Bella Mente Quantum Racing, US Sailing sign broad partnership agreement

America Niagra Adriatic © New York Yacht Club

Bella Mente Quantum Racing Association ("BMQRA") and US Sailing today announced a broad partnership in support of the New York Yacht Club's challenge for the 36th America's Cup to further improve the quality of competitive sailing in the United States and reconnect the American sailing base with sailing's premiere event.

Under the terms of the agreement, US Sailing and BMQRA, which is representing the New York Yacht Club in its quest to reclaim the America's Cup, will work together to identify, train and coach high-caliber, up-and-coming athletes in US Sailing's pool of Olympic and other competitive sailors. US Sailing's expertise will help BMQRA reach and recruit athletes with the potential to compete at the America's Cup level and establish a world-class team capable of winning the competition. In turn, BMQRA will work with US Sailing to help develop and train a larger pool of U.S. athletes in order to further raise the overall quality of American competitive sailing. Together, both organizations will work to reconnect the sailing base in the U.S. with the America's Cup and expand US Sailing's membership and reach.

Hap Fauth, Principal and CEO of BMQRA, said, "BMQRA is focused on rebuilding the once deep connection between the American sailing community and the America's Cup, and reaching and developing a new generation of U.S. sailors. As one of sailing's greatest challenges, the America's Cup represents a unique opportunity for us to help spark the resurgence of competitive sailing in the U.S. and we are confident that, by partnering with US Sailing, we can succeed both in our challenge and in reconnecting with the grass roots. I, along with our other principals, am proud of the team we are assembling and excited for what this campaign can mean for the future of American sailing."

Terry Hutchinson, BMQRA's Executive Director and Skipper, added, "Since its inception, US Sailing has been the most important organization promoting sailing in our country. From its youth programs through its Olympic Development program, US Sailing has been instrumental in identifying and training some of the most talented sailors in America. This partnership connects BMQRA with the best amateur sailing athletes in our country and we are excited for the opportunity to work with US sailing, both to help raise more Americans to the top level of competitive sailing and further add exceptional talent to our process-focused, results-driven team. There's still a tremendous amount of work to be done, but we're excited for what's ahead."

Jack Gierhart, CEO of US Sailing, said, "The America's Cup has always captured the attention of the American public and sailing community and we need to do more to keep them engaged. With BMRQA's focus on connecting with the grass roots, the 36th edition represents an opportunity for us to re-energize the broad base of American sailing. We are excited to work with BMRQA as they assemble and develop a world-class team to bring the Cup back to its home. We also look forward to their support of our mission to promote the sport of sailing throughout the U.S. Their active participation with us will be instrumental in our outreach to our members, yacht clubs and other sailing organizations as we reconnect these groups with the America's Cup and work to increase the caliber of U.S. competitive sailing."