“SailProud Apparel will help the St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta ‘go green’ in 2010,” Regatta Director Julie San Martin announced in September. A two year-old start-up clothing company will offer sustainable eco-friendly nautical apparel appealing to regatta participants, sponsors and visitors, while reducing the negative impact on the world’s environment.
SailProud founder and President, Phil Tepfer’s line will include “Transitional Performance” products like EcoWear™ Fabric Technical tee shirts, constructed with a blended fabric made from recycled plastic bottles woven with certified organic cotton, and CoolBlendTM polo shirts made with Bamboo+ TM, a sustainable resource.
Rash guards also made from Bamboo+TM plus rayon have been tested by crews on a TP-52 in New England with great results, according to Tepfer, and should do well in the tropical waters of St. Croix.
“Transitional performance apparel offers the best of both worlds,” he says, “performance and lifestyle—on the water or on shore.” His company has partnered with U.S. Sailing, providing sailing apparel at seven of their championship events and in an online store accessible from the event website.
SailProud is no stranger to charity events like the St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta. Ten percent of their profit is donated to the Heart of Sailing Foundation, benefitting developmentally disabled children. Additionally, Tepfer captains a boat for the organization, donates clothing and sponsors a local chapter of the Foundation.
The apparel maker will offer regatta shirts in advance online via the regatta’s newly redesigned website later this year. Teams may order custom embroidery, such as a boat name or logo, on the regatta shirts in order to look extra special at the famous Cruzan Rum welcome party and throughout the event.
The St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta will be held February 19-21, 2010. Inspired by Competition, Enhanced with Compassion, the organizers aim to raise funds and awareness for hospice on St. Croix. Funds raised at the event will go to support the end-of-life medical needs of St. Croix residents, regardless of their ability to pay. Over one-third of the island’s population is under-insured or has no health insurance coverage at all, according to Continuum Care, Inc., a Medicare-certified company providing hospice care in the USVI. Fiscal non-profit sponsorship, provided by the St. Croix Foundation, offers donors 501(C)(3) tax deductible sponsorship options at several levels.
The competition promises to be inspiring, with one-design and dinghy racing in Teague Bay and CSA handicap racing in the Buck Island Channel. Cruisers, live-aboards, and heavy displacement vessels with Simplified CSA ratings (to comprehend cubic feet of onboard refrigeration, drinkable canned goods and wine cellars) are invited for Hospice Class racing along the beautiful north shore of St. Croix.
For more information on the regatta, hospice, St. Croix, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Julie San Martin, Regatta Director, 340.690.9040, or Ellen Sanpere, Media Relations, 312.285.9644.
Preview submitted by St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta
