Sperry Top-Sider Named Title Sponsor of the 2013 Melges 24 World Championship
Lexington, MA (January 4, 2013) – Leading global nautical performance and lifestyle brand Sperry Top-Sider®, is proud to announce its title sponsorship of the 2013 Sperry Top-Sider Melges 24 World Championship. Teams from across the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Japan and Australia are expected to participate in the Championship, which will be hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club from September 20th, 2013 to October 5th, 2013.
Sperry and the Melges 24 Class will work in partnership with The San Francisco Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club on the Pacific Coast of North America. The Melges 24 is a leading international sports boat class providing exciting and technically demanding racing that attracts many of the top names in sailing, including Olympic, America’s Cup, World and Continental Champions, to its regattas.
On announcing the sponsorship, Craig Reingold, President of Sperry Top-Sider, commented, “As the inventor of the world’s first boat shoe, Sperry Top-Sider has been deeply involved in supporting sailing on a global level. When the opportunity arose to become title sponsor and official footwear provider of the Melges 24 World Championship, we immediately recognized the benefit of associating with such a prestigious class. We look forward to, what will no doubt be, an exciting World Championship.”
US Melges 24 Class President, Christopher Farkas remarked, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Sperry Top-Sider on the 2013 Melges 24 World Championship. This partnership has been carefully planned over many months, as the synergy between our two brands is clear. We look forward to working with the Sperry team to maximize the potential of what promises to be a marquee championship for our members and for Sperry.”
Sperry has a strong history of supporting performance sailing at the highest level and currently has 34 Olympic Class athletes from seven countries representing Team Sperry Top-Sider. Thirty competed at London 2012 and six came home with medals.
This new sponsorship demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to the sport, post-Olympics, and complements the impressive roster of existing sailing partnerships - including title sponsorship of the U.S. Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, and the National Safe Boating Council.
Further information about the 2013 Sperry Top-Sider Melges 24 World Championship is available from www.melges24worlds13.com and via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Melges24Championships) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/Melges_24).
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About Sperry Top-Sider
Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those with a Passion for the Sea®. From its introduction of the world’s first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the standard of high-performance amphibious footwear and apparel for life and activities in, on and around the water.
Available around the globe in independent, marine, outdoor, department stores and on www.sperrytopsider.com, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, the U.S. Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, the Head of the Charles Regatta and the National Safe Boating Council.
Since early 2010, the brand has launched 27 Sperry Top-Sider retail stores in the U.S. – retail stores dedicated to the Passion for the Sea® lifestyle. Sperry Top-Sider is a division of Wolverine Worldwide. For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com.
About the Melges 24
The Melges 24 is designed by Reichel Pugh and holds a unique position amongst the World's one design sportsboats as one of the most successful classes of high performance yachts. For more information, please visit www.melges24.com.
About The San Francisco Yacht Club
Founded in 1869, The San Francisco Yacht Club is the oldest Yacht Club on the Pacific Coast of North America. The Club is widely recognized as the premier yachting facility on the West Coast. The Club has a very active racing and Junior Sailing program and has hosted prestigious events such as the Melges 24 North American Championship, the US Sailing Chubb U.S. Junior Championship, the US Sailing Men's Championship, and the International Knarr Championship. For more information, please visit www.sfyc.org.
For further information, please contact:
Saltwater Communications
Georgina Bartlett or Hannah Manning-Swallow
Georgina.bartlett@saltwatercoms.com
+44 (0)1202-669244
Sperry Top-Sider
Corey Farrell
corey.farrell@sperrytopsider.com
International Melges 24 Class
Fiona Brown, Administrator & Media Coordinator
fiona.brown@melges24.com
+44 7711 718470
San Francisco Yacht Club
Anne McCormack, Race Administrator
race@sfyc.org
+1.415.789.5647