New Partnership to Promote Sailing Worldwide

The American Sailing Association (ASA) and Hobie Cat® Company have launched a worldwide partnership, the goal of which is to attract a new and enthusiastic wave of sailors into the sport. Hobie has partnered with ASA for this project to grow the sport of sailing. The catalyst will be the global excitement for sailing generated by ORACLE TEAM USA’s spectacular come-from-behind America’s Cup victory, a targeted sailing education program developed by ASA, and a special edition Hobie catamaran.

The “concept boat” for this endeavor, with its distinctive black hulls and logoed sail, is at The Paris Boat Show (Dec. 6-15) in the Hobie booth as the flagship of this project.

The new boat will be the first in a series of special edition ASA/Hobie catamarans designed with the dual purpose of making it easy to learn as well as appealing to those youth and young adults attracted to the speed and performance of multihulls. The boats will be offered by Hobie Cat sailboat dealers worldwide starting in 2014 concurrent with the ASA’s rollout of its new educational program featuring the new boat. “As with any sport, there always needs to be massive efforts by our industry to get new participation into sailing,” commented Hobie’s Director of Marketing, Dan Mangus. “Our new partnership with ASA is Hobie’s contribution to this endeavor. Our whole team is enthused about sharing our passion for sailing.”

“Sailing’s image got a dramatic face lift during the recent America’s Cup competition in San Francisco. With foiling catamarans and global TV exposure it created an incredible opportunity to widen the sport’s reach at its very foundation -the new sailor. Now, Hobie and ASA are poised to further broaden the impact of the America’s Cup in a very fundamental way – by growing the sport,” noted two-time America’s Cup winner, Peter Isler, co-founder of ASA and a member of the ASA’s Board of Directors.

The education arm of the partnership will be a new educational program that will be featured at ASA schools. ASA’s catamaran program will also be available for use by sailing and yacht clubs around the world. “Over the past 30 years the ASA has certified over 400,000 people through our education program that is offered at over 300 professional sailing schools worldwide. The recent America’s Cup exposed the world to the excitement of multihull sailing. We saw an opportunity to work with Hobie to build on that excitement to bring a whole new group of sailors into our great sport,” says Cindy Shabes, President of the ASA.

The American Sailing Association has been the leader in U.S. sailing education for over three decades. ASA’s worldwide network of over 300 professionally accredited sailing schools have trained and certified over 400,000 students to ASA’s Educational Standards. Based in Los Angeles, CA, the ASA continues to strive to promote the sport of sailing through its multi-tiered educational system and membership program. www.asa.com

Since 1950, Hobie has been in the business of shaping a unique lifestyle based around fun, water, and quality products. From their headquarters in Oceanside, California, Hobie Cat Company manufactures, distributes, and markets an impressive collection of eco-sensitive watercraft worldwide. These include an ever-expanding line of recreation and racing sailboats, pedal-driven and paddle sit-on-top recreation and fishing kayaks, inflatable kayaks, fishing boats and stand-up paddleboards plus a complementary array of parts and accessories. www.hobiecat.com