Offshore Sailing School kicks off its 50th Anniversary year with a contest open to anyone who has had an on-water experience with Offshore. “We invite anyone who has taken a sailing lesson or certification course, participated in a team building or leadership event, a flotilla or any other Offshore Sailing School sailing activity in the past 50 years, to share their experiences and win fantastic prizes,” announced company President & CEO Doris Colgate.
The contest runs through September 1, 2014 and entries can be any form of artistic expression including essays, poetry, videos, photos, drawings “depicting how sailing has impacted their lives,” explains Colgate. “This is just the start of a year of celebrations, with events, special promotions and bonuses announced each month. To commemorate our anniversary milestone, all 2014 graduates of Offshore Sailing School certification courses will also receive a special Offshore Sailing School 50th Anniversary cap.”
Headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida with eight sailing vacation locations in Florida, Maryland, the British Virgin Islands, New York and New Jersey, the company has taught more than 130,000 adults and their families to sail or sail better since Olympian and America’s Cup sailor, Steve Colgate, founded it in 1964. “It is hard to believe that nearly 50 years have passed since I started Offshore Sailing School at a cocktail party in New York City with a guy who owned a cruising boat,” states Steve Colgate. “It has been an incredibly rewarding journey.”
The contest’s Grand Prize is a “priceless” private dinner with Steve and Doris Colgate at the exclusive New York Yacht Club in New York City. This unique opportunity for two also includes overnight accommodations at the Club, a $500 American Express gift card, and plenty of time for Steve and Doris to share stories of their extraordinary sailing adventures over the past 50 years.
Other prizes include a week-long private charter for four sailors aboard an Offshore Sailing School Jeanneau 439 with an instructor and chef, with two nights’ accommodations at the Gulf-front Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach, Florida; a week-long stay for two at the tropical and relaxing South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, Florida with the use of a Colgate 26 sailboat; a two-night/three-day sailing vacation for two at the romantic Inn at Perry Cabin by Orient-Express in St. Michaels, Maryland with use of a Colgate 26 sailboat; and a $500 gift certificate for Gill gear, some of the best sailing apparel and accessories available in the marine industry.
Contest rules and entry details are at www.OffshoreSailing.com.The contest runs from January 1-September 1, 2014 with winners announced at the U.S. Sailboat Show in October in Annapolis. Prizes will be redeemed in 2015. “In addition to special promotions and events throughout this 50th Anniversary year,” said Doris, “we will continue as a national sponsor of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Leukemia Cup Regattas and are hosting an Offshore Sailing School Instructor (past and present) Reunion in April at our school on Captiva Island, Florida.” During Offshore’s sold-out Performance Race Week in April, the Colgates will announce a Celebrity Pro-Am Sailboat Racing Regatta to take place in January 2015, in collaboration with acclaimed sailor, broadcast commentator, author, and Leukemia survivor, Gary Jobson. Proceeds from participation fees will benefit charities supported by Offshore Sailing School.
