America’s Cup sponsor becomes Honorary Member of the Alderney Sailing Club
Alderney, 23 May 2017: In recent years, the Alderney Sailing Club has been able attract several high profile sailors as guest speakers for the annual Laying Up Supper. These including the much celebrated Alex Thomson, an honorary member of the Alderney Sailing Club, who came second in the single-handed round the world race “Vendee Globe”.
A few weeks ago, Sailing Club Commodore Tess Woodnutt offered an Honorary Membership to Sir Keith Mills who was delighted to accept.
Sir Keith who is an avid sailor, has close friends on the island and has visited Alderney with his family on several occasions.
Sir Keith is a key support behind Round the World Vendée Globe solo skipper Alex Thomson. He is the founder and director of the British America’s Cup team, and Chairman and sole shareholder of Open Sports Management, the company that owns the Ocean Masters World Championship. He is also the lead backer of Sir Ben Ainsley’s America’s Cup campaign. The Olympic gold medallist is set to compete in the event in the Bermuda which starts this Friday 26th May.
In his Laying Up Supper speech seven years ago, Sir Keith confirmed his ambition to bring the hotly contested America’s Cup to Britain and, as quoted in a recent Sunday Times article, he wants the British public to get behind the contest with all the passion of a ‘world cup or a Ryder Cup’.
This is his latest sporting venture. Sir Keith is also one of the key organisers of the Invictus Games. Sir Keith was also deputy Chairman of the organising committee for the London 2012 Olympics and he is now looking for support to build a world class sailing centre in Portsmouth.
Meanwhile, the many members of the Alderney Sailing Club will be following the progress of Ben Ainslie’s “Landrover Bar” with great interest and much hope for a victorious result. To watch the America’s Cup click here