Lowara customers talk about their "dream" on board the Adriatica

04/08/2006

Adriatica, the famous sailboat manned by Sailors by Chance, is nearing the end of its adventure among the fascinating islands of the Caribbean Sea.
ITT Lowara, one of the main sponsors of the event, has offered eight of its customers the opportunity of going on a week's trip. These customers come from all over Europe: five from Italy, one from Portugal, one from Russia and one from the Netherlands. The participation fee will be donated to the non-profit organisation, thus allowing ITT Lowara to make a direct contribution towards funding solidarity projects implemented by the “In the Wake of a Dream” project.
The trip on the Adriatica can be interpreted in many different ways. Along with the opportunity of going on a dream adventure, there is also the project mission which involves Water and its inestimable value.

Before leaving, we asked the participants what they expected and why they decided to go on this trip.
Almost all of them answered in the same way, expressing great enthusiasm about the idea of going on a sailing trip as it would be an ideal way of staying in contact with Nature without invading it. The feeling of adventure and the prospect of admiring magnificent Caribbean scenery were the most appealing points of this extraordinary experience.

But let's find out what our customers actually said:
“I love travelling and this is an experience that I wouldn't miss for anything in the world” – said Giovanni Colonna (Colonna Saverio Srl).

Erik Gasparini (Gasparini Franco Snc) was the one looking out for emotion, also considering his total lack of sailing experience, and went as far as to say “…I expect a feast of emotions, due both to my total inexperience in sail boats and to the places we will visit. What caused me to leave was my love for sea and exotic places and, of course, my curiosity about the world of sailing”.

The Portuguese engineer, Duarte Nuno Crespo de Carvalho (Electro Naval Lda), on the other hand, talks about his special bound with the ocean, as well as the appeal of an adventure in the proverbial beauty of the Caribbean Sea, this journey has strong cultural, emotive and “physical” links with the ocean.
The trip of the Adriatica, he adds, has a special value because it is also a kind of “journey back to the origins”.

Apart from the adventure component of the journey, there is also a more meaningful aspect: the 1,000 euros that each passenger must pay to go on the voyage is entirely used to fund small-scale projects implemented by Telefood to fight hunger in the world, paying with the focus on attention to water supply problems.
The participants expressed their appreciation for this initiative: “…Lowara is extremely attentive to technology and eager to improve the quality of life through its considerable humanitarian commitment. Water is an indispensable asset and Lowara is trying to bring it to countries that don't have it.
“ I totally agree with these objectives and as a customer I am proud of the work it does.” (Erik Gasparini of Gasparini Franco Snc).

Making both a technological and ethical assessment, Simone Bartoli of A.B.T. IMPIANTI S.r.l. said that ITT Lowara: “…is one of our leading suppliers of pumping equipment for the firefighting, industrial and civil heating and air-conditioning sectors. It manufactures excellent equipment, mainly in the cold water pumping area. I appreciate Lowara's social commitment and I think it is admirable that the company's objective has nothing to do with strictly business considerations.”

While waiting to begin their adventure on the Adriatica, the participants in the voyage have great expectations.
We look forward to getting in touch with them when they come back to find out whether these expectations have been fulfilled.
See you soon!

ITT-Lowara (www.lowara.com), headquarters of "Residential and Commercial Water - EMEA" part of the ITT Corporation and located in Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza - Italy, is a leader in the manufacture of hydraulic pumps and water handling and control systems. It has 1.348 employees in Europe, 771 operating in Italy. In 2007 its consolidated sales totalled about 284 million euro, or over 390 million dollars.
ITT Corporation (www.itt.com) is a diversified high-technology engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to creating more livable environments, enabling communications and providing protection and safety. The company plays an important role in vital markets including water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. ITT employs approximately 40,000 people serving customers in more than 50 countries. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated $9 billion in 2007 sales.