Just a quick note to paste in an English translation of the article (below) relating to me, graciously done by a friend here in Germany (thanks Nicki!).

Just to contextualise where this piece relates to in the rest of the text – Basically the author is talking about the costly sponsorship requirements for Germanies entrance into the Americas Cup. The author then goes on to mention me and my somewhat different attempt. Here is the translation:

The German-Australian blogger and photographer Nick Jaffe (www.bigoceans.com) however chose another way to garner sponsorship. Currently Mr. Jaffe is working in Berlin, and plans to return to his home country Australia on his yacht, starting from Southampton (England) via New Zealand in May 2007.

He will document the journey on his weblog, using podcasts, and digital photos using the Flickr photo service. It is here that his project becomes interesting for attracting potential sponsorship. Looking for people willing to offer financial aid for his trip, he offered the space on his sails for purchase via eBay, starting at $9174 US dollars. As part of the offer to purchase the advertising space, the art group eBoy from Berlin have offered their skills to the future sponsors as art directors and designers. As part of the auction, 10% of the proceeds earned will be donated to Oceana, an organisation which focuses on ocean protection.

During the 9 day auction period, there were unfortunately no bids. However 650 visitors visited the auction, including a worldwide car producer, which for legal and organizational reasons did not place a bid during the auction. However the company is still in contact with Mr. Jaffe, and is actively working on a potential sponsorship arrangement. So things still look good for a sponsorship deal and a beautiful sail designed by eBoy.

Not a lot else has been happening on the boat front over the past few weeks. I am currently just struggling to get payments through, which is my main priority. I think things will become more interesting when the boat is paid off and I don’t have such enormous financial commitments, and I can start doing things like training and making repairs and modifications to the boat.

I am considering bringing Constellation over to Germany as early as possible next year (May/June), which may end up modifying my planned route – I could end up leaving from Kiel or similar as opposed to Southampton.

Ideas ideas ideas…

If anyone knows anything about the legalities or what I need to do to bring the boat over here, please chime in. Currently Constellation is not registered on the SSR (small ships register) and it would be nice if I bring the boat to Germany, to sail under the German flag. I’m however unsure if I can sneak out of British waters and make a clean registration in Germany, or whether I need to register with the SSR, insure, sail here, and then re-register etc. I will investigate further.

Nick.

Thank you to all those that ‘dugg’ my article and viewed my auction on eBay – Forty people ‘dugg’ the Digg Post, which unfortunately didn’t make it to the frontpage, but still refers a decent amount of traffic nevertheless.

The auction was viewed by exactly 650 people (is that an auspicious number?) and caught the attention of a possible major sponsor, and an upcoming magazine article! It’s all top secret and unconfirmed, but still very exciting.

I have a feeling my small attempts at sponsorship on eBay probably could have been timed a little better… I learnt a lot from the whole PR thing however, for example: Don’t time your auction when your country of origin is in a media storm over celebrity deaths… Little sailing boat ideas do not fare very well.

Due to a very gracious employer not paying me for work recieved, I am in a pickle and heading back to London to seek further work. I’m just testing to see whether moving countries twice in under six months starts to become an easier or harder task (not really, I just have no other choice…).

I fly out tomorrow for interviews on Wednesday, and will be sleeping on the boat for the rest of the week in quiet anticipation, to see if I actually land a job in such a short time. If the damn yacht was in the water, I think I would come very close to just vanishing at this stage!

While I may sound somewhat jovial about the whole thing, it’s really quite a delicate situation I’m in. For starters, I had to go out and buy a suit. I have a theory that any job requiring you to change your clothes, should be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately, I also have a feeling London doesn’t associate ‘genius’ with an old jeans and faded tshirt look… I think Tony Blair is attempting to harness Silicone Valley culture in the UK, but with him prancing around in a suit just like his fellow countrymen, I think he should lead by example – Someone email me when he starts wearing skivvies and jeans, and I’ll imitate.

Dress sense and suit wearing jokes aside, fingers crossed something works out, otherwise the closest I’ll be coming to sailing, is floating coffee cups in the sink and singing. So if anyone has a job out there for an unemployed EU national with a ridiculous dream, I’m your man. I’ll even sing while I work.

I’ll attempt to make some kind of update from the boat, as I sit in the cockpit dreaming for fare winds and pressure against the tiller, as “Constellation” rests on it’s poles…

Till later,

nick.

While these people don’t actually get to come along (I’m going solo remember), they will be in my head along the way, having put up with me in general, my questions, ‘idea poking’ and my incessant annoyance!

Celeste	For putting up with me, plain and simply!
Duane Rodgers	For actually thinking I can do this – And the rest
Martin Gleeson	For listening to me all the time, and for being a fair ‘dinkum business partner!
Daryl Cook	For being my personal blog consultant, and also for listening and making numerous suggestions along the way
Craig Widdon	For giving intelligent advice on sail types and materials
Lorin Clarke	For taking the time to reply to my enormous emails on how to ‘get attention’
Tudor Rose	For showing amazing patience and helping with advice and encouragement whenever I needed it.

A letter I wrote to a yacht salesman:

Steve, Can we talk more about the price of this yacht. Is the advertised price ₤7150 as advertised in on Yachtworld and the PDF, or ₤7950 as per the Word document? Obviously if the initial price was ₤7150, the owner was no doubt expecting haggling in the order of ₤500-1000, as that is the way things go. I realise the sale of the yacht affects your commission, but is there anything, you or the owner, no matter how obscure that can be done to help me out with this. I’m with you on thinking I’m a cheeky bastard asking for a long shot, but this boat is the closest Contessa that is even near what I can afford.Thanks again, Nick

His reply was aptly put

Dear Nick

The owner has just spent ₤3,000 to upgrade the boat and we have put the price up by ₤800. The owner is keen to sell but I cannot really see this working out. Before taking on a passage you will need to upgrade some of the standing rigging, which might cost ₤4-500 and there are bound to be other bits and pieces required. If you only have ₤6k at a stretch, are we being realistic? I could talk to the owner about ₤6k now and ₤3k in a year, but we would require guarantees. Where would these come from?

Regards
Steve

My boldest reply so far, with no response as yet… Maybe he will be sane enough never to talk to me again!

Dear Steve,

No, we are probably not being realistic in the slightest – But for what I intend on doing, from what I have, is in no way tied to reality either! I am going to put this to you, and I know you will laugh, but bare with me, and if you have time, please ask the owner. You never know who you are dealing with, so questions are better asked than not. Here is my proposal:

You put the price down to ₤7000 (keep reading!)
I pay ₤2000 in 14 Days
I then pay you a minimum of ₤1000 per month until it is paid for
I pay its current dry dock fees starting from the first 14 days
I list the owner as a sponsor for my trip (to sail from Europe to Australia via America) in 2007 (which I already have one sponsor for, whom you can email and validate with if you wish).

We then write a contract with the above, stating I cannot take the boat off the dry dock until it is paid for, but does allow me to do repairs/maintenance over the next 4-5months. Therefore there is no risk, as if it all goes bottom up, you have at least ₤2000 & the boat. I would need to complete payments by at least January, as that is when I need practice for my RYA certificates.

This is no doubt your most bizarre attempt at yacht purchasing, but please do take me seriously. If it is too much to ask, then I thank you very kindly for listening, and wish you the best of luck with selling her to a less needy customer!

We’ll see… Nick.