Bravo! Bruno Peyron and Bravo to all the crew and Orange 2 for smashing the round the record and setting a new benchmark of 50 days that I'm sure will stand for years to come. Thanks must also go to Bruno for testing the AY Southern Ocean Gloves under these harsh conditions, which passed with flying colours and previously known as the fastest selling gloves in Asia have just become the fastest around the world! More on AY Gloves at: http://asianyachting.com/Mall/AYGloves.htm

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CONTENTS

1. Editorial - Reaching out for International Standards
2. "Unluckiest sailors of the month" - David Scully and Cheyenne crew
3. Austral - Asian News - Elaine Chua - first Asian women to compete in Europe
4. International News - Audi Platu 25 Gold Cup
5. World Speed Records - Round the world in 50 days - Who would have thought?

Browse past News & Views - Web Editions click on: April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March and the Asian Tsunami reports...

1. EDITORIAL

Ever since China won the rights to host the 2008 Olympic Games it has generated allot of healthy political debate and media speculation on why South East Asian athletes don't seem to be able to measure up Internationally and what are the chances of local sailors ever developing the skills at home to participate. One Malaysian politician recently came close to the problem with "Vijay Singh would never have become golf's world champion if he would have been granted PR status a few years ago". The reality of the situation is, although a few diligent Asian Windsurfing, Laser and 470 sailors have competed at the Olympics with distinction, we must go back and look at the beginnings to find excuses for this general under achieving. Some regional sailing groups gained Member National Authority (MNA) status many years back with sailings International representative body (ISAF) but were left to their own devices and can barely afford to get their sailors up to speed on the local scene never the less on the International arena. "Would Kevin Lim have ever got to compete at the Olympics if he didn't go to Australia and train while continuing his studies?"

Being a equipment oriented sport, you would have thought that in this day and age the ISAF could produce a blueprint or help with recommending a formal committee structure, producing a training program to expected levels and advising on the funding requirements, so these relatively inexperienced MNA's could make a decent presentation to their National Sports bodies and work together on succeeding.

Qualifying now comes down to the world rankings in the chosen class. Which means sailors must first compete at a number of ISAF sanctioned events in Europe or other developed sailing nations to enter the class rankings before the Olympics and country selection trails. As Singapore is the best funded and most active MNA in the region, that can afford to send promising sailors abroad, hire foreign coaches and have set up a base in Melbourne, Australia plus with Teo Ping Low recently being elected as a ISAF Vice President they are the most likely country in the region to go to the Olympics.

The big boat racing scene is no different which is often considered "a thing that rich foreigners do when they come out to work here". Although the government has embarked on a Marina building program and some of the resultant yacht clubs and promotion companies, along with local tourism departments and state development boards assistance have produced a happy mix of racing regatta's, cruising rallies and Individual races that are evenly spread across the monsoon seasons to please any sort of visiting sailors. There is growing concern that this haphazard development is diminishing the quality of the events and has not produced the desired effect of attracting local sailors to compete at these regattas.

As the South East Asian region is becoming popular as a sailing destination for world cruisers and increasingly being asked to host top class sporting events, Tunku Abdullah's long time plan of hosting a Yachting Symposium (See Asian Section below) will open discussions on producing a coordinated approach and standardize pleasure-craft regulations titled Yangon to Manila Bay has come to fruition and scheduled for the Crowne Plaza Mutiara in Kuala Lumpur on the 26 - 27th May. They will be posting some of the speeches and Q & A sessions on the web site for people that can't attend and help to keep the interest and momentum going afterwards. I will be particularly interested in the speeches on financing boat purchases and training techniques so local sailors have a chance at winning their own regattas.
Happy sailing for now
Capt Marty

2. "Unluckiest sailors of the month"

At 1200 GMT 10th March 05 Cheyenne, skippered by David Scully in the Oryx Quest 2005 was dismasted in heavy seas off the east coast of Argentina, about 200 miles north of the Falkland Islands. With the mast and all the rigging overboard, and no other obvious damage, they waited rescue from the Argentinean navy. David Scully informed Steve Fossett, the boatowner and stated, "We are all safe which is the important thing! The good news is that we are now able to enjoy our first cooked meal in days." Steve Fossett told race HQ the lower shroud broke which caused the mast to buckle and come down. Along with Olivier de Kersauson's Geronimo (Last months USOTM award) Cheyenne has now officially withdrawn from the race leaving just Doha 2006 and Daedalus still on the round the world race course.

