AsianYachting December
2004
News and Views
Phuket
International Marine Expo 2004 (PIMEX)
from Dec 9 - 12 has got it all. Exhibitors representing 120 companies
from 18 countries – including France, China, Taiwan and Japan for
the first time. Every kind of marine product and service imaginable, including
yacht charter holidays, luxury island homes, top-of-the-range power and
sailing yachts, the latest in marine electronics, marina construction
systems, water sports gear and even a fold-up boat from Australia. Prices
range from just one million Baht up to one million US dollars –
and more. So don't miss out on the http://www.phuketboatshow.com
Distribution: To over 2700 recipients in all 4 corners of the globe. From as far north as Iceland, to sailors in the Southern Ocean, all across the mighty US of A in the west to China's spectacular Oriental clubs in the far east. The AsianYachting.com site is a major yachting news provider in Asia which averages well over 3000 hits per day. Please Enjoy! here...
CONTENTS
1.
Editorial - Phuket
King's Cup Regatta
2. "Unluckiest sailors of the month" - Neville
Crichton's Alfa Romeo
3. Austral - Asian News -
Singapore Sailing goes International
4. International News - 60th
Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
5.
World Speed Records - Windsurfer
claims Outright sailing speed record
Browse past News & Views - Web Editions click on: Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov
1. EDITORIAL
The
just completed RMIR
2004 (See
AY
Race Reports)
is the 3rd AsianYachting
Grand Prix event
to be held this year. The
final result sees Neil Pryde and HI-FIDELITY go to the top of
the respective leaderboards. Take a peek at this seasons progressive pointscore
or see how your favorite racing team is shaping up in the
2004/05 AY
Rankings
at: http://asianyachting.com/news/Rankings0405.htm
Next up is the Phuket King's Cup Regatta from Dec 4 - 11 in south west Thailand, where Shirley Robertson, the Olympic Games double-gold medallist from the UK will be a special guest this year. This is by far the best attended regatta, attracting yachts from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, US, UK and Italy amongst the 70-plus entries, to be the region's premier international sailing event and making it one of the highlights on the Asian Calendar. Press releases and AY Race Reports are posted at http://asianyachting.com/news/PKCR04.htm
Conveniently
timed to start on the
Kings Cup layday (Thurs Dec 9) the Phuket International
Marine Expo 2004 (PIMEX)
will be showcasing a growing number of local boat builders including Malaysia's
DK Yachts, Thailand's Latitude 8's jet driven 50s style power boat, Samui
Ocean Yachting twin-masted Radical Bay 8000 catamaran and Bill Gasson's
Buzz 8 sports boat from Pattaya. Others aiming to capture local and international
export markets include Payoon 3 the only super-yacht to be built
in Thailand, owned and operated by Kingfisher Marine and Phuket Water
Taxi's commercial power catamarans built under contract to Patriot Marine
of Australia, a deal struck at PIMEX 2003. Certainly something for everyone
at http://www.phuketboatshow.com
January
2005 sees a variety of events on the sailing calendar. The Andaman
Sea Rally organisors report a record number of entries including
powered craft for their annual rally to India's Andaman Islands starting
from Phuket on 4th Jan.
Corum
watches have come onboard to sponsor the inaugural Phuket
to Singapore Yacht Race which starts on 8th Jan and
is expected to boost entries for the Singapore
Straits Regatta from the 19th - 23rd Jan. Following on shortly
after the SSR the Singapore
to Brunei Challenge Race is being reintroduced starting
on the 28th plus a local regatta to be held in Brunei/Labuan after the
yachts get there from the 9 to 14 Feb. So if you find yourself at a loose
end over the Christmas holiday period or stifled down with a big workload,
it's easy to get away from it all, just check out the local regatta website's,
hop on a plane and go sailing in an exotic Asian destination.
See ya on the water.
Capt Marty Rijkuris
2.
"Unluckiest sailors of the month"
Oct 27 - An embarrassing grounding at the Sydney Opera House took the wind out of the sails of a British newspaper's marketing campaign. The 76ft former America's Cup yacht FT Spirit crewed by experienced local sailors struck rocks below the Opera House, tearing off its keel bulb, causing it to capsize and throwing some crew in the water as she fell on her side. No one was injured. The yacht was chartered by the Financial Times newspaper, which launched an Asia-Pacific edition a few weeks ago. FT Spirit was towed to Noakes Boatyard as divers retrieved the bulb and is expected to be sailing again soon. The full account with photos is posted at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/04/spirit
Oct
27 - Rolex Middle Sea Race - After days of little or no wind, a massive
thundercloud complete with 50 knot gusts, hailstones and sheet lightning
wreaked havoc on the fleet. Worst affected by the conditions was Neville
Crichton's Alfa Romeo. Sailing under Code Zero in the pitch black night
the crew had furled the powerful headsail and were half way through dropping
it when a 30 knot gust came through. The furled sail began to writhe around
on deck, six crewmen unable to control it and the last to hang on to it,
America's Cup grinder John Macbeth, one of the beefiest guys on the Kiwi
maxi, was tossed overboard like a rag doll. Macbeth was recovered safely
after 12 minutes in the water.
