Whose going to which regatta?

AsianYachting New Year Jan News and Views here...

With the introduction of Chris Meads swish looking Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket at the Kings Cup last year and the arrival of Ben Copley's new Club Swan 42 Katsu, the racing class is rapidly expanding and taking on a new dimension by introducing shear out and out racing machines. It's anybodies guess just how much longer Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik and Ray Roberts DK 46 Quantum Racing will remain at the top of the 2007-08 AY Grand Prix Championships. Aussie Peter Ahern returns in Langkawi with his Farr 40 YO!2 and the Royal Malaysian Navy are fielding the Farr 520 Zuhrah and the DK46 under RMN-JB. With mainland China's Adam Ng's Judel/Vrolijk 52 Microlab Moonlight Shadow and Vincent Chan's Titan 36 Matahari boosting the numbers, the decision to bring the dates forward to improve the standard of racing class entrants is clearly paying dividends.

Bill Bremner's TP52 Foxy Lady IV has arrived in Singapore for Christmas and the lengthy task of putting the keel on, re-rigging and other preparatory jobs before launching are underway in earnest. They are very happy and the crew are looking forward to putting her through her paces and getting used to their new racing stead.

Who is going to Singapore Straits Regatta in January (16-19th) or the Phang Nga Bay Regatta over Chinese New Year (Feb 7-10th). After claiming 3rd place overall and Class A victory, plus enduring another agonizing finish to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race four days ago, will Ray Roberts be able to turn his crew around and front up in Asia so early in the New Year? The action then swings over to Hong Kong for the Rolex China Sea Race (21 March start) and the President's Cup (21 - 29 March) in the Philippines before moving across to the Gulf of Thailand for the Top of the Gulf Regatta (1st -5th May) and 2007-08 Season ending finale at Koh Samui Regatta (1st - 7th June dates now confirmed). So the question remains Who is going were? Please post your comments for all to see...

Taking the Racing Class to New Dimensions

Incessant phone ringing woke me from the post AY Boxing Day BBQue slumber to let me know that Neil Pryde's newly converted HI FI Team Pryde was making a pit stop at Admiral Marina in Port Dickson on its way to the Royal Langkawi Int Regatta (5 - 11 Jan) Wow! and what a conversion it has turned out to be. It looks nothing like it used to with two distinct chine's running along the hull, making it very hard to identify anything other than the mast and boom that may have belonged to the earlier Farr 52 OD that it once was.

AsianYachting Photo give away for Christmas 2007

That's right, we have decided to reward our faithful subscribers with Christmas presents this year. It's simple, just go to the AY Photo Library, browse through the Regatta Galleries, select photos, then email info@asianyachting.com stating clearly which Regatta and Image number or name (Under enlarged photo) you want and we will endeavor to send a high resolution copy for Christmas. AY Photo Library at: http://asianyachting.com/photos/default.htm

Being based in Malaysia we are accustomed to living in a multi-cultural society and like to take this opportunity to send season's greetings to all our friends, business clients and subscribers. So Happy Hari Raya Aidil Adha (20th Dec), Dong Zhi Celebration (22nd Dec) and Merry Christmas (25th Dec) plus a safe and prosperous New Year for 2008.

King's Cup 07 - AY Lay-Day Report

What's happening at Asia's premier yachting event? Prize winners at the King's Cup should be aware that trophies received over the last few day's maybe incorrect. Anyone comparing the daily AY Race Reports with the KC website results and the nightly prize giving awards will have noticed they are not one and the same. Apparently the primary results officer has suffered a case of Asian belly and even the start boat volunteers are staying zip on the subject. From my own experience the provisional results have not only been late but significantly changed each time I refreshed the page. The assembled media waited hours for race results to appear and then were forced to change the story at least 4 times over the next few hours before daring to send the daily reports with any degree of accuracy.

