JP Morgan Asset Management announced at the London Boat Show their continued sponsorship and working relationship with the Island Sailing Club – unveiling new initiatives for the 2010 Round the Island Race. The JP Morgan Asset Management will extend it’s title sponsorship of the race, as well as for triple Olympic Gold & Silver medallist Ben Ainslie CBE, through to 2012.

There will be a continued charity commitment to the Round the Island Race, and some new initiatives, including:
     
Live race tracking
Online competitor photo gallery
Free water taxis

These new initiatives are in response to ideas raised in the competitor feedback survey and will undoubtedly benefit both competitors and spectators.  New additions include the launch of bespoke technology allowing spectators to remotely track the positions of boats during the Race, an online photo gallery specifically for competitors and free, regular water taxis to ferry sailors between the Folly and the regatta village in Cowes Yacht Haven.

Under starter’s orders
The 2010 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race starts at 0500 on Saturday 19 June. With over 16,000 sailors of all ages and experience and around 1,800 yachts the Race is now the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK, after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs.

Speaking on behalf of the Island Sailing Club, Sonia Mayes, Rear Commodore Sailing, said: “On behalf of the Commodore and the team at the Island Sailing Club, I can only express the tremendous delight and gratitude we have to JP Morgan Asset Management for its continuing commitment to the Round the Island Race up to and including 2012.”

“We are aware of the tough times that sports sponsorship continues to go through and to be able to have that security of a title sponsor through to 2012 is an immense relief.  This renewed sponsorship allows our strong partnership to continue to grow and allows us to keep planning to the good of all concerned. So, I take this opportunity to thank JP Morgan Asset Management for its continued involvement in sponsoring and supporting the event and in doing so helping us to improve the on-water and onshore experience for the many thousands of sailors and spectators alike.”

Track the race on-line
Competitors with suitable GPS-equipped mobile phones or laptops will be able to continuously log their position as they sail around the Island. A global online audience of friends, family, sailing fans and media representatives will be able to follow the progress of participating boats via the Round the Island Race website and, after the finish, competitors will be able to replay their race and compare their performance with that of other boats.

The solution is being developed by the Race technology partner, Next Generation Results.  Subject to the completion of trials, each competitor with compatible equipment will be able to download a small piece of software that will allow their mobile phone or laptop to become a real-time GPS tracking device. The device’s position will be periodically transmitted to the race website, where a simple, easy-to-use race viewer will allow visitors to monitor the progress of individual boats throughout the race.

Other initiatives
One of the recurring things that competitors have said they would appreciate is better access to images of the Race fleet and their boats. In response, the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island website will have an online photo gallery where competitors can access professional photography along with details of how to purchase prints.

Finally, the Island Sailing Club has announced that during the Race weekend, free water taxis will be running between the Folly and Cowes Yacht Haven, West Cowes.

The Race continues to raise an increasing amount for charitable causes with £100,000 raised in 2009.  JP Morgan Asset Management has confirmed that the SailTime Charity Challenge will take place in 2010 where the four preferred race charities – the Ellen MacArthur Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Care and Prostate UK – will race against each other in identical Oceanis 40 yachts. Anyone who would like to apply for a place on one of the four SailTime Charity Challenge boats should visit http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk for more details or contact Dan Wilkinson:

dan.wilkinson@intotheblue.biz
+44 (0)1983 247 286

Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor
JP Morgan Asset Management also announced their continued sponsorship of Ben Ainslie, Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor of all time.  The company has been Ben’s title sponsor since 2007 and backed his gold medal campaign at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jasper Berens, Head of UK Sales, JP Morgan Asset Management, added: “It’s an honour for us to continue as title sponsor of Ben Ainslie. The next couple of years will see Ben attempting to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics and win his fourth consecutive gold medal. Hopefully our support can help him reach this goal.”

Triple Olympic gold and silver medallist, Ben Ainslie CBE said: “The great support I receive from JP Morgan Asset Management makes a huge difference to my Olympic campaign and enables me to put the team in place well in advance. They have backed me since 2007 and have become more than just a sponsor; they are also part of my team and take a great approach to all my sailing commitments. I hope to celebrate continued success together.”