad mix of 228 submissions in several categories including print, broadcast, books and online/internet media publications.

The program featured a family enjoying a sailing vacation in the Bahamas aboard a Moorings catamaran. Sally Helme, Chief Judge for the Southam Awards for Sail America, said, 'The excitement and enjoyment at learning to sail is infectious and provided a powerful visual testimony that people of all shapes and sizes, of all ages and abilities, can enjoy the beauty of sailing and time on the water.'

The Moorings is a premier yacht charter company, offering unmatched quality, service and attention to detail for over 38 years. For more information, please visit www.moorings.com.

Sail America is the trade association for the US sailing industry and plays a vital role for all companies that provide sailing-related products and services. Sail America’s mission is to promote the health and growth of sailing by providing it members with targeted sales opportunities, industry and market information, ongoing business education, and cost-saving business programs. For more information, please visit www.sailamerica.com.

The U.S. Paralympic Team is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams.

For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.