To put all this in prospective Brian Thompson, navigator onboard Doha 2006 said "I made a calculation of all RTW trips on maxi-multihulls and there has only been a 50% success ratio of getting to the finish without stopping or having a major problem. I guess this race is no different. We all have our fingers crossed that statistics can't lie, and that Daedalus and Doha 2006 make it back to Doha. We are still sailing as smartly and alertly as possible, but there is also now that extra element of caution, both in our choice of routing, and in how hard we push the boat. It's a marathon and we have to get to the finish line.

That old adage, 'to finish first, first you have to finish', is never truer than for us right now." As the Oryx Quest 2005 is the first round the world race to start and finish in Asia, is in the closing stages goto www.maxicatdoha.com and read the exciting and well prepared daily reports especially what the Indian Ocean has dished up, to make it quite a unique event for these giant multihulls.

3. Austral - Asian News

3.1 San Fernando 2005 - Ffree Fire enters the points
Last seasons AY Champion boat was Sam Chan's Ffree Fire that once again proved her pedigree by taking the daily double of line honours and the South China Morning Post Trophy during this years San Fernando Race. The softening breeze at the end deprived them of the opportunity to break their own monohull line honours' record of 49:55:12. Fred Kinmonth’s Farr-Mills 51 Mandrake finished 5 hours behind Ffree Fire to claim 2nd spot and James Fernie's Wizard in 3rd place despite finishing over 24 hours after Ffree Fire.

This result lifts Mandrake to 7 points and they will have to pull something out of the hat at the Presidents Cup and the final regatta at Koh Samui to claw past Neil Pryde's Hi Fidelity nearly insurmountable 11 points. More on the AY Grand Prix Rankings at: http://asianyachting.com/news/Rankings0405.htm

3.2 Elaine Chua - first Asian women to compete in Europe
For all those Elaine Chua doubters, eat your heart out as she will be opening her "Across the Atlantic" European campaign by competing on the 980nm Odyssee D'Ulysse 2005 on her 21ft Mini Transat yacht Feng that she recently debuted in Asian waters. The single-handed race begins in Villefranche su mer (in between Monaco and Nice) on 3rd April then round Cape Spartivento on the southern tip of Sardinia and returning to Villefranche around the 10th April. Follow the race at www.odysseedulysse.com were the all French site will be updating the positions of the 22 competing boats every 6 to 12 hours. More on Elaine's sailing endeavors at: www.elainechua.com

3.3 Everyone invited to sail in Pt Klang
The Royal Selangor Yacht Club is pleased to announce that the Royal Selangor Open Regatta will be held at Port Klang on 16 & 17 April 2005. The event is open to all sailing vessels regardless of size or shape and they wish to remind all participants that the underlying aim of the event is to have fun on the water and conviviality ashore. Prizes will be awarded to the first 3 boats in each class for the series and additional prizes for the pursuit race, meritorious performance, best dressed crew, best decorated yacht and embarrassing moments may be awarded by the Race Committee, at their discretion. For more info contact John Ferguson at john@rsyc.com.my or Ph 03 31686964

3.4 After a hiatus of a year, the Borneo Challenge is back!
Jointly organized by the State of Sarawak on Borneo and the Federal Territory Island of Labuan is yet, another joining the growing number of Asian events to promote regional marine and sporting tourism. The program starts in Labuan and includes a offshore race from Labuan to Miri plus a number of day races in Miri. The developer of the Miri Marina have advised that their new website http://www.mirimarina.com is up and running and they are offering free berthing for the duration of the event. The Sarawak Sailing Association together with the Piasau Boat Club will be running the event. More at www.borneorace.com and interested entries are asked to contact the secretariat at ngmiri@tm.net.my

