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Thursday, January 27, 2005
By Patti Brandt
Times Writer
The Bay City Doubletree's nautical-themed decor
will come in handy later this year when the hotel and conference
center will host the American Sail Training Association's annual
convention.
"The opportunity to host the ASTA annual convention in Bay
City is an incredible opportunity for our community," said
Shirley Roberts, executive director of the Bay Area Convention
& Visitors Bureau.
"It certainly puts us in very good company with communities
like Newport, R.I., Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and even Toronto
and Vancouver, British Columbia," cities that previously
have hosted the convention, Roberts said.
About 200-250 people are expected to attend
the conference, scheduled for Nov. 3 and 4. But attendees likely
will begin arriving Nov. 2 and some will stay for a ship safety
program on Nov. 5, Roberts said.
A relationship between the Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
and the national sailing association started about seven or eight
years ago, Roberts said, when the local nonprofit group BaySail
was formed and plans took shape to buy the first Appledore schooner.
Since then, the bureau has fostered that relationship by attending
the sailing association's annual convention and by sharing information
on development in Bay City, including the Doubletree hotel and
conference center.
Bay City also was a host city for the 2001 and 2003 Tall Ships
Challenge, which is coordinated by the association. Bay City will
play host again in 2006.
"One thing led to another, and we're real excited to welcome
them to our community in November," Roberts said.
Peter Mello, executive director of the American Sail Training
Association, said members got to know Bay City through its role
as a host for its Tall Ships event.
"We've always very much enjoyed working with Shirley and
all the people involved in organizing the (Tall Ships) event,"
Mello said. "We'd like to bring our conference to a city
that has a strong sail training member like BaySail."
The association also likes to hold its annual
convention in a city that will be on the Tall Ships Challenge
race circuit the following year, Mello said.
All those factors came together in choosing Bay City as the convention
site, Mello said.
According to its Web site, www.sailtraining.org, the American
Sail Training Association focuses on education, leadership development
and preservation of North America's maritime heritage.
The nonprofit organization offers scholarships and grants to make
sail training more affordable for young people and to help member
vessels with the costs of professional development and licensing
requirements.
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