AsianYachting October 2004
News and Views

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CONTENTS

1. Editorial - 2004/05 AsianYachting Calendar here...
2. "Unluckiest sailors of the month" - Three America´s Cup Class boats
3. Austral - Asian News - Sailing into BANGKOK - Raft-Up at the BARBICAN
4. International News - ATHENS 2004 PARALYMPICS - Results and Summary
5. World Speed Records - Bruno Peyron sets New TransMed Record

Browse past News & Views - Web Editions click on:Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept

1. EDITORIAL

The 2004/05 AsianYachting Grand Prix officially starts this month with the China Coast Race Week (21-24th Oct) conducted by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club which consists of 3 days of windward / leeward racing and Island courses in and around Hong Kong. This will immediately be followed by the reintroduction of the HK to Vietnam Race (26th Oct start) which has attracted allot of International attention with Grant Wharington's 98ft maxi Skandia Wild Thing expected to set a record breaking time that may stand for some time. Unfortunately the showdown with Frank Pong's radical new 115ft super maxi Maiden HK will not take place as she won't be ready in time. More on these events at http://www.chinacoastraceweek.com and http://www.hkvietnamrace.com

The unprecedented growth of sailing events in Asia sees an unusual situation developing of having more events than racing boats in the region. This has organizers coming up with new ideas to attract competitors or tailoring their event to suite local sailing trends. The Asean Regatta (3-7 Nov) in Port Dickson is the 2nd AYGP event, plan on moving up to 8 Platus to PD and having a One Design / Sports Boat Class. Skippers wishing to charter a boat can contact Glen Ormerod ormerodg@kl.btap.bt.com - first come first served! Other club racers with a valid IRC rating are welcome to join in the event as this regatta focuses on providing a high profile 4-day international standard yacht racing that meets the demands of top-level keelboats and serious racing sailors in South East Asia each year. Go visit www.aseanregatta.com

The Raja Muda Int Regatta (19-27 Nov - 3rd AYGP event) are sticking to the traditional coastal island hopping formula and are hoping to attract the increasing number of migrating cruising yachts coming through Indonesia on their round the world voyages. If all goes well with Frank Pong's Maiden HK's sea trails this maybe the first opportunity for sailors to see how this new 115ft all carbon-fibre, record breaking super maxi monohull performs. Check out the 2004/05 AsianYachting Calendar and AYGP Events at: http://asianyachting.com/asiancalendar.htm
See ya on the water
Capt Marty Rijkuris

2. "Unluckiest sailors of the month"

The weather for this year's Rolex Swan Cup in Sardinia produced winds from five to 25 knots, with a couple of 30-knot blasts to keep the crews alert. There is nothing quite like watching million dollar sailboats broaching wildly out of control. As could be expected, the big winds kept the sail makers repairing carnage 'till dawn's early light, and the fiberglass specialists were also burning some midnight oil. And it certainly was not a 'holiday' for the International Jury. But no one complained. No one! Being a part of the Rolex Swan Cup at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is an experience you anticipate with delight -- and savor with pride.

Marseille - France Three America´s Cup Class boats knocked to the ground by violent storm. No one hurt. Serious structural damage being evaluated. Following the passage of a violent storm on 11th Sept, BMW Oracle Racing, Team Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand were blown off their cradles and found lying on their sides on J-4 pier. The three damaged boats were the most exposed to the prevailing wind direction with gusts over 65 knots being measured at the time of the incident.

Grant Dalton, syndicate head of Emirates Team New Zealand said 'We probably took it the worst as the corner of the container was stuck inside the boat. These boats are not designed to be dropped on the keel – that's not part of the design criteria – so the extent of the damage will be hard to determine. Three other challengers, K Challenge, Le Defi and Team Shosholoza, suffered no apparent damage. The ACM have done a superb job here. This is in no way anybody's fault... this was the big fellah upstairs (pointing at the sky)'.

Emirates Team New Zealand will be racing in the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts 2 and 3 of the 32nd America's Cup. NZL-81 flew out of Auckland on Tues 21st Sept in a British built Short Belfast turbo-prop cargo aircraft operated by Heavy Lift Cargo Airlines. It's an extremely tight fit - there was only a 20mm margin on top and 100 mm in length. Chris Cameron's images of NZL-81's trip through the streets of Auckland and loading onto the aircraft at: http://www.chriscameron.co.nz

OFF THE ROCKS
Sat, Sept 18th - The 247ft Mirabella V motored clear of the beach where she has been trapped for 3 days and headed for La Ciotat near Marseilles where she will be dry docked to undergo a full condition check. A metal gantry was erected on deck over the keel box to support the 150-ton lifting keel had clearly succeeded in doing its job. Hydraulic rams had been used to support and possibly lift the keel enough to free it from the rock in which the keel's bulb had apparently been wedged. The rescue also coincided with an equinoctial high tide which provided Mirabella with vital centimeters of water. For a full report on why Mirabella ran aground and exactly what was entailed in her rescue by Yachting World's David Glenn at: http://www.yachting-world.com

