2008-09 AsianYachting Grand Prix Championships gets underway in October

After a couple months break the racing action resumes with the China Coast Raceweek (10 - 12 October) and closely followed by the HK to Vietnam Race starting on 15th October. Both events score points towards the annual 2008-09 AsianYachting Grand Prix Championships and competitors will be looking to get an early points advantage before they make their way across the South China Sea for the SE Asian regattas. The beginning of the season always sees the boat owners full of confidence that the changes made during the break will produce the extra knot of boatspeed they have been looking for. Allot of time and effort has gone into planning individual racing campaigns that will run over the next nine months. The Top of the Gulf Regatta (April 30 to 4th May) is a new inclusion this year and organisers are offering all sorts of incentives to attract the racers to the shores of Pattaya before the season ending and now renamed Sawadee.com Regatta Samui on 1st - 6th June. Follow the progress throughout the season at: http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP08-09.htm

2008-09 VOR sets sail for the blue yonder

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 starts on the 4-5th October, when eight Volvo Open 70s begin adding points to the leaderboard at the start line off Alicante for the first in-port and pro-am races, prior to the race start of the first leg to Cape Town on October 11. Volvo Ocean Race TV launched earlier this year, will show video content including news, features, on-board footage and interviews when the boats are at sea. Also live coverage of all in-port races. Frostad adds, "And now, with the Media Crew Member on board, our 'embedded reporters', we now have the ability to play to our strengths in capturing every ounce of the action, the sheer speed of the Volvo Open 70s, as well as the emotional highs and lows endured by the guys on board." More info at: http://www.volvooceanrace.org
Asian Stopover Dates
Leg 2 Capetown to Cochin Start: 15 Nov 2008, 4,450 Nm ETA: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 Leg 3 Cochin to Singapore Start: 13 Dec 2008, 1,950 Nm ETA: Tue 23 Dec 2008 In-port race 10-11th January 2009 Leg 4 Singapore to Qingdao Start: 18 January 2009, 2,500 Nm ETA: Fri 30 January 2009 Leg 5 Qingdao to Rio De Janeiro Start: 14 Feb 2009, 12,300 Nm ETA: Fri 20 March 2009

Eight entries & Media Crew Members
Delta Lloyd (Ger O’Rourke) Sander Pluijm NED
Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael) Guy Salter GBR
Ericsson 3 (Anders Lewander) Gustav Morin SWE
Green Dragon (Ian Walker) Guo Chuan CHN
Puma Ocean Racing (Ken Read) Rick Deppe GBR
Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp) Mark Covell GBR
Telefonica Black (Fernando Echavarri) Mikel Pasabant ESP
Telefonica Blue (Bouwe Bekking) Gabriele Olivo ITA

Olympic Sailing Competition Qingdao, China

Thirteen action packed daily Olympic Race Reports and three extensive Photo Galleries have been posted direct from the Media Center in Qingdao, China on the AsianYachting.com website. Starting from http://asianyachting.com/news/08olympics/0.htm follow Capt Marty's blow by blow account as the action takes place with accompanying photos, trials and tribulations of the competitors, results and medal ceremonies all captured on camera. Check out the Photo Galleries from: http://asianyachting.com/photos/default.htm Hope you enjoy as much as I had putting them together.
Cheers for now
Capt Marty

Advanced Crewing Techniques course added to AY Syllabus

After opening the first commercial AsianYachting Center in Malaysia last year, we are constantly looking at improving the Learn to Sail with Asian Yachtmasters keelboat training scheme with courses that suite the local sailing scene. Demand for team building exercises and as pressure is on to form racing teams, a 2-day Advanced Crewing Techniques course is being introduced next month to compliment the existing Introduction to Sailing course. This Advanced Crewing Techniques Course concentrates on crew roles, spinnaker handling and teamwork. Participants should have completed or be familiar with the basic sailing techniques covered in the Introduction to Sailing syllabus before proceeding onto the advanced course.

Two new pages have been added to the already comprehensive AY Syllabus that will interest crews coming to grips with racing skills. The Advanced Crewing page explains the syllabus and has links to the new Boat Handling page which covers Skipper & Crew Responsibilities, Boat Handling Under Power or Sail, Crew Roles, Organization, Co-Ordination and the Fine Art of Crewing. The Spinnaker handling page has a new section added - Set-up and Gybing Asymmetrical Spinnakers Further info on AY sailing courses, directions to PD World Marina, links to the entire AY Syllabus and Online Registration can be found at: http://asianyachting.com/AYmasters/classes.htm Overseas participants planning a trip to SE Asia, that would like to receive a brief taste of what sailing is all about or looking for a more hands on approach to racing should incorporate a course into their travel plans

Impossible to build a multihull in 6 months?

Well what a lot of baloney! Team Alinghi boat builder, Bernard Cardis says it is 'Impossible to build a giant multihull in six months to compete in the 33rd America's Cup'. On a recent trip to the Philippines where the preferred form of transport and tourist joyrides are 'Bangkas' which are both motorised and sailing multihull craft. (See photos) There is nothing to difficult in the building techniques seeing the technology has been around for 100's of years. In fact they are often used for inter island trips and in Indonesia seen well out at sea in rough conditions catching flying fish for caviar.

If the Team Alinghi, designers Nigel Irens and Sebastien Schmidt do not have the experience nor a reliable data base they should take a leaf from the century old Asian drawing boards, usually on the back of a match box. Ample supplies of high tech mangrove roots, bamboo, tropical marine hardwood, fishing line and twine, all expertly crafted and tied together in a couple of weeks will be enough to produce a finely tuned vessel. In fact, probably for the price of one of the NYSSC sessions they could build 10 or more yachts so all the teams could race again and get 33rd America's Cup back on track. Meanwhile the yachting world has to sit back and watch two ego driven protagonists produce a very expensive, lengthy drawn out legal battle and ultimately a boring non event out of the sport we so love.