More
drama was to come two hours later for the Alfa Romeo team when sailing
along in 8 knots the wind suddenly piped up to 30 and then 58 knots, knocking
the boat flat under full mainsail and furled Code Zero. "It was very
quick," recounted owner Neville Crichton. "We tried to run with
it, but it was hopeless and we lost control and it went straight over.
The boom and the rig was in the water and dragged it sideways. It took
us 15 minutes to get back upright and probably another three hours after
that to tidy the boat up and get everything operating. In the crash we
destroyed the mainsail which was Aus$150,000 and two spinnakers, so it
was a $200,000 fall over." More at: www.rolexmiddlesearace.com
MACQUARIE INNOVATION
CAPSIZED
Australia's Macquarie Innovation was half way through a record attempt
run in 18 - 20 knot winds, when the craft suddenly and inexplicably veered
off course and capsized. Both crew members were unhurt, although spent
some time extracting themselves from the debris that used to be their
crew pod. Unfortunately, damage to the craft has been extensive and not
repairable within the time frame so consequently, the team was left with
no choice other than to retire from this year's quest. We are obviously
very disappointed with the outcome and are currently in the process of
investigating the cause of the accident, but are still very focused and
dedicated to returning the World Record to Australian shores as well as
being the first boat in history to sail faster than 50 knots. More at:
http://www.macquarie.com.au/speedsailing.htm
3. Austral - Asian News
3.1
Singapore Sailing goes International
The Singapore Tourism Board has decided to use high profile, globe trotting
sailing events to promote themselves, overseas. A S$2.2m sponsorship deal
is the biggest for sailing in South East Asia by far, was signed with
Clipper Ventures PLC and see's the 68ft Uniquely Singapore clipper
joining a competitive line-up in one of the world's most prestigious international
yachting events, the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race.
Singapore is the first Asian city to ever join the ten-strong identical clippers which will set sail from Liverpool in the UK, on 18 Sept 2005. The fleet will race for ten months and 35,000 miles to ten port cities including Durban in South Africa, Perth - Western Australia then head north to Singapore for a 10 day stopover in Jan 2006. Onto Shanghai and Japan before crossing the Pacific to the US and eventually coming to an end in July 2006 back in Liverpool. More at: http://www.clipper-ventures.com
3.2
Cheapest sailing gloves in the world
Check out the full-finger AY
Glove range for the 2004/05
Season at:
http://asianyachting.com/Mall/AYGloves.htm
which will be on sale at all major Asian regatta's. Special light weight,
airy Tropical (AY112)
and Southern Ocean neoprene
backed full finger (AY131)
plus the popular foam padded 2 finger cut
(AY115).
They are also available in bulk at very competitive wholesale prices and
orders of 100 or more can have their own logo's printed on the velcro
tabs. Bruno Peyron is the lucky draw winner for November and promises
to put the gloves through a severe test latter this year on Orange
11 during his next Jules Verne attempt.
3.3
Piracy on the increase
Attacks on tankers are rising. In February four crew members of an oil
tanker were shot dead by pirates in the Strait of Malacca off Indonesia's
war-torn Aceh province after the vessel's owners failed to pay a ransom
for their release.
The
IMB described the incident as "a disturbing new trend in pirate activity".
The Malacca Strait is used by 50,000 ships a year and carries more than
a quarter of the world's trade and almost all of Japan and China's oil
imports. With numerous anchorages and different jurisdictions, the waters
have been a haven for pirates for hundreds of years. But now Malaysia,
Indonesia and Singapore are to launch coordinated patrols.
Technology may provide the most effective broadside against pirate gangs. Secure-Ship is a recent innovation in the campaign against piracy. This provides a non-lethal, electrified fence adapted for maritime use that surrounds a ship. Any unauthorized persons trying to board vessels equipped with the system will receive a 9,000-volt shock. Alarms, floodlights and sirens are also activated. More at http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,16791-1245464,00.html
3.4
CHRIS PACKER to be jailed in INDONESIA?
