US SAILING EXPANDS MOUNT GAY RUM
SPEAKER SERIES TO 18 EVENTS
Sperry Top-Sider and Sunsail added as Official Sponsors

Portsmouth, R.I. (December 1, 2005) – US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, announced today that it will expand its Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series to 18 events in the 2006 season. In addition to title sponsor Mount Gay Rum, Sperry Top-Sider and Sunsail have also become Official Sponsors of the program.

US SAILING’s Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series was first created in 2005 as a grassroots, educational series delivering high quality seminars to sailors nationwide. The Series proved to be very successful in its first year with more than 1,500 sailors attending ten events. Details are currently being finalized to bring the Series to 18 different sailing organizations around country. The 2006 schedule will be announced next month, with events scheduled between January and April.

"The Speaker Series program is a great way for us to impact sailors directly and it's a natural fit to partner with top industry leaders like Mount Gay Rum, Sunsail and Sperry Top-Sider for these grassroots events," said US SAILING's Marketing Director Dan Cooney. "These are brands that sailors know and love."

As Official Sponsors of the Speaker Series, Mount Gay Rum (Official Rum of US SAILING), Sperry Top-Sider (Exclusive Footwear Supplier to the US Sailing Team) and Sunsail (a leading provider of yacht charter vacations worldwide) are demonstrating that they are dedicated to enhancing the sport and developing unique events that will help sailors improve their on- and off-the-water sailing knowledge.

For more information about US SAILING’s Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series, please visit www.ussailing.org/sponsorship/speakerseries.  

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. www.mountgayrum.com  

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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