Published on: 07 December 2023
Henri-Lloyd has announced its continued support for the Junior Offshore Group (JOG) Yacht Racing as its technical clothing partner. JOG, which was set up in the 1950s as a club designed to encourage smaller yachts to participate in competitive but friendly coastal and offshore racing, says Henri-Lloyd’s ongoing support is helping it grow its Generation JOG programme which encourages more youth sailors into the sport. The club has experienced a 70 per cent growth in youth numbers, which is 37 per cent of the entire club membership.
Now in its third year of support, Henri-Lloyd provides prizes to Generation JOG sailors in recognition of race wins or other notable milestones, sponsors one weekend race over the season, and supplies vouchers throughout the year for events and for members to buy Henri-Lloyd technical clothing.
Stuart Lawrence, committee member and Captain at JOG says, “Our heartfelt appreciation goes to Henri-Lloyd for its unwavering support of Generation JOG. Recognising the importance of sustaining the club’s future, we are committed to eliminating any obstacles to participation. High-quality gear, crucial for comfort during the challenging wet and windy overnight races, plays a significant role in maintaining the enthusiasm of young sailors and encouraging their continued involvement in our sport. The support from Henri-Lloyd which has directly supported over 20 Generation JOG sailors over the past two years and generously provided other benefits to hundreds of other youth sailors within the class, has been instrumental in achieving our current impressive count of youth members, a milestone we doubt we could have reached without their help.”
The GenJOG programme has also helped drive up the level of female participation, with an average of 35 per cent female crew members regularly taking part, significantly higher than the average for offshore events. With rising numbers of participating females Henri-Lloyd is releasing 33 new items of technical clothing, from base layers to offshore jackets and salopettes, which have all been designed especially for female sailors. The new Henri-Lloyd range will be available in retail stores from February 2024.
Ross Partridge, yachting sales manager at Henri-Lloyd adds: “Having been part of several JOG crews during my university days, I wish there would have been something like this in place back then to help increase the participation of young sailors in this fantastic class. We are looking forward to an even better season in 2024 with JOG and wish the GenJOG sailors success in future races and we are pleased to be able to support them in their yacht racing careers.”