TITLE SPONSOR

Tommy Hilfiger USA Title Sponsor Tommy Hilfiger was the primary sponsor of Brad Van Liew's entry in the 2002-2003 "Around Alone" yacht race, the longest race on Earth for an individual in any sport.T Experience the thrill and exhilaration of Brad's journey at www.tommy.com/freedomamerica where we posted Brad's diary entries, position reports, photos and video.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Beefeater Premmium Gin Presenting Sponsor After 40+ days at sea under the harsh conditions of offshore racing, Brad is ready to celebrate upon arrival in each port. His friends, family and race enthusiasts enjoy Beefeater gin & tonics, martinis and gimlets. Beefeater is the only premium gin distilled in London. Following the completion of Around Alone 2002-3, Beefeater rebranded the race boat with their colorful graphics to reflect the new name "Beefeater Bold Spirit." They are currently sponsoring a post-race USA tour which allows the public from New York to Ft. Lauderdale the chance to meet Brad and see the race boat on the water.www.beefeater.com

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

DryCreek Vineyard Associated Sponsor Founded in 1972 by Dave Stare, a passionate sailor, Dry Creek Vineyard features classic sailing vessels on their wine labels. The winery team is equally passionate about creating excellent wines in small quantities from more than 100 individual lots produced from each vintage. In an agreement that combines cash, in-kind product contribution and the proceeds from a unique bottling of a wine bearing the special Regatta label, Dry Creek Vineyard becomes the first Associate Sponsor to support Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America. The winery will also use its extensive distribution network to drive enthusiasm for the Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America project to yacht clubs and sailing aficionados internationally. Dry Creek Vineyard will support Van Liew throughout Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America's entire campaign and will be featured on a spinnaker as well as prominently on the boom. The winery will also participate extensively in Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America events by ensuring campaign sponsors and guests are served the highest quality wines. See also: Sponsorship Announcement Photo Gallery

Honeywell Associate Sponsor Honeywell's Spectra® business is proud to sponsor Brad Van Liew's extreme solo-racing endeavor. Honeywell is providing the high-tech Spectra® fiber used in the high-performance sails that will power Van Liew's "Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America" in the Around Alone race. Used in ballistic-resistant vests and hard-armor applications by militaries and law-enforcement agencies throughout the world, this light-weight, durable, super-strong fiber is the same Spectra® fiber used in the ballistic plates protecting American troops in Afghanistan. On land, at sea and in the air, Spectra® fiber is known worldwide for stretching the limits of performance. Spectra is a registered trademark of Honeywell International Inc.

Raymarine Associate Sponsor Raymarine is dedicated to the manufacture and distribution of the highest quality marine electronic products and services for the world-wide boating market. Their product range is unrivaled in its ability to offer a comprehensive choice of Instruments, Autopilots, Radars, GPS, Navaids, and Communications equipment. The Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America Open-50 competition yacht will be equipped with Raymarine's latest innovations, giving Brad Van Liew a competitive advantage on the racecourse.

Ridgestone Corporation Associate Sponsor Based in Los Angeles, California, Ridgestone Corporation is a private equity firm founded in 1997 by Abbott Brown. Ridgestone provides growth capital to middle-market companies primarily in Southern California with current or near-term positive cash flow and high growth potential under circumstances where Ridgestone's resources and experience can be productively utilized and its active involvement is beneficial.

CORPORATE SPONSORS

Iridium and Stratos Global Corporate Sponsor Brad is offshore and in some of the most remote locations on the planet. Merely 12 Americans have ever treaded around the world alone in a race. Brad's choice for voice and data transmission offshore is Iridium and Stratos. Iridium's handheld phones, operating through a constellation of 66 satellites, offer Brad the freedom and reliability that he requires. He sends photos and video clips back to land via the data kit that works seamlessly with the phone. Brad can call the race operations center, his family, sponsors and conduct live media interviews from the farthest reaches of the planet. Iridium is a truly global option, even if you are at 34 W 56 N heading for the Straits of Magellan. www.iridium.com

NEXTEL Corporate Sponsor "Official Cell Phone Service Provider"   Panasonic The rough, wet and cold environment of offshore racing requires the toughest electronics equipment in the world. Brad is using Panasonic Toughbooks exclusively for his computing needs and the capturing of images while offshore. The video, photos and written content that are delivered to the worldwide audience of race spectators are all captured with Panasonic Palmcorders, digital cameras and Brad's Toughbook 27. His touch screen is actually coated specifically for the high salt content of the offshore environment. Get your own gear at www.panasonic.com     PROFURL Corporate Sponsor For more than one year Profurl has been developing and testing a furling system for Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America. Instead of the standard furling system used by singlehanded sailors in the past, Profurl has taken a traditional idea and added new technology. They have incorporated a furling mechanism into an Aramid stay, bettering the weight of the system by more than 50% over nitronic rod and conventional furling systems. Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America's stay furlers are a variation on what has been used on the Open-60 trimaran Fujifilm and the Open-60 Sill. Furling systems are a crucial element of singlehanded racing, as the skipper is constantly managing complex sail configurations. Profurl is there to offer an exceptional option for keeping the boat light and manageable.       Samson Rope Technology Samson Rope Technology For well over one hundred years, Samson has been recognized as the leader in developing and manufacturing braided ropes. Originally founded by J.P. Tolman in 1878, Samson Cordage Works was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1888. The name was derived from the Company's trademark of Samson slaying the lion, and is currently the oldest active registered trademark in the United States. Today, Samson engineers are using the same nylon, polyester and polypropylene fibers together with newer developments in fiber technology like PBO®, HMPE (high molecular weight polyethylene, such as Dyneema® ) and Technora® to produce ropes with characteristics specifically designed to enhance performance. Samson engineers continue to explore new fiber and rope construction technologies to meet the demands of the marine industry and recreational boaters alike. Samson Rope Technologies is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The AMC Group.

