US SAILING and Harken Announce Strategic Partnership
Harken Official Hardware Supplier and Sponsor to US Sailing Team

Portsmouth, R.I. (April 29, 2005) —US SAILING and Harken Yacht Equipment today announced a new five-year strategic partnership naming Harken as the “Official Hardware Supplier” and sponsor of the US Sailing Team. The US Sailing Team is working with its family of sponsors to act on a newly developed 20-year strategic plan to make dramatic increases in the support available to American sailors who are training to represent the U.S. in future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Harken is pleased to announce our partnership with the US Sailing Team,” said Harken’s Vice President Olaf Harken. “We are particularly excited about the prospect of playing an active roll in their new strategy that has been articulated so clearly about team’s future,”

As part of the new partnership, Harken will supply the members of the US Sailing Team with the highest quality hardware, ensuring that the Team-members will be able to focus more on getting ready for the on-the-water challenges ahead.

“We are delighted to have a strategic partner such as Harken Yacht Equipment,” explains Dean Brenner, Chairman of US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee. “They bring the best products, the experience, the technology, and the global service network to our members of the US Sailing Team. When the Team represents our country, traveling to seemingly endless regattas around the world, Harken will be there with them, providing the best hardware products.”

Harken, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of innovative sailboat hardware and accessories. Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Harken manufactures in USA and Italy. Their network includes offices in Rhode Island, California, Florida, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The US Sailing Team is managed by US SAILING, national governing body of the sport. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

(End)