More on these relatively low tech and extremely fast traditional craft can be found at: http://asianyachting.com/news/SandeqRace.htm

AsianYachting Grand Prix Championships - up and at it again...

After a lengthy break between regattas the 2007-08 AY Grand Prix Championships that determines the top racing class skipper and yacht each year in Asian waters, resumes this week, with the bi-annual Rolex China Sea Race and quickly followed by the President's Cup in the Philippines. Presently in the AYGP Championships Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing (11 points) has a clear three point advantage over Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik (8 points) who have been battling it out regatta for regatta during the 2007-08 Season. As they are not competing on the RCSR this leaves the way open for Neil Pryde's Hi Fi, Fred Kinmonth/Nick Burns Fortis Mandrake and Sam Chan's Ffreefire 52 the chance to improve there standings and stage a final push for the coveted title. Browse progressive AYGP Championship scores throughout the year at http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP07-08.htm

Beijing Olympic Games just around the corner - Who has qualified?

With the Beijing Olympic Games just around the corner, AsianYachting is beginning the run into the Games with newsworthy developments as they happen (See March News & Views - Asian Section). As it is our intention to concentrate our news coverage on Asian competitors we ask all National Sailing Organisations to provide details on there sailors as they qualify to represent the nation. The 49er, 470, Finn, RSX, Lasers, Ynglings and Tornados classes have already held their World Championships followed by the Laser Radials in March and finally the Stars in April. Korean Jeemin Ha made a name for himself overnight as the only non-qualified nation sailor to make the 53 boat Gold fleet at the Laser World Championship and hence qualify Korea for the 2008 Games. The remaining Asian nations making the cut from the Silver fleet were: Japan (Yoichi Iijima, 10th), Malaysia (Kevin Lim, 15th) and Singapore (Leong Seng Koh, 23rd). The host country China gets an automatic berth in each sailing class while other countries must earn theirs. To find out which nations and what classes they have qualified for in Qingdao goto: http://www.sailing.org/22168.php?PHPSESSID=03ec00014209f70adb75d201903eae48

Phang Nga Bay Regatta - Is it really Asia's second biggest sailing event??

All aboard for the fun in the sun regatta...
Thailands rapidly growing sailing season gets underway in spectacular fashion this week, when a fleet of 50 boats set sail on the annual Phang Nga Bay Regatta in picturesque southern Thailand.

This regatta, now in its 11th year, is as famous for its parties as it is for its sailing and this year promises to be no different. Four days of racing takes the fleet from Phuket to Phang Nga and Krabi provinces from February 6-10 with a prize-giving party held each evening at different venues along the way. Quite frankly, I don't know why its taken me 10 years to come and cover this event. What else is there for foreigners to do over the Chinese New Year break other than go out and enjoy sailing around southern Thailand's most stunning cruising grounds. More News goto http://asianyachting.com/news/PNBR08.htm

The organisers were taken by surprise when the regatta grew so quickly, expanding from an average of 30 boats in the early years, to 46 yachts in 2006 and 50 boats lined up in 2007. Making the Phang Nga Bay Regatta, Asia's second biggest sailing event, after the King's Cup. Unlike other annual regattas held in Thailand which are run from one location the organisers have a good reason to limit the number of entrants to 50. The regatta moves onto a new anchorage each day and with little or no accomodation ashore makes the logistics just that little bit more difficult to manage. This year most of the crews will have to sleep onboard their boats during the stopovers or on a big power boat which they have hired to follow them around the course.

Quite a few email comments have been received about Phang Nga not being the second biggest regatta in Asia. Don’t just be a reader, leave your mark here! Come on and give us your best shot!

Come on & join our Asian Yachting Racing Team

After opening the first commercial AsianYachting Center in Malaysia last year we are taking the Learn to Sail with Asian Yachtmasters keelboat training scheme onto the next level. As it is our intention to form an AY Racing Team, we are looking for serious sailors that want to develop there skills to go on and successfully compete at regional keelboat regattas and match racing events. If you want to TRY OUT for our AY Racing Team we have set aside some weekends when we will take sailing anyone that is interested in making up the core of sailors needed to form a team. The first TRY OUT dates for our AY Racing Team are Feb 2nd, 3rd, 16th, 17th Further info on training courses and competition events the team is expecting to compete in this year can be found at: http://asianyachting.com/AYmasters/classes.htm

New Year celebrations at RLIR 08

On a more humorous note there were some sailors out to enjoy the New Year festivities at the 6th Royal Langkawi Internarional Regatta that blasted off the 2008 sailing activities in Asian waters. Quite a few competitors were over the start line or On Course Side (OCS) and had to be recalled during the event. Aussie PRO Mark Pryke and his race committee that were using the Malaysian Police vessel came up with a unique method to deter them on the last day of racing. It seemed to do the trick.

Also quite a few used the occasion to brighten up the event. Bill Phelps Firefly crew on Twin Sharks took to wearing Tu Tu's and helmsman / multihull designer Mark Pescott a Yogi bear tail for the whole event. I'm not sure what it means but it certainly added some amusement to the racing. On the last day Ray Roberts Quantum Racing was also seen wearing one at the start but was quickly removed before a photo could be taken. Selected photos have been posted in the RLIR 08 Photo Gallery. Most of the action is captured and probably every boat is featured as well as close ups of the skippers and crews, especially all the girls that have dared to take up the sport of sailing in Asian waters.