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William and Mary Sailing Team (Racing)

College of William and Mary

Department of Recreation Sports

P.O. Box 8795

Williamsburg, VA 23187

Fellow Sailors and Friends of W&M Sailing,

I am writing to you today to introduce myself as coach of the William and Mary Sailing Team. While we may be a club sport team, we compete at the collegiate varsity level as a member of the mid-atlantic division of the intercollegiate sailing association. With more than forty sailors and a fleet of 10 collegiate flying juniors, this young team has already developed into a competitive group, regularly finishing in the top half of competitions. This is impressive in that we sail against some of the best varsity teams in the country, including Georgetown, Saint Mary’s College and Old Dominion University. Just this spring, we captured third place in the very competitive Leroy Grant Regatta held at Christopher Newport University and co-sponsored by William and Mary

As we are a club sport team at William and Mary, we function with a very limited budget. While we are always grateful to our Recreation Sports Department for their guidance and support, the costs associated with competing at the collegiate level in sailing go far beyond what they can give us. So, we either pay for such things as travel and needed equipment on our own, or go without. Therefore we are always looking for those who love sailing and want to be part of our family, that is W&M Sailing. This can take many forms, from help with putting on our events, to just showing up at a regatta to cheer us on. As you might expect, we are also interested in developing a group of supporters who can give us the resources we need to succeed. Some ideas of what we are looking for are listed below…

Team Sponsorship: We are always looking for creative ways to gain support. This can range from putting a company or personal name to a boat (naming rights per boat = $1,000) to annual levels of sponsorship to bring our budget in line with our competitive ability, activity, and needs. Currently, we receive an annual budget of ~$5,000 from the University. However, we have estimated our operating needs at ~$12,000-$15,000 per year. I am more than happy to speak with any potential supporter about creative ways to help.

Regatta Sponsorship: It costs us ~$1,500.00 to run the Colony Cup, which we host annually in the spring at our sailing site on the James River at First Colony. Sponsorship will cover all expenses and will include providing lunch for all competitors and commemorative t-shirts, which will include the sponsor’s name and any appropriate logo. In addition, a banner announcing the Colony Cup will be displayed on campus during the weeks preceding the regatta. This event regularly attracts ten teams from as far away as Penn. State and most of the Virginia teams, including the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Our site provides a great venue for spectators and usually draws a very large crowd.

Travel: Currently, this is not covered in the funds we receive from the University. So, we usually do not travel far, and do it at our own expense. However, as the team has improved and become more competitive, we have been invited and qualified for some of the bigger events which may be a great distance from Williamsburg, as far away as Long Island. So, developing an annual travel budget of ~4,000 is a goal for the team. This would allow us to sail where and when we can show our best!!!

Equipment & Sails: One thing about sailing is that we sail hard and fast!!! With an average of four practices a week during the collegiate season (Sept. – May), we put a lot of wear and tear on our boats and sails. They need to be maintained, as do our safety boats. While we can cover the normal expenses, currently, we have a major need for new mainsails for our fleet of 10 collegiate flying juniors. In addition, we need to replace the inflatable hulls on our coach boat. This 16 foot rigid inflatable is the pride of our fleet of three safety boats, which keep us safe on the water and provide a platform for instruction during practice.

Mainsails: $400 each (need a full set of 10)

Naming Rights: $1000...name one of our Flying Juniors!!!!!

Hulls for safety boat: $3,500.00. The boat has been assessed at $12,000.00

New Boat Fund: (Flying juniors & 420s). They will cost ~3,000 - 5,000 each.

Any and all support is welcomed and appreciated. Please feel free to contact me or any W&M Sailor!!!

John D.Griffin,Ph.D.

Coach, William and Mary Sailing

757-221-2257 or jdgri2@wm.edu