US SAILING AND MOUNT GAY RUM EXTEND PARTNERSHIP

Portsmouth, R.I. (September 15, 2005) – US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, and Mount Gay Rum, Official Rum for US SAILING, announced today that they have extended and expanded their partnership. The new agreement runs through December 2006 and includes the expansion of US SAILING’s Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series to include a wide range of topics that will appeal to racing and cruising sailors.

US SAILING and Mount Gay Rum originally became partners in 2005 and created the US SAILING Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series, a grass roots program that has since brought sailing experts such as Olympians and racing rules specialists to yacht clubs throughout the country. The Series have proven to be a great success and will now be expanded to include new topics geared towards the cruising sailor, such as chartering boats and cruising in various areas in the country.

“The partnership between US SAILING and Mount Gay Rum brings two market leaders together,” said US SAILING’s Executive Director Charlie Leighton. “The expansion of the Speaker Series program puts knowledgeable and respected sailing experts directly in touch with all types of sailors, providing increased knowledge to help our sailors enjoy their time on the water.”

“Mount Gay Rum has been a dedicated supporter of the sport of sailing for decades and working together with US SAILING, an organization so widely respected by sailors and sailing organizations, is a logical partnership for us,” said Elena Putilina, Category Director for Mount Gay Rum. “After last year’s success, we wanted to venture even deeper into the sailing lifestyle and US SAILING offers the platform to do that.”

About Mount Gay Rum
The rum of choice among sailors worldwide, Mount Gay Rum has been a part of the sailboat racing and cruising community for centuries. The Brand supports more than 160 regattas worldwide every year with about 100 in the U.S. alone. Mount Gay Rum enjoys a loyal and enthusiastic consumer franchise among sailors worldwide.

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing 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.  

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