This regatta normally takes off like a bull set loose in a China shop. After a few days any problems that arise are desperately solved by the relevant committees before lay-day is over. This gives everyone a chance to coast along while the final two days of racing is being rapped up. Hopefully by the resumption of racing on Friday the website results will be completely corrected and there after smartly updated for the rest of the event. Skippers and boat time keepers are now advised to drop by the race center at Kata Beach Resort and check on the latest provisional race results officially posted on the notice board.

Idle crew with nothing to do should know that the 5th Phuket International Boat Show opened today and runs till Sunday at the Royal Phuket Marina just north of Phuket town. A full array of fabulous yacht brands are on display with ample space for marine suppliers and luxury waterside property developers to exhibit their products in air conditioned comfort.

The not so energetic looking at resting up in the hotel should look no further than one of the healing massages being offered to soothe those aching bones. After posting this report I'm off to pamper myself with a bit of nail manicuring together with head and foot massages. It's not all work and no play! Welcome to the lay-day.

More KC 07 info and results at www.kingscup.com
Photo Edition of the AY Race Reports at: http://asianyachting.com/news/PKCR07.htm

Battle of the billionaires goes to LE 1 - EB zip

The America's Cup dispute seems to have been solved with Judge Cahn's ruling. (See below) Or has it? Will Alinghi negotiate on this basis, sail in cats or appeal? ISAF is taking allot of flak over Olympic events selection. The worlds media has been following very closely as it has become very fashionable to air much of the sailing worlds business and closest kept secrets on the web these days. Does anyone really think that the "gurus", journalists, bloggers and forum experts around the world know better than elected office bearers (National & International) and race officials involved in the sport of sailing? If you would like to throw your two bobs worth into the ring, this Capt Marty - AsianYachting blogsite is ready for our readers to add their points of view on selected articles published in the News and Views. As we are very familiar with sailing club gossip and rumor mongering, we have decided to experiment with the Blog and are quite prepared to give our own prospective on any sailing subjects you can throw at us.

The New York Supreme Court Judge Herman Cahn has ruled in favour of Golden Gate Yacht Club in its case against the Société Nautique de Gèneve. This result means that the Spanish Yacht Club (CNEV) will no longer be the Challenger of Record for the 33rd America's Cup. The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), representing Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing team becomes the Challenger of Record, welcomed the ruling by the New York State Supreme Court that its challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup was valid. 'We are very pleased by the decision as it enables everyone to focus on getting the Cup back on track quickly,' said Russell Coutts, CEO of the club’s BMW Oracle Racing team. He said GGYC wanted to see a conventional America’s Cup regatta in Valencia and is planning to speak with Alinghi as soon as possible to organize a meeting seeking a mutual consent challenge. Ernesto Bertarelli, President of Alinghi, says: 'We are disappointed that a technicality made the CNEV invalid and we are now looking forward to discussions with the Golden Gate Yacht Club to keep the America’s Cup functioning.'

GGYC’s first preferences would be to:
1. Seek to agree rules with all competitors along the lines of the October 17 'nine points' compromise proposal and race a conventional America’s Cup competition in Valencia in 2009.
2. If a Deed of Gift challenge went ahead, the club would seek to race under the AC90 monohull rule already published. If Alinghi did not agree to that, in multi-hulls.
3. In all scenarios, GGYC would seek by mutual consent to have a Challenger Selection Series with as many challengers as possible.
'We will immediately endeavour to meet with the other challengers to mutually agree a fair set of rules negotiated with all the other teams,' Coutts said. 'We will be very happy if we can put the last few months behind us and get on sailing.'

