Sam Davies on Aviva

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tmh900

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Given Sam's superb result in the 08/09 Vendee Globe, is Crewing on Dee Cafarri's Aviva the right place to be? Seems a bit like Lewis Hamilton inviting Jensen Button to be his test driver (for those that follow F1).

I'm no expert on career development for professional racing sailors, but this must have been a tough call for Sam.
 
No, she is using Decaf's commercial weight to finance the boat. If I remember correctly lovelySam was a bit short of cash on the sponsorship side of things.

In fact they make a dream team. More like tennis players paring up for the doubles...

Gogogo.... girls!
 
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...Sam was a bit short of cash on the sponsorship side of things....

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Before the Vendee success maybe, but now???
 
I wouldn't see it as a step down. It is, after all, doing something to raise her profile and keep her working. I have no idea whether she has something else on the go, but being a solo sailor does not necessarily lead to a steady and regular income. So a gig for a few weeks with Dee might lead to a decent pay packet.
Which she might need if her sponsors have said "Thanks for all the good work, but we can't afford your next project. Good luck."
 
You may be aware that we are currently experiencing a little bit of economic rough water and that getting sponsorship will be a tough job even for highly marketable folk like Sam. A good result in this effort will keep her in the limelight and attractive to potential corporate supporters.
Sadly, sailing is still very low profile in this country and is consequently a hard sell to sponsors, especially measured against the substantial costs of mounting a competitive challenge. Media coverage here is pretty low key when set against the volume of stuff put out by the French media in the Vendee Globe for example. Sam did a great job for Roxy and Dee for Aviva but I fear that for the next couple of years the big companies will need to serve their shareholders and investors first and put sponsorship on the back burner.
 
this one def the best
sam%20davies.jpg
 
It just seems a shame when you condsider that Sam is the current all girl record holder for round the UK (Roxy 2007).

But I guess Roxy is a slower boat, and I guess Aviva may have the crew paid for....

I would have though it would have been Dee who would have struggled with sponsorship. OK, 6th in the vendee, but slow for a fast/new boat and shredded a mainsail that was identical to all the others? Plus some farly lacklustre performances in the Open 60 in the the year or two before the Vendee?

Oh and yes Sam does look good in a Bikini!
 
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