Rockport is perfect for Telefónica

13 May '09

3 min read

The Rockport Company announced an agreement with Spain's Telefónica Sailing Team. Telefónica entered two boats – “Blue” and “Black” – in the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race and Rockport is the official supplier of footwear for both boat teams through December 2010.

Rockport presented the 22 sailors on the Telefónica team with special edition boat shoes to wear as they depart Boston, MA, on May 15th and embark on the final stretch of the Volvo Ocean Race. Rockport created the special edition style by redesigning their HydroPlex boat shoe, applying the teams' colors – one blue, one black – and including the Telefónica logo.

Since the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race began in Alicante, Spain, in October 2008, the Telefónica team members have been wearing the existing Rockport HydroPlex men's boat shoe, featuring Hydromotion technology, which facilitates water drainage.

“Rockport offers the perfect boat shoe for sailing because it quickly and seamlessly drains water and the rubber outsole offers great traction even on the slippery surfaces of our boat,” said Bouwe Bekking, Sports and Technical Director and commander of the Telefónica Blue boat, which is currently ranked second in overall standings. “We've been wearing the HydroPlex men's boat shoes for nearly seven months and they have been resilient to the intense weather conditions we've faced worldwide.”

The Rockport HydroPlex men's boat shoe is currently available in two color ways – stone or navy/red/white – at select retailers nationwide or online at www.rockport.com. The boat shoe is crafted using a lightweight combination of full-grain leather and mesh and the midsole offers extraordinary cushioning and support. The two specially-designed Telefónica styles in “Blue” and “Black” team color ways will be available in spring 2010.

“Rockport introduced its first boat shoe twenty years ago by merging our heritage of walking shoe comfort with the technology needed in a boat shoe,” said Michael Rupp, Rockport CEO and president. "We are excited to outfit such a truly dedicated group of individuals and believe that the teams' positive response demonstrates the authenticity of our boat shoe product."

Rockport has a heritage of putting its boat shoes to the test and of partnering with sailing crews in the international world race that takes place every four years. Rockport became the official boat shoe supplier of the prestigious Whitbread 'Round the World Race in 1994 and sponsored the Assa Abloy team in the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race by outfitting the crew in Rockport's Caspian shoes with HydromotionTM technology. The current partnership with the Telefónica team helps Rockport to build on its nautical heritage.

Since April 27th, the Telefónica teams and the rest of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet have been docked in Rockport's home of Boston, which is the only North American stop on the 37,000-mile race. On Friday, May 15th, the fleet races to Galway and a few other international ports before finishing in St. Petersburg, Russia around June 27th.

Rockport Company

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