ISAF taking allot of flak over Olympic events

The ten sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games have been decided by the ISAF Council during the 2007 ISAF Annual Conference. ISAF President Göran Petersson led the ISAF Council in over two hours of debate and discussion before the ten events were decided. Of the ten events selected, keelboat match racing for women is the only not featured on the program for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, with the multihull event being eliminated for 2012. It will be the first time women's match racing has been on the Olympic program, with the multihull event having been part of the Olympics continuously since 1976. The selection of the ten events is subject to final confirmation from the International Olympic Committee, with the equipment to then be selected by the ISAF Council in November 2008.-- Complete report: http://www.sailing.org/21257.php

It was always going to be controversial reducing the Olympic events from eleven to ten, but many believe that the decision by the ISAF Council to leave out the multihull disenfranchises a whole group of sailors and makes ISAF an organisation for monohull sailors only. The UK Catamaran Racing Association, has set up a new petition, aimed at the IOC. If you disagree with ISAF's recent decision regarding the multihull, then please sign the petition which can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/multihullinolympics/index.html

Who has the biggest One Design fleet in Asia?

Event media at the inaugural China Cup Regatta claimed that the 11 Beneteau 40.7's racing there was the largest ever One Design keelboat fleet to set sail in Asian waters. After it was splashed over the news headlines Morten Jakobsen was quick to point out that in HK there are significantly larger fleets of Etchells and at his home club, Ocean Marina in Pattaya, Thailand, they regularly have 15 or more Platus competing at major events. He also went on to say that a new 5 regatta series is being planned for the Platu class next year. First of the rank is the Open Thailand Platu Championship in March 08 followed by the Top of the Gulf - Coronation Cup in May. International teams have expressed interest in joining and there are still some boats available for charter on a first come first served basis. More on The One Formula Platu Championship Series 2008 will be incorporated into the http://www.topofthegulfregatta.com site to promote the clubs activities.

Is ACup about Gaining Immortality? AC90 Rule is born...

While much has changed in the world's oldest and most prestigious sailing event, the game really is still the same. What does it take to win the modern America's Cup? Coutts, who knows better than anyone, says it's still all about masts, sails, hulls, keels, rudders, trim tabs, rigging, ballast bulbs, practice, time in the boat and those last-minute secret upgrades that the very best teams keep under their hats until it's too late for their foes to react. So it was and so it will be. It's a technology game, played on a tilted field where the rich have a built-in edge, where the commitment is immense and the rewards are laughably ephemeral: You get your name, inscribed on a silver mug that sits in a glass case somewhere gathering dust. In two words: Gaining Immortality.

31 Oct 07: AC Management, as scheduled, published the AC90 Rule marking an exciting milestone in the path to the 33rd America’s Cup. This rule has been crafted over the past six weeks through a design consultation process with all entered challengers, the Defender, and headed by Tom Schnackenberg as the class rule and competition regulations consultant for ACM. Designers from all six entered teams have met regularly since the design process began on 15 September. The AC90 Rule, in brief, will be 90ft overall maximum length, 6.5m in draft whilst racing and will have a displacement of 23tons. We now have to wait and see whether this will be sufficient for GGYC and BMW Oracle to drop it’s court action and let the existing challengers, as well as those waiting in the wings, reach a position where they are able to present potential sponsors with a concrete proposal. The full AC90 Rule can be downloaded in its entirety at: http://www.americascup.com/multimedia/docs/2007/10/071031-ac90_rule_final.pdf

Piracy in modern Southeast Asia, Setting the record straight

A tourism and yacht industry report
Imagine ghosting along at sunset far from civilization on an extended cruise of Southeast Asia and the tranquility of twilight is shattered by the distant whirr of a powerful outboard engine. Within moments a high-speed boat emerges from the shadows of a hidden cove on an intercept course with your own hopelessly becalmed yacht. As the vessel closes in, you see the silhouette of a group of men and they’re holding what look like assault rifles. It’s every cruiser’s worst nightmare. But how real is the threat?

Bianca Hein and Scott Neuman are both sailors and journalists - who are addressing the piracy issue in Southeast Asian waters. An ambitious report that covers all aspects of piracy as it relates to the modern day tourism and yachting industry. The ancient mariner Warren Blake who has sailed throughout the archipelago for over 40 years provides an interpretation of their findings in Piracy Against Yachts...an Overblown Fear is worth a read at the end of Part II as it contains some good advice for yacht skippers and crew worried about cruising through the region. This three part report is the definitive word on the subject. It is available for reading online at: http://www.biancahein.com/projects.html

Modern daylight piracy!

