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.'