Istvan Kopar to Sail in the Golden Globe Race with Sea Hawk Sponsorship

On April 22, 2015, Don McIntyre announced to the world that he would be creating a truly one-of-a-kind international sailing race. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the first Golden Globe Race, he thought, why not resurrect a race of such high caliber and intensity? In McIntyre’s mind, there was only one way to do so. Not only would all entrants have to sail solo around the world without stopping, but they would also be restricted to the same level of equipment and technology used by Knox-Johnston in 1968! And so the 2018 Golden Globe Race was first conceived. McIntyre’s dream is to reintroduce a race that truly pits the skipper against the ocean, without the interference of modern technology and conveniences. On August 1, 2015, Istvan Kopar was announced as one of the first confirmed provisional entrants.

Istvan Kopar is a veteran sailor, sailing instructor, trainer for U.S. Sailing and a USCG-licensed commercial captain. He purchased the yacht Puffin in July 2015 in upstate New York and is in the process of refitting the vessel to sail in the Golden Globe Race.

Sea Hawk Paints is proudly sponsoring Istvan Kopar in his efforts to win the Golden Globe Race. To prepare Puffin for the race Istvan is adding three coats of fiberglass to her hull to strengthen it to ensure a safe passage through iceberg infested waters. The marine resin being used is the Sea Hawk manufactured resin, Hawk Epoxy, because of it’s marine-grade strength and premium quality.

As of today, August 10, 2016, the port side lamination was completed. To do the lamination properly, Istvan had to tilt Puffin on to her starboard side and lay the fiberglass down with Hawk Epoxy. We will keep you posted on the refit progress and then we will follow Istvan around the world in the Golden Globe Race.

Learn more about Istvan Kopar at http://www.koparsailing.com/

Here are some photos of the port side lamination: