Another recent  accomplishment of our syndicate which we are most proud of was the staging of a Grade One International Match Race here in St. Thomas in early December.  The event featured eight Cup teams, ESPN coverage, local crowds, great weather, and fun social events for everyone.  The event was a HUGE success, providing our local community a real view of  our Challenge and showcasing our syndicate and the Caribbean to the world.  And best of all, it provided a glimpse of what this challenge is all about:  bringing the community together, pursuing excellence in sport & technology, building pride, focusing on our greatest asset - the water, and promoting ourselves to the world.

And now to the future and what looms ahead for this great campaign.  We have a truly fantastic mission and have laid a great foundation towards accomplishing it:  purchasing the IACC yacht Stars & Stripes as our training boat, signing a veteran design team, the sailing team ranked amongst the top ten in the world, great support from the community, and a marine program creating opportunities for locals.  But now the real steps must be taken to accomplish our mission in the limited time available, and this means the funds required to implement all our programs.  Towards this end we have established a goal of raising 2.5 million dollars by February 1998 as critical to meeting our objectives for the campaign.  Please support us at this crucial time so the dream can continue towards becoming a reality.