Ryan Breymaier, Ocean Racer...

We’ve made no excuses about our enthusiasm for offshore racer Ryan Breymaier, who may just be America’s only real hope at a major US sponsor and top US result in the Vendee Globe. The Annapolis native became the first American to break into the French offshore scene in memory, working as rigger and shore crew during Roland Jourdain’s Veolia Open 60 and MOD campaigns, and taking the helm of the generations-old Neutrogena to finish 5th in the non-stop(ish) Barcelona World Race.

Thanks largely to Larry Ellison, America is more attuned right now to sailboat racing now than it has been since 1987. Between the wonderful AC72 final, a recent HBO Sports documentary on Alex Thomson, and the soon-t0-be-released Robert Redford singlehanded blockbuster “All is Lost”, if there has ever been a time for a US-based racer to push for a major sponsor, the time is now.

Fortunately the good folks at 5West know all that — that’s the Sir Keith Mills-backed agency that handles Thomson’s Open 60 management and the Hugo Boss sponsorship contract — and they’re throwing their hat in with Breymaier. 5West hopes to use their contacts and experience to land him a budget for next year’s Barcelona and 2016′s Vendee Globe, hopefully waking up the largely untapped American market to IMOCA style racing. Anyone who cares about offshore racing and the US should head over to the Project USA site to find out more. And if you’d like to see an American effort in the next big race and your company (or an affiliate) is looking for some innovative sports/green marketing, get in touch with them right away!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sPgcRplwE0Y