Internationally acclaimed Perth yachtsman Chris Packer could be charged
with gun-running after being caught with five weapons aboard his 55m converted
freighter, Lissa in Bali. Packer, who is on an around-the-world voyage
with his girlfriend Gianna Botto and four other crew, was detained by
Indonesian police as he sailed from the holiday island. It is believed
police were tipped off by a disgruntled crewman. Mr Packer's family says
he is not a gun-runner and the weapons were for protection in notorious,
pirate-infested waters. They believe he made a dangerous error of judgment
by not declaring the weapons when he landed in Indonesia, concerned they
would not be returned when he sailed. Mr Packer, 52, is being questioned
under Indonesia's anti-weapons law Number 12, which carries 20 years or
life imprisonment for those convicted of owning weapons without proper
authority for "negative purposes". More at: http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11452391%5E421,00.html
3.5
Warning to all offshore racers.
DK Yachts are warning all offshore racers to watch out
for when one of their Malaysian built Mum 30, Farr 36, 40, 52, 520 or
Mills DK46 lines up on your starting grid. One's to look out for in Australia
are Matt Allen’s Farr 52OD Ichi Ban and
Philip Coombs brand new DK 46 Dekadence during
the 60th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. While 2 worlds away in the UK
and the US Chris Brown's Fidessa Fastwave and
Robert Youngjohns Zephyra DK46's have shown
the fleet a clean of keels. Serious Yachts
for Serious Sailors can
be found at http://www.dkyachts.com
4. International News
4.1
News from the ISAF CONFERENCE 2004
Nov 2004 Copenhagen, Denmark: Big news of the day at the ISAF Annual Conference
is that the ISAF Council has voted on the equipment to be used in the
2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta in Qingdao. Eight classes were agreed on
immediately and shall remain as follows:
1. Multihull Open: Tornado
2. Keelboat Women: Yngling
3. Keelboat Men: Star
4. Double-handed Dinghy Open: 49er
5. Double-handed Dinghy Women: 470
6. Double-handed Dinghy Men: 470
7. Single-handed Dinghy Men: Finn
8. Single-handed Dinghy Open: Laser
9. Single-handed Dinghy Women: Laser Radial
10. Windsurfer Men: Neil Pryde RS-X
11. Windsurfer Women: Neil Pryde RS-X
GORAN
PETERSSON (SWE) elected ISAF President
With lobbying completed the air was tense with anticipation as the final
decision was in the hands of the 80 nations represented at the ISAF General
Assembly. In the first round of voting, none of the three candidates -
Fernando Bolin (ESP), Sadi Claeys (BEL), Göran Petersson (SWE) -
received 50%. The voting then proceeded to a run-off ballot between the
candidates with the greatest number of votes, Sadi Claeys and Göran
Petersson. On the run-off vote, Göran Petersson (SWE) was elected
President.
Seven
ISAF Vice-Presidents
The voting then moved straight onto the Vice-Presidents, with 7 places
to be elected, of which at least two should be women. Similar to the President
vote, in order to be declared elected, the candidates required more than
50% of the votes. In order of election, the Vice-Presidents are: George
Andreadis (GRE), Fiona Barron (GBR), David Irish (USA), David Kellett
(AUS), Teresa Lara (VEN), Teo Ping Low (SIN), Nucci Novi Ceppellini (ITA)
ISAF Events: The 2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship will be held in San Diego, USA, and the 2007 ISAF Team Racing World Championship was confirmed as being held in Mumbai, India. The holding of the Team Racing Worlds marks the first time an ISAF event has been held in India. http://sailing.org
4.2
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. Since
it's formal introduction on May 10th this year, Quantum's
FusionM has taken the world
by storm. For
a product update, including setting-up and gybing asymmetrical spinnakers
on boats with ‘conventional’ spinnaker poles, plus an all
important article on "The fine art of Crewing"
goto: http://asianyachting.com/news/QuantumSails.htm
4.3
It's all action on the Vendee Globe
After 23 days of racing Vincent Riou (PRB) has a mere 29 nm lead on Jean
Le Cam's (Bonduelle) as they are set to cross the longitude of the Cape
of Good Hope from whence they will penetrate the Indian Ocean.
The
leading boats are sailing in an atmosphere of depressions, big seas with
chaotic waves in 30 to 40 knots of wind, broaches and cold, gray, rain-filled
skies trying to find a compromise between “going fast and making
a straight line to your destination.” It looks like Mike Golding
(Ecover) may be able to get up with the last carriage in the leader’s
train (Riou, Le Cam, Jourdain and Josse), with Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss)
still hoping to hook onto the back of it though concentrating on consolidating
on his position rather than stretching the limits.
Behind
him in the “second pack” Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto) sums
up their situation perfectly. “The weather situation ahead is developing
into a real mine field. The breeze that comes in tomorrow from the WNW
will allow our northerly pack to stretch our legs towards Cape Town".
The pace seems crazily
high with the leaders around 5 days ahead of Yves Parlier’s record
time set in the 2000 edition before he dismasted.