3. Austral - Asian News

3.1 The remaining Learn to Sail with Asian Yachtmasters Competent Crew training courses to be held this year at the Royal Selangor Yacht Club are on the 9th - 10th Oct and again on the 23rd - 24th October. As we handed out over 200 leaflets during the recent MIBS boatshow for a possible 20 positions you better enroll quickly by contacting Khairul Sharil at the RSYC on 03-3168 6964 H/P 012 3899498 or Email: info@rsyc.com.my Meanwhile while your waiting for a sail browse the complete AY Syllabus at: http://asianyachting.com/AYmasters/aymenu.htm

3.2 Sailing into BANGKOK - Raft-Up at the BARBICAN
The latest from the Ocean Marina Keelboat Group over in Pattaya is that they have introduced a bi-weekly Raft-up for sailors while living in Bangkok. At very short notice 25 sailors turned up to enjoy a very convivial few hours and dined on the Barbican's excellent food. These informal meetings are proving to be an excellent opportunity to meet potential crews and those wishing to get sailing, to meet yacht owners and /or see what opportunities exist at getting afloat there. The next raft-ups are scheduled on Tuesdays the 5th and 19th Oct. So if you find yourself in Bangkok on those days and like shooting the breeze with like minded souls contact John Vause HP: +66 6044 7584 e-mail: vausejon@pacific.net.ph for more details including the Barbican's address

3.3 Asian racing teams making waves overseas.
At the recent St. Francis Yacht Club's - Big Boat Series presented by none other than Rolex, Japan's Makoto Uematsu from Tokyo, took the honours with a popular win on his TP52 Esmeralda with 6 wins and a second place spoiling a near perfect score. Karl C. Kwok's TP52 Beau Geste and Hong Kong's other Int racing team took 2nd place with BMW Oracle skipper Gavin Brady on the helm. Robert Youngjohns newly acquired DK46 Zephyra managed 2nd place overall in the IRC Class A on her first serious outing since arriving in the US.

3.4 Quantum's FusionM gets with the strength!
Asian sailors may be interested to know that one of the world's leading edge sailmaking factories is sitting in their backyard. Known as Quantum Structural Membranes (QSM), the factory located in Melaka, Malaysia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quantum Sail Design Group (QSDG) which provides QSDG affiliates around the world with the new Fusion-M product. Since it's formal introduction on May 10th this year, Fusion-M has taken the world by storm. For a product update, including setting-up and gybing asymmetrical spinnakers on boats with ‘conventional’ spinnaker poles goto: http://asianyachting.com/news/QuantumSails.htm

3.5 HSBC sponsors THE ORYX QUEST 2005
HSBC have announced a multi-million dollar sponsorship of the Oryx Quest 2005 - a new ground breaking round-the-world sailing event. At the launching ceremony in Qatar, three of the world's leading offshore skippers - Loick Peyron, Tony Bullimore and Olivier de Kersauson - announced that they will be contesting the first QISE-organised event, along with the maxi-cat Qatar 2006 whose skipper is still to be confirmed.

Oryx Quest 2005 is a race for the biggest and fastest maxi multi-hulls in the world. The financial support provided by HSBC, in partnership with the Gulf State of Qatar, has enabled the event to attract some of the highest-profile boats and skippers in sailing to do battle on the start line in Doha on 5 February 2005. The competitors will be making history in the first major international sailing event starting and finishing in the Arabian Gulf. Keep updated at: http://www.questinternationalsportsevents.com

3.6 Featured AY Yacht Brokerage
Ross 7.80 mk.1 Trailer Sailor - Was US$15,999 NOW reduced to $13,500
Ideal for harbour racing and short coastal hops, this very popular class boat (still sailed extensively in Brisbane, Perth and New Zealand) is a genuine trailer sailor and surprisingly very stable compared to the newer sportsboats. 2003 IRC handicap 0.916. The present owners have kept the boat in top racing condition after they extensively refitted her at Fedara Yachts for the 2003 season. More Details at: http://asianyachting.com/boats/Ross780.htm

4. International News

4.1 Bell Mumm 30 World Championship
While most eyes were watching to see whether hometown favourite Fred Sherratt's frontrunning Steadfast, with Andy Roy as skipper, could fight off Tom Ritter's Tramp from Michigan. Or the Kahns, father and son, from California and Hawaii could recover on the fourth and final day of racing, it was Sydney’s Richard Perini and his mainly Aussie crew from down under who ran away with the Mumm 30 Worlds in Canada. An exceptional win in tough competition, with entries from the USA, Canada and Italy. Perini was the lone Australian entry; his two wins (particularly his win of the final race) and three 2nd places from nine races gave the Foreign Affair crew the Worlds win that had eluded them to-date.

