It's much harder to get corporate sponsorship for an entrant in a singlehanded race from the US. I mean, let's face it: other than a handfull of sailors, who really follows these races in the US? It wouldn't make much corporate sense to sponsor a boat here in the expectation that it would help their brand recognition. OTOH, it's a different story in France where the singlehanded races are widely followed and the sailors (at least in the open 50s and 60s) are treated like rock stars. Vive la France! Brad, I giuess, has the misfortune of being a US citizen.

Jerry