After the devastating hit of Hurricane Ivan on Grenada, two good pieces of news are coming from the LaSource Grenada Sailing Festival. Firstly, it has been confirmed that the event will be taking place on its original dates of JanuaryÊ28th to FebruaryÊ1st, Ê2005, and the organisers will be looking forward to welcoming entries from as many of its faithful Festival friends and supporters as possible. And secondly, the event will be joined by a new Premier Festival Sponsor, ComNav Marine Ltd., based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.ComNav Marine Ltd. is one of the largest privately owned autopilot manufacturers in the world and has been providing advanced marine navigation systems for commercial, recreational and government markets since 1983, now with a worldwide dealership program in more than 80 countries.

Mr David Martin of ComNav Marine said: “Our participation in the LaSource Grenada Sailing Festival is the first of many initiatives that Comnav Marine Ltd. will be undertaking to raise our product awareness in North America and the Caribbean. We hope to display our new NX2 Fast Data Exchange sail racing instruments and software and bring them to the attention of the Caribbean Yacht Racing community. These exciting new instruments were key to the acquisition of meteorological data for the “Alinghi” America’s Cup Sailing Team and were also used by the America’s Cup boats participating in the “Challenge Series” in San Francisco. Our goal is to give the yacht racing community the same features and functions that are found aboard many of the elite racing yachts around the world, at a fraction of the cost. We look forward to an active role with the organising committee of this regatta to make it a success in all ways.”

Also commenting on the announcement, Mr James Robinson, Chairman of the LaSource Grenada Sailing Festival, said: ” We are delighted to welcome ComNav Marine Ltd. to the event. Gaining the support of such a major international company in the marine industry is a great boost for the Festival, particularly at this time as we fight back from the devastating effects of Hurricane Ivan. This news will help to keep our event and Grenada on the world map for quality sailing. Even as an intimate, fun Regatta in the Caribbean, we pride ourselves in maintaining a reputation for running a professional, high-class event. We believe that through our partnership with ComNav Marine, a company also dedicated to quality and high standards, the LaSource Grenada Sailing Festival will go from strength to strength.”

Since 1994 the Festival, with its unique mix of international yachts and traditional wooden, bamboo rigged workboats, has become a very special event for Grenada - one to which friends return again and again. In 2004 the LaSource Grenada Sailing Festival was featured as one of the five top Caribbean Regattas in the prestigious American Yachting Magazine Sailing World, published in the yachting haven of Newport, Rhode Island. With this history, the Festival organizers have been determined to go ahead and stage its 2005 event as a very positive message from all in Grenada.

In addition, the Festival organisers would like to thank all those existing sponsors and supporters, without whom the event could not take place: LaSource; Grenada Board of Tourism; Heineken and Mount Gay Rum through agents Bryden & Minors; Cable & Wireless Grenada Ltd; Grenada Co-Operative Bank Ltd.; Grenlec; The Grenada Broadcasting Network; Grenada Bottling Ltd.; True Blue Bay Resort & Marina; American Eagle; British Airways; Alex Swan Ltd; Island Water World; Horizon Yacht Charters; Turbulence Grenada Ltd.; The Grenada Yacht Club; COT Caribbean Graphics and Eightzeronine Design, Barbados.

The entry form is on the Festival’s official website www.grenadasailingfestival.com.
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