Following all these developments avidly, the international public have gone into the record books... Over the starting week-end a record 1.7 million pages were read by visitors to the official Vendée Globe website with a record number of 1.2 million pages on Sunday 7th alone. Keep up with all the action at: http://www.vendeeglobe.org
4.4
Featured AY Yacht Brokerage
21ft
Yves Parlier designed Blue Djinn. Was
USD 29,500 now reduced to 23,500
Blue Djinn is a 21ft
French built (2001) light weight, trailable sail boat with low mileage.
She is a perfect boat for 1 or 2 days island hopping up the Malacca Straits
and can sail at good speed in light winds. Good fun! and fits an adventurous
family and small budget with or without big sailing experience. The boat
is also perfect for local club events. The center board can be lifted
allowing her to sail in very shallow water or onto the beach. More at
http://asianyachting.com/boats/BlueDjinn.htm
4.5 KiteShip on the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
For the first time in a major ocean race, spinnaker-replacement kites
will be flown on a maxi racing yacht, Sean Langman's 66-foot AAPT (ex
Grundig), in the 60th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
The
OutLeader(tm) kite flies in the stronger stable wind well above the level
of the boat's masthead, providing enormous pulling power. The kite looks
like half of a giant parachute, but measures as a spinnaker. Unlike a
normal spinnaker, it is sheeted only from the deck, so it doesn't contribute
to heeling the boat, burying the bow or uncontrolled spinnaker wipe-outs.
AAPT's 420 square meter OutLeader kite is being designed and built by
KiteShip Corporation of Martinez, California, who have been developing
sailing kites for more than 25 years. Although more than 40 yachts are
now using OutLeader(tm) kites, AAPT is the first big boat to race offshore
with one. - Check it out at: www.kiteship.com
and you can follow the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on the Official
website – www.rolexsydneyhobart.com
5. World Speed Records
5.1
NEW RECORD for JEAN-LUC VAN DEN HEEDE
Starting out at 09:21, finishing at 21:22:31 in the evening Jean Luc Van
den Heede, sailing single handed on his 85ft aluminium monohull Adrien
has captured the 138nm Cowes-Dinard crossing record in 12hrs 01mins 31secs
averaging 11.5kts. The previous record was 14 h 48' 15'' held by Lawrie
Smith, sailing with a crew on Silk Cut in July 1999.
"The first third of the course was really hard, I maneuvered a lot, there was little wind and strong currents, I did not advance past 10 knots. Soon after the wind filled in. I spent a bit more time on this crossing than I'd done with a crew; I think I can cut some more time off this crossing record," said Van den Heede. More at: http://www.vdh.fr
5.2
Kite record claim from the new speed course in Namibia.
21st Oct 2004: Olaf Marting (RSA) averaged 41.67 kts over 500 metres at
Walvis Bay in Namibia. The current record is held by Manu Taub FRA with
a speed of 40.58 kts. Further info on Sailing Speed Records at: http://www.sailspeedrecords.com
5.3
Outright sailing speed record broken by a windsurfer.
The WSSRC has ratified that the vaunted 11-year 46.52 knot record of Yellow
Pages since 1993 has been broken by Finian Maynard (BVI) with a time of
46.82 knots. The Dutch national record has been broken by Ben van der
Steen with an unofficial time of 43.5 knots. Dave White has broken the
British national record with an unofficial time of 43 knots. Windsurfers
have taken back the outright world speed record. http://www.mastersofspeed.com
5.4
JOYON sets new record on the Discovery Route
The WSSRC announces the ratification of a new initial World Record. Singlehanded
on the 3,884 mile Discovery Route from Cadiz to San Salvador. Sailed by
Francis Joyon on Idec a 90ft Trimaran from 10th to 22nd November 2004.
Elapsed Time: 11 d 3 hrs 17 mins 20 secs Average speed: 14.53 kts. The
outright - fully crewed - record for this route is held by Steve Fossett,
who in February 2003 took 9d 13h 30m 18s on PlayStation. http://www.trimaran-idec.com
5.5
Ellen's off again in search of the holy grail...
Nov 29, 08:10:44 GMT... Ellen MacArthur started her single handed around
the world record attempt on her 75ft trimaran B&Q covering
over 1000 miles in the first 60 hours since her start. To claim the record
she must finish by 09/02/05 07:04. The record has been attempted fives
times before in sailing history - only one sailor Francis Joyon has made
the distance non-stop on board his 90-foot multihull IDEC in
February 2004 in 72 Days, 22 Hrs, 54 Mins + 22 Secs. Ellen said "It
will be extreme, it will be on the edge, it will be dangerous... Success
will be monumental - failure will be her constant companion. Racing against
the clock, no one else, just the time of the previous record, the pace
is unrelenting...you push as much as you dare...” Goto http://www.teamellen.com
for webcam, positions, animations and breaking news.
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