SAIL-RACE CHALLENGES REVITALIZE CORPORATE THINKING
Leadership and Team Building Programs Aboard Equate to Higher Productivity Ashore

FORT MYERS, FL - (February, 2007) –Offshore Sailing School’s Corporate Sail-Race Challenges® have gained glowing recognition among companies with leadership and teambuilding skills in mind. Utilizing sailing to promote growth, communication and strategic implementation in the workplace, more than 20 organizations refreshed their crews on the exciting waters of the Hudson River or the Gulf of Mexico in half and full-day outings this past summer. “I’m getting at least three calls a day from companies seeking a rewarding event tied to their company goals,” reports Diana Smith, Sales Manager for the 43-year old Offshore Sailing School.

And it’s not just limited to the New York area. Springtime heralds widespread popularity for corporate meetings at sun-drenched Florida locations.

The need for team building has remained stable through prosperous and challenging times, but is constantly redefined by a diverse variety of activities. Sailing is one of those activities that anyone can participate in at any age. It evokes quick actions, team efficiency and unique problem solving skills among groups that must interact on a day to day basis.

“The analogies between sailing and business are many,” explains Steve Colgate, who founded Offshore Sailing School in 1964 and caught Business Week’s attention two years later. “Changes in the marketplace can be compared to reacting to wind shifts. Sudden paradigm shifts need the same attention as fast moving squalls, and reaching goals requires communication whether on board or in an office setting,” he adds.

All sailing is aboard Colgate 26 sport boats, specifically designed for teaching, with large cockpits and a coaching platform for the instructor. This award winning trainer is now used by the United States Naval Academy, the United States Coast Guard Academy, Maine Maritime and United Kingdom Sailing Academy, and has become popular with recreational and racing sailors.

“Sailing is a multi-task activity,” says Steve Colgate. “It depends on interaction between skipper and crew who all must react to changing conditions as a team. That’s what makes it such a valuable tool for simulating and solving corporate issues.” Offshore’s Corporate Sail-Race Challenges® range from a four-hour hands-on sailing experience to multi-day customized programs. During these sessions, subtle leadership and team building skills are developed as attendees learn the basic skills of sailing, culminating in a competition between boats. In longer programs, on-water and classroom sailing instruction are combined with structured corporate meetings, applying the principals of sailing to the purpose of the corporate meeting.

“We ask everyone aboard to rotate positions, so everyone is a crew member or captain at some point during the exercises,” said Colgate. “There’s a sudden reality check when the CEO realizes he’s taking orders from a sales manager, and they are all working together to achieve a common goal. Likewise, the sales manager begins to understand the issues at the top when she or he has to take the helm.”

Offshore has conducted corporate programs for groups as small as eight and as many as 90. Dr. Pepper/7 Up, UBS Investment Bank, Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Boston Red Sox, Chrysler, Mannington Mills, Amaranth, Bain & Co., Bank of America, Cisco, Credit Suisse of Boston, Deloitte & Touche, Ford Motor Co., Jefferies & Company, Kraft Foods, the Pepsi Bottling Group and American Medical Association are just a few of the many organizations that have participated.

Corporate Sail-Race Challenges® are offered throughout the year at select Florida resort locations, and April through October on the Hudson River out of Liberty Landing Marina in New Jersey and Chelsea Piers in New York City. Instructor-coaches are US SAILING certified and come to the program with diverse backgrounds in corporate and individual training.

Since 1964, Offshore Sailing School has graduated more than 100,000 adults and is the only sailing school recognized by the American Council on Education for college credits. The school is ranked #1 by Practical Sailor in both instructors and curriculum, and was designated “Best Sailing Lessons” in New York Magazine’s 2006 “Best of New York” issue. The school offers five levels of sailing instruction at ten locations, including four in Florida; the British Virgin Islands; Bahamas; Grenadines; and both sides of the Hudson River in New York Harbor and Long Island Sound.

For more information, contact Offshore Sailing School at 800-221-4326 or visit the school’s website at www.offshoresailing.com

####

Editor’s Note:  For high-resolution images, please contact Mary Orme at mary@amcenergy.com or 727-733-9332