July 4th Launch For UNCHARTED WATERS

Portsmouth, RI (June 30, 2016) – July 4th, 2016 will see the worldwide premier of Uncharted Waters, Presented by Sunbrella, a feature-length film exploring the challenges, triumphs, and motivations of US Sailing Team Sperry athletes, as well as the profound beauty of the sport of sailing.

The film will offer audiences unrivaled access inside the national team, and explore the unique circumstances that have compelled American sailors to pursue success on the international stage. The film was produced by Sunbrella, a US Sailing Team Sperry Gold Partner and the leading supplier of performance fabric to the marine industry.

Viewers will be able to watch the film in its entirety on the dedicated Uncharted Waters homepage: http://uncharted.sunbrella.com

“Uncharted Waters is an unprecedented media project in sailing,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing. “The full-length film demonstrates the national team sailing experience through the eyes of the athlete — commitment to excellence, dedication, sacrifice, the agony and thrill of competition. The action footage that is featured is some of the best in our sport.”

 
The film focuses on the journey of national team sailors competing in both Olympic and Paralympic boat classes, and was shot on location at racing venues in North America, South America, and Europe. For the sailors portrayed in the film, the project has taken on great personal significance over nearly two years of filming.

“When our team started our campaign seven years ago, it was just my teammates and I doing this for ourselves,” said Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), a current Para Sailing World Champion and one of eleven athletes featured onscreen in the documentary.

“The Uncharted Waters project is emblematic of how much bigger this campaign has become than just a few sailors hoping to represent their country. This movie is big in the kind of way I’ve experienced in other major sports films, and it will help create the kind of public awareness that transcends our sport. Fans will cheer for us just because they know our flag and where we come from, and not because they already have deep knowledge of sailing. It is a historic moment for our sport.”

Sail Racing 101, Uncharted Waters Clip:

 
The completion of an ambitious joint media project like Uncharted Waters highlights the successful partnership of the US Sailing Team Sperry and Sunbrella, which was established in 2014.

“Sunbrella has been a steadfast supporter of the US Sailing Team Sperry and our team’s efforts to get on the podium,” said Adams. “The Uncharted Waters project is exceptional, and a fine example of Sunbrella’s creativity and dedication to performance — two qualities inherent to the brand. We are grateful for Sunbrella’s support of the team’s athletes, and are proud to be a partner in this world-class storytelling effort.”

Freund noted that the production team’s focus on making the story approachable to non-sailors allowed him to personally rediscover the sport in certain ways. “I think it really helps that the filmmakers were not heavily involved in the sailing world beforehand because they bring a perspective capable of peering in to our world with wider eyes than we could,” said Freund. “What we know as our normal daily routine, they see as devotion, commitment and even obsession. The audience is going to learn that regardless of the speed of our boat, every advantage we find on the racecourse is claimed through a relentless focus.”

Featured Athletes in Uncharted Waters:

Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Helena Scutt (Kirkland, Wash.) – Rio 2016 will be the first Olympic Games appearances for both Henken and Scutt, who won bronze at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) – Rio 2016 will be the second consecutive Olympics for Railey, a World Champion, Rolex World Sailor of the Year, three-time Pan American Games medalist and US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year.

Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) – Paine, a Sailing World Cup Series Champion, has been the top-ranked American Finn sailor since 2012, and will compete in his first career Olympics.

Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.) – Winners of the 2015 Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2015 US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Haeger and Youth World Champion Provancha will make their first career Olympic Games appearances.

Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine) – The American Paralympic Sonar trio are the reigning Para World Sailing Champions, and have been together for seven years, longer than any national team boat.

Sarah Everhart-Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Cindy Walker (Middletown, R.I.) – The only all-female Paralympic-class sailing team competing in the world, Everhart-Skeels and Walker have inspired fans across the country through their quest to make history.

Uncharted Waters homepage: http://uncharted.sunbrella.com

About the US Sailing Team Sperry
The US Sailing Team Sperry is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry; other sponsors include Gold-Level partner Sunbrella and Silver-Level partners Harken, Team McLube and Groupe Beneteau. Yale Cordage is a team supplier.

The US Sailing Center Miami is an Olympic training site. Oakcliff Sailing and Clearwater Community Sailing Center are US Sailing Team Sperry Training Centers. Chubb Personal Insurance and the Gowrie Group sponsors US Sailing’s National Team Tour, a nationwide presentation program for US Sailing Team Sperry athletes. For more information visit www.ussailing.org/olympics

About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry. For more information visit www.ussailing.org

Source: US Sailing