MPI is no stranger to the waters of Chichester Harbour as, with its sister company Mind The Gap Year, it has sponsored the Firefly and International 420-class events at Itchenor’s Schools’ Week at the end of June for the past nine years.
The new agreement sees MPI also sponsoring the RS Fevas events earlier in the week, as well as the Mirror, Laser, Topper and International 420 classes in the club’s Junior Fortnight – which this year is from 26 July to 5 August.
After skiing, sailing is the next most popular sporting activity among MPI’s travel insurance customers.
Michael Pettifer, MPI Managing Director, who has both skied and sailed for more than 50 years, says: “Since insurance for sailing holidays is a fast-growing part of our business, it makes sense to give something back – by encouraging young sailors and helping to develop new talent.”
MPI, founded in 2002, is a specialist provider of insurance for the travel sector, including company insurance, seasonal staff working abroad, their customers and individual travellers. Naturally there is an emphasis on the ski and sailing markets.
As well as Michael’s experience in both skiing and sailing, he serves on the committee of the Association of Travel Insurance Intermediaries and is a Fellow of the Institute of Travel and Tourism.
Schools’ Week, has been held every year since 1952 and brings together teams of young sailors from a range of UK schools that offer sailing as an extracurricular activity.
Originally the Public Schools’ Firefly Invitation Championships, Schools’ Week’s aim is to promote competitive inter-schools sailing and encourage young sailors.
The Firefly was the dinghy of choice as it was one of the first production dinghies built in large numbers. The first four were bought by Sir Geoffrey Lowles, then commodore of Itchenor Sailing Club. In 1985, the International 420 was brought in alongside the Firefly to encourage the use of spinnaker and trapeze boats for school sailors.
In the early days of the championships, schools did not have their own boats, so competitors sailed in boats lent by Itchenor club members. The members also accommodated the competitors in their homes and at the club – a tradition that continues today.