Tough competition in Palma, ESP at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia MAPRFE, the third event in the ISAF Sailing World Cup circuit. Here's how our LaserPerformance Brand Ambassadors fared:

Anna Tunnicliffe USA
LaserPerformance Brand Ambassador Anna Tunnicliffe, skipper of Team Maclaren, convincingly won the gold for women’s match racing in Palma. The top 18 teams in the world competed in some very challenging conditions. Anna and her crew Molly Vandemoer and Deb Capozzi won the finals 3-1 against Claire Leroy from FRA for the gold!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Portsmouth, RI (USA) February 15, 2012 – Maclaren the pre-eminent lifestyle brand for parenting announced today that it will be the exclusive global sponsor for LaserPerformance athletes, events and products from 2012 to 2016. This commitment is the largest ever in dinghy sailing.

“We are extraordinarily pleased to be announcing this partnership,” said Maclaren Director of PR Bevin Gove. “Our support brings together two iconic brands equally committed to performance and community. It will help to grow the Maclaren brand and expand the sport of sailing at the grassroots level all around the world.”

The Maclaren Sailing Sponsorship Programme aims to motivate, connect and support the global dinghy sailing population. It includes a variety of support ranging from funds for training and racing to community initiatives and more. Sponsorship funding will support boat purchase or charter, fleet finance, entertainment services, logistical support and press and media support.

Sailing organisations and individual sailors can immediately begin submitting applications to the Maclaren Sailing Sponsorship Programme. Organisation applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with a 90-day processing time. Individual applications will be accepted and reviewed with quarterly submission deadlines. Applicants are encouraged to apply early in each quarter as Maclaren may respond on a rolling basis.

This sponsorship is an expansion of Maclaren’s commitment to sailing worldwide. Most recently, Maclaren has sponsored Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi “Team Maclaren” for their Olympic Women’s Match Racing campaign. “Maclaren embodies the same values of performance, quality, empowerment and safety that we sail by every day,” said Tunnicliffe, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist and Team Maclaren skipper.

“We are thrilled to welcome Maclaren as our exclusive global sponsor,” adds LaserPerformance Chairman Bill Crane. “Like Maclaren, the sport of sailing encompasses a complete lifestyle with a longstanding heritage. In an effort to spread the positive impact of sailing, the Maclaren Sailing Sponsorship Programme has been designed to encourage sailing participation and connect sailing enthusiasts worldwide.”

Sponsorship applications and more information about the Maclaren Sailing Sponsorship Programme may be found at LaserPerformance.com or by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About Maclaren – Maclaren is the pre-eminent lifestyle brand for parenting. For nearly 50 years Maclaren has stood for excellence, empowerment and innovation, and is best known for the creation of the first umbrella buggy which revolutionised baby transport. For more information, please visit www.maclarenbaby.com.

About LaserPerformance – LaserPerformance is the world’s largest producer of small sailboats. LaserPerformance boats are designed and built to meet the needs and requests of all sailors. LaserPerformance proudly makes the following sailboats: Sunfish, Laser, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, Laser Pico, Laser SB3, Club FJ, Club 420, Vanguard 15, Laser Vago, Laser 2000, Laser Bahia, Bug, Funboat, Laser Stratos Keel, Dart 16 and Vapor Optimist. For more information, visit: www.laserperformance.com.

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CONTACT:

Bevin Gove
PR Director, Maclaren
T: 203-663-4587
E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rebecca Dellenbaugh
PR Executive, LaserPerformance
T: 203-663-4567
E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Rolex Miami OCR

MIAMI, FLA. (January 18, 2012) – When US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR returns to Coconut Grove, Fla., next week for its 23rd annual edition, top athletes from around the world will be using it as an opportunity to jump-start ambitious sailing goals for 2012, not the least of which, for some, is participation in this summer’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  With racing scheduled from Monday, January 23 through Saturday, January 28, the six-day Rolex Miami OCR is the second of seven 2011-2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas and features elite-level competition in the classes selected for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.  At the close of registration on Sunday, 532 sailors representing 44 countries had registered.

Among the many international competitors–some with Olympic berths secured and others still vying for spots on their national teams–will be Marit Bouwmeester (The Netherlands), who finished 2011 on a high note by winning both the Laser Radial class at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships and the honor of representing her country in that class at the Olympics.

“Everybody has been training really hard the past year, so I think Rolex Miami OCR will be a tough battle again and it will probably stay that way until the Games,” said Bouwmeester whose company out on the water will include fellow podium finishers at the Worlds and Olympic representatives Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla., USA) and Evi Van Acker (Belgium). (Railey also is the defending Rolex Miami OCR champion and has won the event four times.)