RB12 land, sea and air glamour at major yachting conference

by Cailah Leask on 16 Oct 2010 Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) will be the base for a major yachting conference and unique event announcement on October 20th. The conference will centre on the future of Weymouth and Portland as a key international hub for high quality sports events and the business potential that can be unlocked for Dorset through understanding past and present business case studies and proposals.

Amongst the delegates will be representatives from The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and Galway talking about The Volvo Ocean Race as well as Sir Keith Mills of TemOrigin. This future focussed conference will dove tail with the Academy being announced as the chosen national start and finish venue for the glamorous ‘Round Britain 2012’ (RB12) dubbed Britain’s biggest multi-faceted land, sea and air event whose concept originated as far back as the early 1900s.

Sir Keith Mills, Deputy Chairman, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, shared his views on the importance of the October conference.

'With the start of the Olympic Games in little under two years time, it is very positive to see so much activity already in full flow at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. It is vitally important that some key members of the UK sailing fraternity are travelling to the 2012 sailing venue this October to attend the conference where we will spend time proactively sharing business insights.

This initiative will be extremely rewarding to the future of the Academy as it looks towards hosting a range of major international sailing events as well as multiple sports, with continuous interaction from the local community of Dorset'.

The multipurpose nature of this award winning venue is emulated through the decision by RB12 to stage the start and finish of such an iconic sporting event on site. RB12 is predicted to involve 75 powerboats, 100 super and vintage cars, as well as 50 aircraft with over 1000 contestants and supporting crew.

To mark yet another milestone achievement in WPNSA’s all-inclusive sporting vision there will be full throttle appearances during October 20th from an RB12 helicopter, super car and Goldfish 36 P1 (Team Rooster) ‘the Fastest Diesel Production Boat in the World and the Fastest Rib to Round Britain in 08’, with experts such as the former ‘Spice Girls’ movie SPICE WORLD power boat driver available to explain details on engineering.

The action packed day parallels with ‘Dakine Weymouth Speed Week’ at the world class venue running from the 16 – 22 October. The autumn guarantees to provide a real spectacle of speed for local residents to enjoy.

Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson, said: 'The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games gives Weymouth and Portland an opportunity to showcase sailing to new audiences and give the sport a platform for growth. Hosting a successful Games can help leave a real legacy for the area, boost the local economy and encourage international sailing events to come to Dorset in the future. The yachting conference can help develop those legacy plans and I hope the delegates have a productive and successful meeting.'

The whole South West region will prosper from the activity that is putting Dorset firmly on the international event status map pointing to a successful future for all.

Entry is open for the RB12 event which will run during the month of June, for further details please visit www.rb12.com