Maurice Contessi

For immediate release

Australia October 2011- Helly Hansen sponsor Maurice Contessi in his attempt to become the oldest Australian to circumnavigate the world solo to raise awareness for Motor Neuron disease.

Departing from Sandringham Yacht club on Saturday 15th October, Maurice Contessi began his journey in attempting to become the oldest privateer Australian to circumnavigate the globe solo and unassisted.

Helly Hansen is pleased to come onboard as exclusive apparel partner for the journey which will expose Maurice to 220 days of brutal weather conditions. Maurice will be exposed to some of the harshest weather conditions with temperatures varying between -20 to +30 degrees Celsius. He will experience freezing cold conditions to being boiling hot and soaking wet and will need gear that can withstand all these elements while still allowing him to perform the many tasks of a solo sailor.

Helly Hansen has over 130 years of experience in protecting people from the elements and has provided Maurice with the best ocean gear possible to assist him on his journey. Being a winner of the challenging Melbourne to Hobart yacht race in 2000, Maurice understands more than anyone the importance of having reliable, protective gear that won’t let you down.

When asked about choosing Helly Hansen, Maurice said, “Sailing solo around the world has long been considered one of the most difficult physical and mental challenges anyone could undertake. HH has a great history and long reputation of producing serious ocean racing wet weather gear so I chose to approach HH because I wanted the best gear possible.”

The journey will not only be a great personal accomplishment and lifetime achievement for Maurice, but will also raise awareness of Motor Neurone disease after his friend and fellow sailor was diagnosed with the disease.

For more information on Maurice or details of how you can contribute to the cause please visit www.onefullcircle.com or for any information on Helly Hansen please visit www.hellyhansen.com.au