Pusser's survival kits at the ARC prize giving

Pusser's Rum, the original rum of Great Britain's Royal Navy for 330 years, recently ensured that participants with the 19th annual Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) were "in good spirits" before, during and after their 2,700 mile crossing from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands to St Lucia.

Pusser's Rum victualled the 190 yachts with a Pusser's Survivial Kit of commemorative bags skipper's and crew caps, bottles of Pusser's Rum, the world famous Painkiller mix and the recently introduced Grog - a mix of real lime juice, burned dark cane sugar and water as served in Great Britain's Royal Navy on the orders of Admiral 'Old Grog' Vernon. A Pusser's Pirate's Party saw the participants off in the Canaries and Pusser's Rum welcomed the fleet in St Lucia on Saturday December 11.

At the ARC 2004 prize giving held at the Gaiety Nightclub in St Lucia participants were welcomed with Pusser's Rum cocktails and a chak chak band before the prize giving started.

Pusser's Rum presented ship's decanters for first place, flagons for second and hip flasks for third in each class. A special Pusser's Rum Survival Kit for the last yacht to cross the finish line in each cruising class was also awarded.

"A trans-Atlantic crossing is no mean feat and we at Pusser's appreciate the dedication that it takes to plan and undertake such a crossing. We're proud of our involvement with the ARC. If there's one thing a hardy sailor needs, as proved by nearly 350 years of Royal Naval tradition, it's a good tot of rum to up spirits," said Charle Tobias, founder and CEO of Pusser's.

During the Prize Giving, US$3,000 was raised at a charity auction for a Pusser's Rum marine chronometer, bought by Claus Heinrich, owner of the yacht Amoenitas. The auction proceeds will go to buy equipment for the St. Lucia Yacht Club Youth Sailing Project, which aims to introduce young people from all backgrounds to the sport of sailing.

The ARC prize giving ceremony coincided with the opening of Pusser's online store at http://www.pussers.com. Pusser's drink mixes such as Grog and Painkiller are now available online to complement the legendary Pusser's Rum together with a complete line of Caribbean spices & condiments, Pusser's t-shirts and a host of other items including Pusser's Rum Cake and Nelson's Blazer buttons.

"We will continue adding items regularly until most of our Co. Store has been replicated on the net," said Tobias. "Watch out for our exciting new 'Rum Island' clothing line which we will launch online soon and at our Co. Store on our delightful little island of Pusser's Marina Cay."

For more than 300 years, from the earliest days of wooden ships and iron men, sailors of Great Britain's Royal Navy were issued a daily ration-or "tot"-of rum by the ship's "Purser" (corrupted by the sailors to Pusser's).

On July 31st, 1970, the Admiralty Board abolished the daily issue of Pusser's Rum. In 1979, entrepreneur Charles Tobias resurrected the Pusser's Rum tradition. He obtained the rights and all the blending information from the Admiralty and formed Pusser's Ltd. on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. He began bottling and selling Pusser's Rum to the public for the first time in 1980. Prior to then, it was restricted to the Royal Navy.

Today's Pusser's Rum is still produced with the blend of five West Indian rums in exact accordance with the Admiralty's specifications. Unlike most rums, it is predominantly a "pot-stilled" rum. The distillation process is similar to that used for single malt scotches, which produces greatly enhanced flavor using no flavoring agents. It is 100% natural.

In 2001, Pusser's was awarded the "Gold Medal - World's Premier Dark Rum" at the International Wine & Spirits Festival. In 2003, Pusser's Rum won a "Double Gold Medal" at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. For more information on Pusser's Rum visit: http://www.pussers.com.

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