“Like many activities in life, sailing is the easiest thing to do badly but really hard to do well. Minute adjustments, sail trim and human ballast make a huge difference on boat performance. Most definitely, sailing involves teamwork,” believes Jonas Diamantino, the owner-skipper of Comanche Raider II, a 1997-built ILC 40 and a regular challenger on the local racing circuit.

Gasan Mamo Insurance (GMI) has been sponsoring Diamantino and his Comanche Raider for six years, initially Comanche Raider I, a 1985 IOR two-tonner, and now Comanche Raider II.

Throughout four of these years the ‘sponsor’ and the ‘sponsored’ mutually agreed on one particular arrangement – Diamantino to offer some of his time and that of his crew to give GMI staff a taste of the sport.

So, the skipper hosts members of GMI personnel on pre-determined afternoons and set out to sail. But, what is the reason behind utilising a sponsorship to involve staff members in a sailing experience?

“To my mind a successful sponsorship is one which the entire GasanMamo family can identify with and feels committed to. This may be a sport, a cultural event or a good cause. Giving the staff the opportunity to participate in the sponsorship helps all around.

“In this particular case it is an excellent opportunity to experience something that for most is quite extraordinary,” explains Julian J. Mamo, GMI director.

This summer, 18 GMI staff – 13 males and five females – took up the challenge.

One of them was Frances Fenech. She was on her third experience.

“I really enjoy it because it gives me the opportunity to spend time with my work colleagues out of the normal work hours,” Fenech said.

“Thus we can get to know each other better.”

Kurt Caruana feels that sharing such a pastime with a working colleague serves to create a better working environment.

“I think so since we work in departments where teamwork is essential,” he reckons.

“So, due to the fact that sailing requires an amount of teamwork I think that it would help although people might not realise at that point in time. Sailing is different to organising any other activity on the beach. Such activities also help and require an amount of teamwork, too, but sailing is a better activity for thispurpose.”

What are the duties the captain delegates to his ‘guest’ crew?

“When we have the GMI groups on board, we try to delegate as much work as possible to them. Usually we ask them to pull up sails as well as ‘tailing halyards’ from the pit,” Diamantino said.

“On the whole, I think most enjoy the experience even though a couple of them came away with rope burns or upset stomachs.”

Is the management pleased with the end result?

“Naturally, the event is optional and one understands that boats and the sea are not for everybody. This is the fourth year that we have been able to offer this opportunity to staff and the response was strong with those participating finding the experience positive,” Mamo said.