Family-owned Aussie beachwear brand Okanui has sponsored the Antipodes yacht in the 2024 Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
The investment will see the yacht fully branded, as well as the full team racing head to toe in an Okanui kit for the duration of the race.
Antipodes - the Santa Cruz 72 - will disembark on December 26 to compete in the annual race, following its debut in 2022. Antipodes owner, investment banker Geoff Hill, will be racing for the 21st and final time. His team has an all male crew, apart from one female sailor, his daughter Natasha Parker.
In addition to branding the yacht and fitting out the crew, Okanui will also conduct a full content shoot for use across social and traditional media. Hill and Parker will also serve as long-term Okanui brand ambassadors, appearing in future PR campaigns.
"This sponsorship means so much to us at Antipodes," Hill said. "I’ve been a fan of Okanui for over 25 years, and their strong roots in family and commitment to quality perfectly aligns with who we are - a team built on friendship, shared values and a love for adventure. We’re thrilled to represent such an iconic Australian brand as we head south.”
Okanui was founded in 1978 by Dick Ash, who designed his first pair of board shorts at the time using his mum's sewing machine and old canvas mail bags from the Avalon Post Office. He was just 15 at the time.
Okanui remains a family business, owned and run by Ash’s niece Wendy Kasprowicz and her husband Simon - the CEO.
The brand has several stores across Australia and is stocked in select retailers, particularly situated near coastlines.
"Partnering with Antipodes is a natural fit for Okanui," Simon Kasprowicz said. "Both Okanui and Antipodes share a love for adventure, tradition, and the unique bonds that bring families and communities together.”
Since rebuilding the boat in 2019, Antipodes has sailed over 250,000 miles, competing in local and global races such as Antigua Race Week, Darwin to Ambon Race, the Rolex China Sea Regatta and the inaugural Sydney to Auckland Race in 2023.
This year, the team competed in the Sydney to Gold Coast Race, Gold Coast to Mackay Race and Airlie Beach Race Week Regatta before returning to Sydney for the Blue Water Series, with Geoff Hill recently being awarded the 2023 Australian Ocean Racing Championship for the most miles sailed in 2023.