Perini's Malaysian built DK yacht that won at Key West in 2002 and 2003, arose from fifth place to bite all the contenders with a flourish in the last race to be a popular winner. 'There were six boats that could have won it today,' Perini said, 'which is a tribute to the depth of this class. We went into today 13 points behind the leader, so we just said we weren't going to give up, that's not an insurmountable lead.' More at: http://www.mumm30rcyc.com and http://www.mumm30.org

4.2 Warning to all offshore racers.
DK Yachts are warning all offshore racers to watch out when one of their Malaysian built Mum 30, Farr 36, 40, 52, 520 or Mark Mills DK46 lines up on your starting grid. One to look out for in Australia is Matt Allen’s Farr 52OD Ichi Ban. While 2 worlds away in the UK and the US Chris Brown's DK46 Fidessa Fastwave and Robert Youngjohns newly acquired DK46 Zephyra have shown the fleet a clean of keels. Serious Yachts for Serious Sailors can be found at http://www.dkyachts.com

4.3 2004 Paralympic Games
Similar to the Olympic Games sailors had to contend with light and variable conditions with allot of parking spots around the course. Both classes finished on a high and scored some of their best results of the event during the last races.

Sonar class
After nine races, Dror Cohen, Arnon Efrati and Benni Vexler of Israel sailed a great regatta and scored just one result out of the top four, to win gold by nine points from the Dutch team of Udo Hessels, Macel Van De Veen and Mischa Rossen. A tenth place in the final race saw the American team of John Ross-Duggan, Jean Paul Creignon and Bradley Johnson sneak onto the podium to win the bronze medal.
1. Dror Cohen/Arnon Efrati/Benni Vexler, ISR, 19 points
2. Udo Hessels/Macel Van De Veen/Mischa Rossen, NED, 28
3. John Ross-Duggan/Jean Paul Creignon/Bradley Johnson, USA, 37

2.4mR class
Young French sailor Damien Seguin sailed a consistent regatta and managed to keep on top of his nerves going into the final race, with a fourth place saw him win gold from Thomas Brown of America, who could only manage a tenth place in the final race. The Dutch team added a bronze medal to the silver already won in the Sonar class with Thierry Schmitter scoring a fifth place in the final race to ensure his place on the podium.
1. Damien Seguin, FRA, 21 points
2. Thomas Brown, USA, 22
3. Thierry Schmitter, NED, 25
More at: http://www.athens2004.com

4.4 Follow the Global Challenge 2004/05
The Global Challenge 2004/05 Race Village at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth is a hive of activity. On Sunday 3rd October, 12 identical 72ft yachts will race in some of the most extreme conditions, the wrong way round the world. With each yacht comprised of 17 crew from all walks of life, and one skipper - the only professional sailor on board - the fleet will endure ten months of hard and fast racing, encountering six ports enroute. Follow the event at: www.globalchallenge2004.com/en/

4.5 C-CLASS CATAMARAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Narragansett Bay has seen the rebirth of racing for the International C-Class Catamarans which went into phase two with the match racing competition. Duncan MacLane and Steve Clark's Cogito, the Little America's Cup defenders and winners of the fleet racing segment lined up against their predecessor Lars Guck and Stan Schreyer Patient Lady VI. Meanwhile the Aussie's on Team Ronstan took on the Airbus team from the UK on Invictus Challenge in the 'petit-finals'.

Although the conditions were generally light which saw the start of each days racing usually delayed it's great to see these hi-tech racing machines back on the water after a lengthy delay. I can remember what a great spectacle these cats provided back in the early 70's at Sorento beach south of Melbourne whilst competing at Cat Week.
Final Results:
1. Team Cogito. Helm Duncan McLane / Crew Steve Clark
2. Team PL6. Helm Lars Gluck /Crew Stan Schreyerer
3. Team Australia. Helm Gavin Colby / Crew Darren Smith
4. Team Invictus. Helm John Downey / Crew Paul Larson
More on these exciting flying machines at: http://cclasscats.com

4.6 Totally Devastated
Packing 120 mph winds, Hurricane Jeanne came ashore at Stuart, Florida, last weekend, at almost exactly the same spot as Hurricane Frances a few weeks earlier. 'This is just devastating,' said David Ray, executive direct of the Marine Industry Association of Florida, about the four hurricanes. 'We don't know exactly how bad it's going to be, but I can say without question, that total losses to the marine industry will be in the billions.' Ray said that beyond marinas being destroyed and boats lost, dealers across Florida have lost most of their sales season. 'They aren't able to deliver new boats because you can't get insurance while a named storm is out there,' he said. 'But beyond that, nobody is even thinking about buying a new boat. Most dealerships have been bare of customers for weeks.' Ray sounded tired and weary on the phone. 'Just one storm we could live with,' he said. 'But we're going to need the support of the industry to survive all four.' - Full story at: www.sail-world.com

5. World Speed Records

5.1 Bruno sets New TransMed Record
The WSSRC have ratified Bruno Peyron's 120ft Maxi-catamaran Orange II sailing at a blistering average speed of 25.53 knots and setting a new TransMediterranean Record from Marseille, France to Carthage in Tunisia of 17 hrs, 56 mins and 33 secs.

The 10 crew powered the enormous multihull over the finish line of the official 458nm course at 00:09:42 and add the record to their most recent, impressive 24-hr record for the longest distance covered of 706.2 miles at an average speed of 29.29 knots. They beat the record formerly held by Steve Fossett (USA) and his crew aboard the WSSRC Round the World Record holding Cheyenne by a little under one hour. Full details and future plans for Orange II's racing team are on the web at: www.maxicatamaran-orange.com

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