Campaign pays dividends for BoPSAT

BoPSAT chairman Stuart Pedersen’s political campaign for this year’s general election paid early dividends in fundraising for the Trust, with two valuable donations in August.

A profile piece in the paper for the Tauranga ACT party candidate led to a phone call from Sally Morrison in the Mount.  Sally co-ordinates Sally’s Angels, a group of successful women who donate regularly to local causes.  In the profile which talked about Stuart, the sponsored schools sailing programme was described, along with a call for more sponsors.

“The upshot of the correspondence that followed was a $2000 donation which will more than cover another school putting six students through a full term learn to sail/life skills programme with BoPSAT in spring,” says Stuart.

The second response to the same story is from Lorna Neame, of Matua, whose son Andrew was a keen P Class sailor in the 1980s.  The Neame family had P75 ‘Quiz’ they bought from a youngster called Steve Cotton after he won the Tauranga Cup in her in 1983.

Since her son stopped sailing in 1989, Lorna has been storing Quiz in her garage, and decided it was finally time to let her go.  On reading the story of BoPSAT’s Sponsor-a-Sailor programme, which picks up promising kids from the sponsored schools programme and supports their sailing right through high school, Lorna also contacted Stuart, offering to donate the boat.

Stuart and treasurer Phil West visited Lorna and collected Quiz, and Stuart called TYPBC P Class enthusiast Greg Scott to discuss how the trust might use Quiz, as the sponsor-a-Sailor programme currently focuses on Optimist and 420.  

Greg in turn made some calls and ultimately, with the help of social media, got in touch with Steve Cotton.  Steve now lives near Albany and has an eleven year old daughter who is sailing.  With Steve approaching his 50th birthday and feeling a bit sentimental, he quickly decided to buy Quiz from BoPSAT – sight unseen.

On Sunday August 27, Stuart, Steve, Greg and Lorna all met at Kulim Park – the windy day when the Auld Mug came to town.  Steve was quite emotional when he got his precious boat back, remarking on how familiar the deck layout was after all those years, and what good condition she was in.  

Greg was impressed with the boat and particularly the foil shape which had helped Steve to victory 34 years ago.  Lorna was thrilled to see Quiz reunited and coming back into service, and to have helped BoPSAT in the process.  And Stuart was delighted to get a further cash boost from Steve for the sailing programme.

Greg and Lorna spend some time going through her photo album from the time, studying 1980s P Class boats and sailors, as Steve and Stuart tied Quiz down for the trip north.  With a rig update, P75 should again be gracing race courses at Manly and elsewhere in future years.

BoPSAT is always looking for donors and sponsors, and Stuart can be contacted via www.bopsat.org.nz, this email  or on 574 1169.


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