Amanda: Hey, Mike Sinclair from Club Marine Insurance.
Now you guys are the naming right sponsors.
Why do you sponsor a comp like this?
Mike Sinclair: Look.
I think the great thing about the Barra Nationals is that it's truly a national competition.
So, we get people, obviously, from all over Australia, which it's a great branding recognition
for us.
And, yeah.
Amanda: What do you love about the Barra Nats?
Mike Sinclair: Oh, I think the camaraderie as they always say, and also catching up with
great mates, 'cause we're all mates up here, and catching that elusive Barra, and catching,
hopefully, a metery one day.
Amanda: So, what's your favorite part of the week?
Is it on, and off the water?
Mike Sinclair: Look, on the water, but I tell you what, I got the greatest admiration for
these guys that are out there fishing, because from five AM in the morning 'til five, till
stumps at at five o'clock at night, it's a big day, and she's pretty hot out there.
Amanda: The Daly River, right here in the Northern Territory, gives competitors about
35 kilometers to fish.
Let me tell you, it looks pretty good with a bird's eye view.
We've got Mel here from Team NAFA, fishing the Nats for the first time.
Mel, where have you come up from?
Mel: The Sunshine Coast, so Noosa.
Amanda: Tell me a little bit about the fishing on the Sunny Coast.
Mel: So basically, we go kayak fishing, so we have our little kit set up, and we hunt
Mangrove Jacks.
So, yeah.
Amanda: Bit of a different game up here with the Barra then?
Mel: Yeah, yeah, no, it's great, I fished the Kimberley before.
So, I know what it's like.
So, it's good to get back amongst it.
Speaker 4: I showed up from Sydney for the Nats, yeah, I'm having a good time so far.
Amanda: You're wearing a skirt though, so that means it's your actual first Nats, isn't
it?
Speaker 4: It is, yeah.
We've been coming up for, what?
Speaker 5: Four years.
Speaker 4: Three or four years.
Speaker 5: When we're usually fishing here people are pre-fishing for the Nats, and I
sort of got wind of it and sussed it out, and decided we'd come this year, and give
it a crack.
Amanda: All right, we got Simon, the CEO of Club Marine Insurance, the naming rights sponsor
for the Barra Nationals.
Now, tell me how many years have you guys sponsored?
Simon McLean: This is our eighth year sponsoring the Barra Nats.
Probably should say the Club Marine Barra Nats, shouldn't I, being the sponsor.
But eight years for us, five years for me attending.
It's just a great event to come to isn't it?
Amanda: It is definitely.
What kind of benefits do you get from sponsoring a comp like this?
Simon McLean: Look, it's really important that we know our audience, first of all.
So being here, and amongst it, we get to understand a bit more about what's going on.
In addition to that, you know, we have a lot of fun.
So, you know, it's always good when you get together with a really diverse group of people,
share what you have in common, which is boating and fishing, right.
Amanda: So, it sounds like you're not going to be really pulling away from the naming
rights sponsorship any time soon?
Simon McLean: It just depends on how quickly I get this damn skirt off, to be honest.
But, no, no, no, we're locked, and loaded for next year.
So, it's a great event, it's the best marketed, best run event that we attend throughout the
course of the year.
I'm not just saying that.
That's why we keep coming back.
Yeah, absolutely we'll be back again.