FEBRUARY 20, 2013 -- After a well-attended fundraising luncheon held at the Stamford YC on January 12th, 2013 the Sailing Yacht Research Foundation (SYRF) is pleased to announce that it has reached a major milestone in its efforts to solicit funds for its mission to support the science of sailing. Several generous donations received since that lunch have put SYRF past the remaining $25,000 funding goal needed to meet a $100,000 matching challenge grant.
Moreover, meeting this funding target has triggered receipt of yet another $100,000 challenge grant. Both grants were established through the generosity of a SYRF donor who wishes to remain anonymous. Already another $5000 has been raised towards this second new funding goal.
“This is a very significant step for us,” said SYRF Board member Stan Honey. “Because now we have the resources to expand our mission to support the science of sailing across a wider diversity of platforms. The better we understand the performance of racing sailboats through SYRF-funded research programs, the more positive effect this will have on performance design and accurate handicapping.”
Founded in 2006, SYRF has supported a variety of projects related to performance sailing, including a wind tunnel study of upwind aerodynamics done by SYRF President Jim Teeters, the formulation of the HPR rating system for high-performance boats, and a new study on the hydrodynamics of wide light boats, headed by Andy Claughton of the Wolfson Unit at Southampton University.
“The support of SYRF really helps all areas of the sport,” says Teeters. “There are areas of research that are needed that simply have no reliable and consistent source of support. With the help of our international experts on the Advisory Council, we can now better identify and fund these projects that will best serve the SYRF mission.”
For more information on SYRF, and information on how to make a tax-deductible donation, visit the website at www.sailyachtresearch.org. For a T2P-produced video explaining the SYRF mission, visit http://youtu.be/jgsdhgvd8A8.