PRODUCT SUPPLIERS

AlpineAire Foods Brad is a racing machine offshore. He eats to feed his hunger and provide power supply to his body. The racing environment requires that this be done in a convenient, compact and easy to use manner. AlpineAire Foods provides the perfect solution with tasty, light and convenient instant meals, side dishes, breakfasts and lunches. Brad's only galley amenity is a camping stove and a small sink. Wielding a kettle and some desalinated water, Brad becomes a speedy chef with creations such as Beef Stroganoff, Black Bart Chili, and Leonardo da Fettuccine. And for those insane days in the Southern Ocean when he couldn't even tape the kettle to the stove? Well, Brad will be testing AlpineAire's newest creation: Self-Heating Meals. More news on that as it is available… www.aa-foods.com   Andersen Winches Andersen’s stainless steel winches are lightweight, easy to maintain and soft on rope.     California Yacht Club Brad Van Liew races under the burgee of The California Yacht Club, located in Marina del Rey, CA. CYC has supported Brad's racing since before his first circumnavigation in 1998.     Charleston Boatworks The facilities of Charleston Boatworks have given Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America the resources necessary to excel with an efficient refit in a convenient maritime location.   Click Bond Click Bond Fasteners permanently bond to almost any surface. Boat builders ranging from flat our racers to production yachts of all sizes are enjoying the many benefits of these aircraft industry standard fasteners. When failure is not an option, be sure to maintain the strength and integrity of your structure. Don't drill holes... fasten it permanently with Click Bond. Visit us at WWW.CLICKBOND.COM   C-MAP C-MAP provides worldwide electronic charts to help Brad navigate each leg of his voyage. C-MAP's C-cards work in Brad's Raymarine chart plotter using NT+ technology. These electronic charts offer Brad the ability to fine-tune his chart display and access detailed information on chart objects. In support of the first leg of Brad's trip, C-MAP provided six C-cards that covered: Passamaquoddy Bay to Montauk, NY; Narragansett Bay to Ocean City; Sandy Hook to Wilmington; Wilmington to Key West to Panama City; the English Channel; and West France and Spain Atlantic. C-MAP/USA handles the sales, marketing and electronic cartography production of C-MAP products for The Americas (North, South and Central). Technical services include customer support, dealer support, semi-annual updates to cartography, quality control and database maintenance. Some consulting and development services for custom projects are also handled upon request. For more information, visit us at www.c-map.com   Events Online Events Online creates innovative web and training solutions. Our results-oriented team has been creating award winning web sites for Fortune 500 companies since 1994, and developing interactive training products since 1987. Events Online splashed on the Internet scene in 1994 as the creator of the official America's Cup website. Events Online has helped Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America stay connected to world with email and a Web presence. Our work sells, trains, informs, and intrigues for clients such as Hewlett-Packard, Southwest Bell Corporation, DirecTV, and Qualcomm. HARKEN Founded in 1967 by Peter and Olaf Harken, Harken Yacht Equipment is the world's leading manufacturer of sailboat hardware and winches. Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Harken also has offices in Rhode Island, Florida, California, Italy, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom.   Guy Cotten, Inc. When the winds roar and the waves crash, Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America's racing team will be protected by Guy Cotten foul weather gear and high-quality marine clothing. Guy Cotten offers the team vast clothing options, from their breathable, lightweight, windproof and waterproof Star/Dremtech to their Thermal Protection Survival Dry Suit (TPS). The products are lightweight, extremely comfortable, warm and dry for maximum protection in the brutal environment of offshore ocean racing. Guy Cotten offers a complete line of yachting wear, leisure wear, fleece clothing, safety equipment, and commercial fishing clothing.   MapTech Brad will rely on dozens of Maptech's digital charts used in conjunction with Raytech performance software to make his navigational choices at sea. Maptech's digital mapping business encompasses navigation software; digital, nautical and aeronautical charts; and topographical maps. It also produces paper marine chart and guide products. In the United States, Maptech is the largest private publisher and distributor of paper and electronic raster nautical charts. Maptech began producing raster USGS topographical maps in 1996. Recently, raster aeronautical charts were added to Maptech's product base. Maptech offers several marine and land navigation software products that operate with its raster maps and charts. These navigation software products range from simple map and chart viewers to sophisticated marine navigation software systems. www.maptech.com   McLube Team McLube Sailkote is the ultimate dry film lubricant. Sailkote is ultra-slick, long lasting, and it goes on clean and dry so it will not attract any dirt or grime. Sailkote bonds to any surface and it will not easily wash away because it is specifically designed for marine use. World class racers like Brad use Sailkote to coat their mainsail tracks, sliding hatches, turnbuckles, spinnakers, telltales, and even their hulls. For more racing and cruising tips, visit WWW.MCLUBE.COM   SEALSKINZ ® The Ultimate In Waterproof Protection From Alaska to the Amazon, from Auckland to the Alps, when it comes to waterproof protection for tough, wet conditions, SealSkinz waterproof socks and gloves always pass the test. Endorsed by reputable sporting and military organizations the world over, SealSkinz patented three-layer Moisture Vapor Transpiration (MVT) design provides the best in waterproof protection. And, SealSkinz unique seamless construction helps prevent blisters and chaffing even after hours of rigorous activity! Rain, sleat or snow, SealSkinz are the waterproof solution.