3.5 Quantum's FusionM gets with the strength!
Asian sailors may be interested to know that one of the world's leading edge sailmaking factories can be found in their own backyard. Since it's formal introduction Quantum's FusionM sails have 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" and the results of a recently held racing rules question and answer session with International juror Graeme Owens goto: http://asianyachting.com/news/QuantumSails.htm

3.6 Yachting Symposium - Yangon to Manila Bay
Tunku Abdullah's long time plan of hosting a Yachting Symposium - from Yangon to Manila Bay and reveal A New Cruising Playground to world cruisers has come to fruition and scheduled for the Crowne Plaza Mutiara in Kuala Lumper on the 26 - 27th May 2005. Registration for this International gathering of key maritime players along with booking accommodation and a program of topics by renown speakers including a keynote address by the Honorable PM of Malaysia YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah is expected to promote confidence in the region and enhance the recent growth in marine tourism can be found at: www.symb2005.com or contact the secretariat by Tel: 603 21456800 Fax: 603 21421700 or E-mail contact@symb2005.com

3.7 YO! crew of to Valencia
Peter Ahern and the crew on YO! won Malaysian Airlines tickets to visit the BMW Oracle Racing base in Valencia when they won the BMW RLIR 05. To get an idea of were they will be swaning around in August at the 3 story operations base presently under construction in Valencia's Darsena harbour. The area will be approximately 4,000 square metres with a building footprint of 2,700 square metres and the VIP area on the top floor will offer 250 guests panoramic views of Darsena from the rooftop deck. Goto: www.bmworacleracing.com

3.8 Top of The Gulf Int Regatta & Coronation Cup
For keelboats, beach cats and dinghy classes from 30th April to May 5th. It is timed to coincide with the prestigious Coronation Cup that commemorates the Coronation of His Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej of Thailand at Ocean Marina, near Pattaya in the Gulf of Thailand. Bill Gasson, chairman of the organizing committee, added that boats are available for charter and “It’s hard to find a better location, good wind, a great sailing area just out the door of the marina". More info from: info@topofthegulfregatta.com or website: www.topofthegulfregatta.com

3.9 Dare 2 be Different - Charter a winner!
The much talked about tandem mast, bi-plane rig has mainly been used to power up experimental out and out speed machines. But now the Radical Bay 8000 - a production 8m catamaran built right here in South East Asia is available for bare boat or skippered charter around Koh Samui and the surrounding islands. So now YOU can find out what it is like to sail the Phuket Kings Cup 2004 winner! Want to own one or see just how easy and safe this radical new design and simple rig handles by going to the Coco Sailing website: http://www.cocosailing.com

3.10 Want to become a International Jury?
Intending ISAF Race Officials should mark the following dates in your diary - The Malaysian Yachting Association will be holding a ISAF Judging Clinic in Lumut, Malaysia from 19 - 24 April 2005. Italy's Giorgio Lauto will be conducting the session and enrollments can be made with Malik Sulaiman by PH +60 125242882 Fax +60 56885967 E-mail Malik_2881@hotmail.com

3.11 What's Brewing?
Looking for a good night out in Singapore? Brewerkz Restaurant & Microbrewery opened its doors in June 1997. Besides handcrafted beer, they also offer great American-style food and good "old fashioned" service. You'll find them at Riverside Point on the Singapore River. Brewerkz has a factory-like interior with an open-plan 18-hectoliter brewery. So if you feel like chilling out, grabbing a beer, a game of pool while viewing your favorite sport, or just sitting outdoors and watch the river go by, try: http:///www.brewerkz.com

3.12 HEAVENLY BODY
Inmarsat has launched a new satellite which is 60 times more powerful than its predecessors the Inmarsat-3 satellites. The first Inmarsat-4 satellite is the size of a London double-decker bus and weighs six tons. The I-4 satellite is one of the largest and most powerful commercial satellites ever launched. Inmarsat intends to launch a second I-4 satellite later this year. That is when its new Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service, an IP and circuit-switched service offering high-bandwidth services, including internet access, and LAN at speeds of up to 432kbit/s. - Yachting Monthly, www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050214170454ymnews.html

