Girona, Spain
March 28, 2008

As the clock counts down to the first race of the sailing Olympics in Qingdao, China, our loyal Team 7 Sailing supporters are doing a fantastic job of fund raising to help underwrite our many campaign expenses.

We have already benefited hugely from a wonderful fundraiser in the Detroit area at the beginning of March and it is being followed up with events on Long Island, NY, and in Pewaukee, Wisc.

On Long Island on May 2, Mark and Joy Rose are hosting a benefit cocktail party at their home for friends and members of the Great South Bay Yacht Racing Association. Debbie’s Long Island supporters are also organizing a benefit Golf Outing at the Rock Hill Golf & Country Club on Friday June 6. The next night, June 7, Sally’s friends and followers are invited to a Sail for Gold Gala at Pewaukee Yacht Club from 6:00 pm until midnight, with live and silent auctions.

If you haven’t received an invitation to either of these events and would like to attend and show your support, please contact Debbie or Sally, or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We want to say a big "Thank you all" to our Detroit area fans who contributed to the "China – Path to Gold" fundraiser attended by the Grosse Pointe and Detroit sailing community on March 2. Marc and Karen Hollerbach from Bayview Yacht Club were gracious hosts, providing their beautiful Grosse Pointe Park home for the occasion. This was the second fundraiser held in Detroit and it attracted almost 100 supporters and has raised almost $20,000, with the checks still coming in. Thanks to the Detroit Athletic Club for providing accommodations, and to Ed Kriese of www.oceanracing.com for waterproof enclosures for computers and sailing gear.

Arriving guests were greeted by a 20-foot Team 7 banner and enjoyed Marc Hollerbach’s fine wines and cocktails poured by Jerome, the "infamous bartender" of Bayview YC. Chef Michael Lutes served delicious foot donated by Detroit’s famous Whitney restaurant.

Those present had the opportunity to meet and talk with all three of us and our coach Mark Ivey. Our presentation for the evening provided insights into weather, accommodations, food, support and the general conditions we expect to encounter in Qingdao, based on our two previous regattas there.

We talked about our sponsorship partners and the valuable contributions they bring to the campaign. In doing that, we also reminded everyone that Team 7 is still actively looking for a title sponsor, one that can benefit from our commitment and successes and use them to advantage before and after the Olympics in their marketing and staff motivation programs.

We get back from Europe at the beginning of May to commence a final month of training in Miami, Fla. Then, at the upcoming fundraisers in New York and Wisconsin, attendees will get some firsthand updates of our experiences during our spring European tour and an insider’s glimpse of the depth and complexity of a contemporary campaign for Olympic glory. Right after that, we’ll be off to China.

We want to invite everyone to Join the Team to receive our regular updates and, if you wish, to make a donation. Our Join the Team page uses the secure Kintera support software which allows you to sign up for updates, make donations, and easily invite friends and fellow yacht club members to become involved. There is a live display showing a running total of all donations. You can even start your own fundraising team. The current top team is Bee Anderson’s Old Grands. Please check it out.

Carrie Howe
   for Team Seven Sailing -
   - Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi, Carrie Howe