Research and development and product sales; an interview with Marlow Ropes
Sam Vineyard, Leisure Marine Sales Director United States, Marlow Ropes.
Why are you here today?
I am here in Seattle to take our local customers out sailing on the Clipper 2019-20 Race yachts.
Why does taking your customers out sailing work for Marlow Ropes?
The opportunity to sail on a Clipper 70 yacht is spectacular for us at Marlow and for our customers locally, it gives them an opportunity to see the rope in action and in a wide range of applications. The great thing about the Clipper Race yachts is they use products that are available from your local chandlery and demonstrate that these products can perform in the extreme environments of racing around the world.
Did you meet your objectives of the day?
We absolutely met the aspirations for the day. Most of the people on the yacht today were already customers but they saw some colour patterns and some products they don’t stock right now so they absolutely saw them and were able to use them.
Why does partnering with the Clipper Race work for Marlow Ropes?
The big benefit for Marlow is really the exposure, it’s the opportunity for hundreds of non-professional sailors to experience a brand that they can purchase internationally so it’s a great opportunity for Marlow. It's our sixth race and I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t continue on.
What are the research and development benefits?
The great thing about testing our products on boats like this is that we are able to see the ropes work in real time and figure out if there are ways to make the product better. That’s really our main goal by partnering with the Clipper Race.
Our hosts here in Seattle have a focus on Ocean Health, what are Marlow Ropes doing in this space?
Marlow Ropes developed the Blue Ocean product line four years ago. It is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and is exclusive to Marlow’s Mooring Series. Sailing with them today, they are looking great! So we see no issue with the fibre and with the product line and that combination of Blue Ocean recycled polyester and bio-based Dyneema certainly puts us on the forefront of recyclability and sustainability in our product line.
Why do you think Sailing, and an experience like the Clipper Race, is so important for personal development?
As a lifelong sailor, I think there is nothing more we can do besides getting people on the water, training people in a safe, I don’t want to say comfortable environment, because we all know that life at sea is not comfortable sometimes, but training people in a safe environment where they can learn how to be on a boat. I think they are going to end up learning a lot about sailing and a lot about themselves and they’re probably not going to know all the things they’ve learned until six months after when they’re sitting in an office or on land.