Inaugural Cruise Shipping Miami Charity Motorcycle Ride Set For March 14

MIAMI, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cruise Shipping Miami Charity Motorcycle Ride to benefit Seafarer's House at Port Everglades is scheduled for Sunday, March 14, the day before the 26th annual cruise industry exhibition and conference opens in Miami Beach.

The 90-minute ride from Miami to Islamorada in the Florida Keys begins at 10:30 a.m., departing from Peterson's Harley-Davidson South in Miami, and ending at Bentley's Restaurant on the island of Islamorada.  

"UBM as a business has a very strong corporate social responsibility policy, and we are involved in a number of different ways that give back to the community," said Michael Kazakoff, vice president of UBM International Media, organizers of Cruise Shipping Miami. "When we found that a large number of attendees to CSM were bike enthusiasts and also community minded, the idea of a charity bike ride was a perfect fit. It seemed like a win-win situation -- participants get to pursue their passion in beautiful South Florida surroundings while raising funds for a worthy, cruise-related cause."

This is the inaugural run of the Cruise Shipping Miami Charity Motorcycle Ride and also the first time a motorcycle group ride was organized by and for the cruise industry.

"I am a biker who rides a Harley-Davidson Street Glide and I am always looking for any opportunity to ride," said Jorge Rovirosa, executive vice president of Farovi Shipping Corporation. "We anticipate the support and participation from the many bikers who work for cruise lines such as Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Carnival, and we are hopeful that this annual charity ride will make a significant financial contribution to help our dedicated seafarers who play a vital role in our industry."

Rovirosa is on the committee that conceived and organized the event, along with Bill Hamlin, former executive vice president of Norwegian Cruise Line, and Captain Howard Newoff, terminal and port security manager for Royal Caribbean International.

Proceeds from the Cruise Shipping Miami Charity Motorcycle Ride benefit Seafarer's House, which provides a variety of services to crewmembers who work aboard cargo and cruise ships that call at Port Everglades.

Lesley Warrick, executive director of Seafarer's House, said proceeds from the ride will support the long tradition of welcoming visiting mariners to the port and serving as a community center for local seafarers.

"This event will help the organization continue to provide refuge, resources and pastoral care to well over 100,000 mariners who visit our port each year," said Warrick. "We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working with Cruise Shipping Miami."

For more information about Seafarer's House, visit www.seafarershouse.org.

Participants can register for the ride online at http://www.cruiseshippingmiami.com/mrs-form. Bikers also can register the morning of the event, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Peterson's Harley-Davidson South. Motorcycle rentals will be available for individuals without bikes who want to participate in the benefit ride.

The registration fee is $40 and includes lunch at Bentley's Restaurant. The deadline to register for the event is Wednesday, March 10.

EVENT SCHEDULE

RIDE: Starts at 10:30 a.m., departing from Peterson's Harley Davidson South in Miami to Islamorada.

LUNCH: Noon-1:30 p.m. at Bentley's Restaurant, 82779 Overseas Hwy. oceanside in Islamorada.

UBM International Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Business Media plc (LSE: UBM) a leading provider of business information services to the maritime, travel, fashion, technology, healthcare, media, and property industries. UBM offers services in trade shows, online, news distribution, and publishing to customers across the globe. Its brands are represented in more than 30 countries and are organized into specialist teams that serve their business communities helping them excel in their market by working effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.ubm.com.

SOURCE UBM International Media