JCI Regatta: Setting Sail for Malaria!

Day 4

The fourth and final day of the JCI Regatta sailing from Sali to Biograd off the Croatian coast began with a sea of orange. About 100 sailors wearing Nothing But Nets´ famous orange Buzzkill T-shirts looked dapper as they manned their boats! The weather created a dramatic backdrop for the Regatta’s last day: Clear blue skies gave way quickly to the gathering grey clouds of a ferocious storm. As conditions worsened, all the crews worked their hardest for the glory of winning the annual regatta trophy. It was a close race, but a big congratulations go to the Dutch Senators boat for their victory!

At the Regatta Closing Party back in Biograd, JCI World President Bertolt Daems announced that the race raised about $30,000 for Nothing But Nets! That’s 3,000 life-saving bed nets that will be distributed to families in Africa—and 3,000 families with new hope of sleeping safely at night, protected from malaria. We are ecstatic and incredibly grateful for our time in Croatia with our friends at JCI, joined in the fight against malaria. These wonderful partners are an inspiring group of young people committed to sending nets, saving lives—and having a bit of fun, too!

Day 3

Nothing But Nets sat down with 2012 JCI World President Bertolt Daems for a few minutes while docked between races at this year’s JCI Regatta in Croatia, in which 100 or so participants sailed to save lives. Bertolt, sailing with team JCI Netherlands, has worked tirelessly to promote the partnership between JCI’s 200,000-plus members worldwide and Nothing But Nets.

“For those who live in a world where malaria is not there, it’s important to realize that very small children die every day from just one mosquito bite,” Bertolt said. “For me, it’s important that people know that we can do quite easy things to make a big difference in a person’s life.”

JCI members are young professionals from more than 100 countries committed to creating positive change in their communities. Many support Nothing But Nets’ work to send insecticide-treated bed nets to protect families in Africa from malaria. Since Nothing But Netsteamed up with JCI in 2008, the organization has raised $1.2 million to help stop malaria. And this month’s sailing race across the Adriatic raised more than $30,000 alone: that means more than 3,000 people will sleep safely from malaria, a deadly disease spread by a single mosquito bite.

Thank you to Bertolt for his and JCI’s dedication to our fundraising efforts to send nets and save lives. Please watch the latest video below from Croatia to hear more from Bertolt and catch a glimpse of the thrilling final day of the race!

Day 2

The competition heated up on the second full day of sailing on the Adriatic Sea! The weather was a sailor’s idea of perfection – sunny and windy. After the field remained close after a long day of sailing from the island of Zut to Sali, the Regatta competitors bid on a slew of cool prizes in an incredibly successful Nothing But Nets Charity Auction. A lively bidding war broke out on items item such as a tour of the Dutch countryside by airplane, and the group raised more than $12,000 in a single night to send nets and save lives!

JCI has more than 200,000 members dedicated to improving our world; we are incredibly grateful to JCI Netherlands for organizing this fun and inspiring evening. Stay tuned for two more video updates and to find which country’s team wins the race!

Day 1

Ahoy! Nothing But Nets set sail in the waters off Croatia this Labor Day weekend with our fantastic partners Junior Chamber International(JCI) for the annual JCI Regatta. The four-day event brought together 13 boats manned by sailors from 14 countries. My Nothing But Netscolleague Rachel Smith and I even hoisted a few sails and battled a storm alongside our friends from JCI! “Sailing For Nets,” raised an estimated $30,000 to send life-saving bed nets to protect families in Africa from malaria.  Enormous thanks to our partners at the JCI Regatta Foundation for organizing such a fun and unique fundraising event. Watch this first video of our four-part series to find out more about the start of the race and stay tuned for more videos to come!