What is an act of Piracy? Is it the forceful attack that qualifies it as piracy or is it a deliberate act of deceit or theft that qualifies it and can it be classified as piracy act by a yacht owner if he doesn't pay the skippers delivery fees? A friend recently delivered a boat from Pt Moresby to Darwin with a very inexperienced owner onboard. They had agreed on a price plus a return airfare to Papua New Guinea when the delivery was completed. When they arrived in Darwin the boat was removed from the water for repairs. The skipper purchased a air ticket to NG and gave a copy of the invoice to the owner. Who said he had no money at that time (Where have I heard that before) and would go to the bank and get his wife in the UK to send him the money. He also asked the skipper to lend him an additional amount of $500 to get a new cutlass bearing for his yacht and he would reimburse him when his money came through. Returning to NG with the whim and a promise of payment to be deposited in his Aussie bank account may of been his big mistake. So his big question to our readers - Is once the owner left Australia and headed to Kupang with the Sail Indonesia fleet has he committed an act of piracy or is it a criminal offence to abscond without payment or just deceitful conduct on his behalf?

VOR to finish in Russia - Singapore or Malaysia stopover?

The historic Russian port city of St Petersburg has been officially announced as the race finish for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. This will be the first time in the race’s 34-year history that the fleet will visit a Russian port and follows the confirmation in late May that Russia will have its own entry in the race backed by St Petersburg businessman Oleg Zherebtsov. The selection of St Petersburg marks another milestone in the 2008-09 iteration of the race after the decision to take the event through the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India and China. The race route is nearing completion with the offshore start set for Alicante, Spain, on 11 October, 2008. So we know the start and finish plus most the ports in between and my bet is on Singapore to come up with the dosh to host the event in front of the Malaysians. Another question is whether these big sailing boats will be allowed to race down the Malacca Straits all the way to Singapore through one of the busiest shipping separation zones in the world.

Stop wrangling over the America's Cup

BMW Oracle has taken Cup holders Alinghi to court over rules they say are unfairly weighted in the defender's favor, including the right to disqualify teams or bar them from entering. On Thursday 20th Sept Alinghi tweaked the rules to address some of those issues but BMW Oracle, bankrolled by software billionaire Larry Ellison, said that was not enough and demanded direct negotiations before they would drop the lawsuit against Ernesto Bertarelli's Swiss syndicate. If defender Alinghi are so hell bent on racing the challengers then like other match racing events, why don't they make a winner takes all series out of it. That's right, do away with the Cup final and have a series of round robins with quarter, semi and grand final to determine to eventual winner. Do away with the challenger and defender and make it an all out scrap with the winner taking the cup home and the next event to be held in the country of their choice. As history has shown that the defender has always slanted the rules in their favour, surely this change is the only way to make a fair and equitable result at the end of the day. But most of all get rid of the lengthy and tedious court room battles because these billionaires are bringing the sport we love so much into disrepute just to fire up their own massive ego's.

Regattas and sailing in SE Asian waters

After 30 years of sailing through SE Asian waters and promoting pleasure craft activities in the region it is only appropriate that we tackle New Year resolutions with avengeance and start off an AsianYachting blog that can be found at: http://asian-yachting.blogspot.com/ Our http://asianyachting.com website has been pumping out the yachting news from Asia for 7 or 8 years now, so with over 2700 on our subscriber list, we felt it's time for them to be able to offer some comments or feedback their experiences on the Asian regatta scene. Allot of competitor/organiser complaints have recently been heard so we felt it time that perhaps some issues could be aired on this blog. Feel free to post your no holds barred comments but as under age people maybe reading the use of profanities or swear words is prohibited and should be strictly adhered to.
See ya out on the water

Capt Marty