Help Detroit's Kurta Brothers Sail Italy

We are thrilled to announce that Joseph and Nicholas Kurta of Captain’s Racing have been invited by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) to compete in Italy this June in the Nastro Rosa Il Giro Dell’Italia a vela. We have graciously been given this opportunity by the RORC, through the development of their recent Griffin Project. The intention of the Griffin Project is to promote youth sailing, and give youth sailors the opportunity to navigate the waters of high level athletics. The Nastro Rosa is designed to make the sport of sailing understandable and bring it to a wider audience.

We have accepted the challenge to compete in the first offshore leg of the race which starts in Genoa, Italy and ends in La Maddalena. We are very excited to have been given the chance to sail in such historic, and challenging waters. We have found ourselves in the midst of an opportunity of a lifetime. With the help of our community we are going to represent Detroit in the best way possible through hard work, brotherhood, tenacity, and facing a challenge head on.

Since this is an unexpected opportunity, we are seeking support to represent our city throughout the race. We are competing in a Beneteau Figaro 3, a cutting edge creation that we have experienced success with before. This vessel is unique given it is equipped with hydrofoils, making it the most competitive and attractive boat for our age gap. This gives us the perfect environment for the competition we desire. For us two brothers from Detroit, this will be our first international double handed regatta which is truly a dream come true.

We are both avid sailors, entrepreneurs, and hard workers. We own and operate Captain’s Boat Care together. The business was started 12 years ago when Joseph was 13 and Nicholas was 9. With humble roots as a cleaning service Captain’s Boat Care has now grown into a business that builds and upgrades some of the highest performance racing sailboats in North America.

We started our racing careers on Lake St. Clair, out of Crescent Sail Yacht Club, Grosse Pointe Sail Club, and Bayview Yacht Club under the guidance of members who have graciously helped mould us into the people and sailors we are today. Since August of 2023, the Kurta brothers have been working alongside a sailing program out of New York, The North East Keelboat Alliance. Through NEKA, we have opportunities such as sailing there Figaro 3, Celeritas. Gaining experience through shorthanded and double handed racing. We compete on the East Coast and Great Lakes circuits in double handed and shorthanded events. However, with your help we can compete on an international level. We received second place in both the Southernmost Regatta in Key West and the NEKA 300 out of New York last summer. We are seeking support totaling $12,500 to chase our dreams as brothers, representing RORC, Detroit and your brand.

Thank you for your help and consideration,

The Kurta Brothers