3.13 Featured AY Grand Prix Yacht Brokerage
1976 Sydney - Hobart Race winner - Previously Aussie registered Piccolo is considered one of the original Farr 1104's to be built in Lake Maquarie by John Pickles which helped put young Kiwi designer Bruce Farr onto the road to fame and glory. A brief history, recent maintenance plan and additional equipment added plus a summary of the 1976 Hobart Race can be found at: http://asianyachting.com/boats/Farr1104.htm

3.14 The next big event for giant multi's to include maxi mono's
According to race organizers, entries have flooded in for the next sailing event in the Quest calendar, which has been confirmed to take place in September 2007. Billed as the Qatar Quest is a around the world race with stopovers in key locations, open to both giant multihulls and maxi-monohulls the event has already generated huge international interest. Brian Thompson is already scheming how to improve the performance of Doha 2006 "Whilst we are tearing along in these conditions I am making notes on changes that could be done to this boat to turbo it for the next race," he wrote in his daily log. "And I'm also thinking about what would be the perfect boat if we had a blank sheet of paper to win the next race. There are some new maxi-multihulls now on the water or in build for launching later this year so there's an exciting future ahead for this class.".More at: www.qisel.com

4. International News

4.1 Audi Platu 25 Gold Cup.
The first world champs, or Gold Cup, for the Platu 25 (Beneteau 25) will be on at the Porto Rotondo Yacht Club in Italy from the 26th Sept to the 1st Oct 2005. Any Asian owners wanting to pit there crew skills against the rest of the world, the Secretary of the Italian Class Association Edoardo Pavesio is organising a number of boats for charter. The official class website is at: www.platu25.com or you can contact Edoardo directly at: edoardopavesio@yahoo.it

4.2 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. Richard Perini has been nominated for "Sailor of the Year" for winning the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds, the Australian Farr 40 Circuit and Championships for 2004-2005 plus the Mumm 30 Worlds 2004 in Canada. An outstanding achievement. Serious Yachts for Serious Sailors can be found at http://www.dkyachts.com

4.3 Who is the biggest Pirate of them all?
It still has not been determined who will skipper the Walt Disney Co. entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, although you can be reasonably sure it won't be Mickey Mouse. Many questions remain unanswered involving the United States entry in the 2005-2006 around the world race, which Glenn Bourke, CEO of Volvo Ocean Race said "It is important to secure a US entry to build interest in the Baltimore-Annapolis stopover from April 20 to May 7, 2006". What is certain is that a Volvo 70 sloop will carry the Disney logo and graphics promoting "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Discussions have been going on for about six months and Bourke called it "groundbreaking" that a U.S. company the stature of Disney would get involved with professional sailing sponsorship. Personally one of my favourite scenes from the original pirate film is when Captain Sparrow steps ashore as the boat sinks underneath him upon arrival. Full story at:
www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2005/03_22-43/SAL

4.4 ROLEX TRANSATLANTIC CHALLENGE
The entry list is now final for the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge 2005, hosted by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) with the cooperation of the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS). On May 21, 20 entrants -ranging in size from 70 to 230 feet, and averaging 111 feet, will set out on a course from New York to The Lizard in England, recreating the Great Ocean Race of 1905. In that historic race, the schooner Atlantic, skippered by Charlie Barr, set a record that has not been broken by a monohull in a race for 100 years (12d 4h 1m 19s). Event website: http://nyyc.org/index.cfm?menu=270&openitem=270

5. World Speed Records

5.1 Round the world in 50 days - Who would have thought?
The World Sailing Speed Record Council has made official - Bruno Peyron's maxi-catamaran Orange II how holds the outright round the world record. The new record is 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes 04 seconds for an average speed of 17.89 knots. This new mark eclipses Steve Fossett's previous record by 7d 17h 12m 41s. - www.sailspeedrecords.com/

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