Trophy SeasonOct28
- By lounewlands in Awards,
After a very busy year for OC Group and all its projects, we’re very proud that three of our most important events/properties of 2008 have been shortlisted in various categories for the European Sponsorship Awards (ESA) - click here to view shortlist.
BT Team Ellen has been shortlisted in the Business to Business Category, as has the iShares Cup managed by OC Events. The iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series has also been shortlisted in the overall International category alongside The Artemis Transat, also organised by OC Events. We’ve won a few awards in the past, but never been shortlisted for more than one project in the same year which is great recognition of the work achieved by the company and their supporting partners. There is some strong competition in each of the categories and the winners will be announced at the ESA gala event in Brussels on 20th November.
In addition, OC Group has also been shortlisted for the IOW Chamber of Commerce International Business Award - the judges decision will be made public on 22nd November.
Yachtsponsorship.com on the iShares CupOct28
- By lounewlands in Press Coverage,
Yachtsponsorship.com talks to iShares Cup and OC Events boss, Mark Turner, about breaking the rules and creating long term value for a dizzying array of stakeholders.
World Yacht Racing ForumSep18
- By Karen in Sailing stuff,
The World Yacht Racing Forum wil take place in Monaco on 10-11th December, and OC Group is going to be putting a lot of effort in to this good initiative. There is a superb lineup of speakers and his conference is going to be a must for anyone involved in professional yacht racing, from whatever part of the setup.
Below are two documents you can download if you would like to read more about it:
Alternatively, check out the website: http://www.worldyachtracingforum.com
iShares Cup changing the way we watch sailingSep01
- By Mark Turner in Sailing stuff,
If you haven’t checked it out, go to to see just how we can move the sport of sailing on…according to Kiel city more spectators than when the America’s Cup visited town, and according to Alinghi’s skipper Ed Baird, more spectators than he has ever sailed in front of in his career…and the spectators gasps could be heard on the TV microphones! Great stuff…
Vendée Globe PreviewAug19
- By Dan Griffey in Sailing stuff,
It’s that time again! The 2008 - 2009 Vendée Globe starts on 9th November. Here’s a little taster from the last event…
Vendée Globe Preview from OC Group on Vimeo.
2 down 3 to go…iShares Cup hots upJul01
- By Mark Turner in Sailing stuff,
Well Hyeres was amazing sailing and images…2 capsizes and 1 so close to a capsize it looks like the images were photoshopped to stop Tommy Hilfiger going over (check out www.isharescup.com video section). On the final day the crowds were there and loving it…shame that in the next stop in Cowes we have to sail the other side of the Solent away from the public. Thats the compromise we accepted with Cowes though - the balancing element is that Russell and Oracle are coming - so Oracle v Alinghi, in Cowes, the origin of the America’s Cup…nice, eh…
Back on the ocean racing front, its great to see our ex-BQ record breaking tri back sailing again, and with such a great project in Oman Sail - a genuine attempt to develop sailing in the Middle-East and use it to create role models for the population at large in Oman. More on that project soon, but its a truly inspirational one that we’re happy to helping in a small way with. www.omansail.com for more info…
Other than that, its crazy busy again for all the team in Cowes and Lorient (BT Team Ellen Open 60 base), and some of us are off doing our other passion - the Etape du Tour - a leg of the Tour de France for amateurs, on our bikes…looks like a wet and cold one though this Sunday in the Pyrenees…Albert from our tech team, Andrew Preece from APP TV and Henry Chappell of Pitch PR - just a few of the oddballs doing it!! Wish us luck…
Choosing a venue in sailing…Jun11
- By Mark Turner in Sailing stuff,
How do you get a combination of ’stadium’ effect for the public, good winds for the sailors, great position for VIP’s of the sponsors that at the end of the day pay for it, and all at a price that can actually be afforded?? That is the challenge of finding venues for the iShares Cup (http://www.isharescup.com) - round 1 was in Lugano, on a swiss mountain lake, with unpredictable wind - often none just a drift, and then as you will see if you check the website out, sometimes too much as America’s Cup team Alinghi found it with spectacular results! Round 2 is Hyeres,south of France - open sea, Mistral wind predicted (yikes), but not quite the public stadium we had hoped for when we thought we had a deal with Saint Malo earlier this year - but should be some great images. Our best ever venue still seems to have been the cauldron of a canal in Amsterdam…so we continue in search of the perfect venue! Not easy…
The Artemis Transat - great team, great resultMay29
- By Mark Turner in Sailing stuff,
With a few boats left to come in and a final prizegiving to do, and myself on the way to the next event, the iShares Cup, I just want to thank everyone for simply awesome job everyone has done to make The Artemis Transat 2008 a great success. Whether you played a one-day role in Plymouth, or have woken up every day for months thinking about The Transat, I really appreciate the hard work, sweat, tears, enthusiasm, extremely long hours recently, patience and professionalism you have put in. Quite a few of you have been put in tough positions, and delivered even when literally quite exhausted. I hope the reflections when looking back will be only positive, and the difficult bits forgotten.
We raised the bar significantly between 2004 and 2008, and although very hard to do this event on still what is a very tight budget, we have nonetheless managed to run a race start in the UK that had public and atmosphere like no other for decades, if ever. A race which also probably got as much media coverage in France at least as it could have done, with the Peyron victory story just about everywhere you could imagine.
Despite the critics, and there will always be some, I think you should all be very proud of the achievement whatever role you have played.
THANK YOU - YOU ARE AN AWESOME TEAM OF PEOPLE.
PLYMOUTH IN THE SUNSHINEMay06
- By Mark Turner in Uncategorized,
After a bank holiday weekend start to The Artemis Transat pre-race week, bustling with thousands of spectators, Tuesday morning has begun with great sunshine on the docks in Sutton Harbour. Four years ago, at the last edition of the event, we also had sunshine - but over in Mountbatten, not a great deal of people! So its nice to have really managed to evolve this race for the 2008 edition..have a look at the following link for the race programme - we are so lucky to have inside OC a top quality editor in Jocelyn Bleriot…
So if you are in the SW of England, don’t miss Plymouth this week!
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Been away, sorry!Apr11
- By Mark Turner in Sailing stuff, Sustainability,
Nothing worse than a blog that isn’t updated eh…mmm…well no excuses, just been manic times at OC Group. The finish of the Barcelona World Race was excellent, and looking back, think we can not be unhappy about the final sporting and media results of this inaugural event. The next edition is going to be December 2010, and I think will be a real winner - for all kinds of ocean sailors. Meanwhile, we’ve got the same IMOCA fleet lined up, alongside some hot Class 40’s, for The Artemis Transat, 11 May Plymouth - going to be a big race I think. At the same time OC Events is in final preps for the iShares Cup 2008, first event kicks off in Lugano end of May, a day after The Transat prizegiving in Boston in fact! Bad planning…and on the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team side, our IMOCA 60 “BT’ skippered by Seb Josse is sailing now, and will be launched officially in London on 29 April, and Nick Moloney’s is getting training in the Extreme 40 “BT”. Ellen is very busy on all fronts, with BT, and with our other partners such as E.ON, and a big focus on the Eco-Island project - sustainability project in our home territory of the Isle of Wight. Everyone is working hard on all these projects…time for action!