Ft. Myers, FL - February 15th, 2008: Hello friends and supporters of Ryan Finn Ocean Racing. I know this has been a long time coming, but I'm packing up Myrna Minkoff and moving to France to qualify for the 2009 Mini Transat, the biennial singlehanded Trans-Atlantic from La Rochelle, France to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. I don't have an exact date to be there, but when I am finished with Myrna's refit I will start to look at either sailing or shipping her to Lorient. From the moment Myrna is relaunched this Spring, my entire world will be devoted to qualifying for the 2009 Mini Transat.

We've had an amazing winter here at RFOR bringing in many sponsors and supporters. Over the past couple of months I've contacted many companies within the sailing industry about my Mini Transat plans and how they can be part of the RFOR team, and almost all of them have said "Yes" or helped me make a contact who would. It's wonderful to have the support and trust of so many established and accomplished people. I'm deeply inspired to perform for them on the water as well as they have performed for me on shore.

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These are the current sponsors who wish to be announced:

Lewmar is replacing all winches, clutches, blocks, cam cleats, pad-eyes, everything! This time around there will be no cutting corners, and the deck layout promises to be more ergonomic and tougher than ever.

Samson Ropes has again come to the rescue, and we will be refining all the running rigging based on Myrna's sucess last summer. It's great to be working with them again.

Ullman Sails will be designing and building my entire sail wardrobe. The new mast set up will allow a much larger sail plan, and I'm working with Dave Ullman and Dave Bolyard on refining these sails to be as light and fast as possible. Meeting with Ullman and Bolyard in Key West was very reasuring. I am confident that with thier expertise in design, execution and on the race course, and my experience offshore, we will have the fastest most refined sails of any loft in the United States.

RBS Batten Systems is supplying all of my battens, and we will be experimenting with differant types of battens to maximize performance, weight and reliability for these types of boats.

E Paint is supplying all the bottom paint for Myrna, and I'm very happy to have their environmentally friendly anti-fouling paint on our bottom. Typically anti-fouling paints contain some sort of poison to keep growth off of boat bottoms. E Paint however is non toxic, keeps growth off and has a nice smooth finish. What more could you ask?

Layline will be filling in much of the miscellaneous gear that my other sponsors cannot supply. They are the ultimate resource for any sailor with a long, rambling work list.

Zhik brand sailing gear will be keeping me warm and dry in the upcoming European Mini season. "Gear designed for the fastest wettest athletes" That pretty much sums up mini racing.

Sailtrim.org is responsible for keeping my mind and body focussed on maximum performance on and off the water. I'm working with Jennifer Langille on achieving the most appropriate physique and cardio health for the demands of the Mini Transat. Having a daily exercise routine has become a meditation of sorts where I visualize pushing myself on the water. The result is that I'm a lot stronger today than I was a year ago.

Gill has offered me their pro deal allowing me to purchase the gear I will requre for the crossing. With drysuit hand and neck sleeves the Ocean Racer gear will be drier than anything I've used before. I look forward to not having cold water dribble down my neck or up my sleeves.

Forte Carbon Fiber Products has built my new mast and boom tubes. The new mast will weigh roughly half of what I am currently sailing with and will allow me to carry much larger sails at higher wind speeds. Though they are not a sponsor, I do consider them a supporter of RFOR because they have been kind enough to allow me to finish building my spars in their shop this March. Very helpful indeed.

Genasun is also pro-rating gear to me to ensure I not only have the most efficiant charging system, but also the most reliable one.

In addtion to these sponsors there are several others waiting in the wings. I will announce them as they are finalized over the next couple of months.

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As some of you may have noticed, all of these sponsors are in-kind. That is, they are giving me free gear or services as opposed to the elusive cash sponsors. While I have not landed a cash sponsor yet, I do have three parties working on this for me.

Jeffrey Dingle at The Mini Store LLC, who is introducing the first ever 'Made in AmerIca' production Mini, has been involved with my Mini campaign for the past two years. He is my Communications Director, Webmaster and also pursuing sponsorship. Beth Perry, my agent at Sailing 360 Sponsorships LLC, is also searching for sponsors for the Mini Transat and various other sailing projects. And America's Wetlands are once again searching for a sponsor to make Myrna Minkoff into an America's Wetlands boat. It would be an honor for me to carry their name across the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. So, keep you fingers crossed for all three teams, and lets bring American solo racing into the mainstream.

- Ryan

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