1. SUMMERSAILSTICE: UNITING
SAILORS TO GROW SAILING
“Sail locally. Celebrate globally.”

2. AGENDA
- Background of Summer Sailstice
- Challenges for Sailing
- Leveraging Summer Sailstice for growth
in participation & membership
- Partnering with Summer Sailstice
- What next?

3. Summer Sailstice: Background
 A global sailing holiday launched in June 2001 to
celebrate the sailing lifestyle on the weekend closest to
the summer solstice.
 2013 Sailstice is June 22 (year 13)
 Summer Sailstice has grown encompass a worldwide
community of sailors from racers to cruisers, locally
and worldwide.
 All 50 states, 40+ countries, 4900 boats, ~19,000
sailors
 Growing support from sailors, the sailing industry and
sailing media

5. Sailing Challenges
 Participation is not growing
 Competition from other sporting
activities,
 Economy,
 Time-starved audience
 Aging population

7. Challenges: Perception vs Practice

8. Challenges
 Diverse (fragmented) participation &
audience
– hard to demonstrate
– hard to unite
- Intense focus on equipment

9. Sailors…Common Ground

10. Challenges:
Not newsworthy as commonly practiced

11. Summer Sailstice: An Opportunity
The Solution:
 Summer Sailstice invites all sailors to participate and engage
and…it’s free!
 Community Sailing, Commercial Sailing, Junior Sailing, One-
Design classes, Ocean Racing, Recreational Sailors
 Summersailstice.com is an established & growing community
 Focuses on the fun not the equipment
 Creates participation and community
 Newsworthy – a global event capturing a ‘day in the life of
sailing’

12. Summer Sailstice:
Showcases All of Sailing

13. SummerSailstice.com :
A Growing Community

14. Summer Sailstice
Uniting all sailors to get the “whole world”
sailing on Summer Sailstice – June 22, 2013.

15. Benefits
Outreach Instructional Programs Dedicated
 New, aspiring  “Work in  Racers, cruisers,
Sailors Progress” Sailors lapsed Sailors
Summer Sailstice: Summer Sailstice: Summer Sailstice:
 Raise Awareness  Promote Programs • Promote
 Promote access participation
 Skills
 Community • Regattas
sailing • Yacht Club events
You can use Summer Sailstice to inspire and share sailing

16. How to participate:
 Summer Sailstice will:
 Promotes participation
 Logo on homepage
 Summersailstice.com US Sailing page
 E-Letter (19,000 e-list)
 Event poster (logo)
 Annual event reach estimated at xxx (50 states, 47 countries)
 Social media
 Webinars by audience “About SS: Why do it?”
 Showcase individual and organization events
 Showcase sponsors

17. How to participate:
 Engage your company, customers, members, prospects:
 Invest in Summer Sailstice
 Promote event and partnership with all sailors
 E-letter inclusion (Spring 2013)
 Link on your website (Summer Sailstice page)
 In sponsor and member communications (Fall-Spring)
 Include advertising (Spring)
 Incluse in social media

18. What’s Next? Let’s do it!
YOU!

19. Sailing Challenges
 Not growing (participation)
 Competition from other sporting activities,
economy, time-starved audience
 Diverse (fragmented) participation & audience
– hard to demonstrate
– hard to unite
 Public perception as elitist, “hard to master”
 Intense focus on equipment
 Not newsworthy as commonly practiced