The 2005/06 SEA Season officially kicks off with the 2nd Phuket Race Week. The two-day Quantum Naga Cup for 5 extremely fast Phuket Sports 8, one-design sailing yachts will be held prior to the main event over the weekend 23-24th July. Also a day of Skiff Asia - Byte, 29er and 59er dinghy racing is planed for the 27th (Registration day). By popular demand last year, Race Week was shortened to 4 action packed days beginning on 28th and ending with a gala prize giving party at the 5-star Evason Phuket Resort and Spa on the 31st July.

Race organizers Image-Asia also advise that Sunsail Asia have a number of charter yachts available as " Fly in, Have fun in Paradise, Fly out " Charter Parties " are now proving to be very popular, especially as the southern hemispheres winter settles in. Make contact directly with the PRW 05 team at: raceweek@image-asia.com.or visit their website at: http://www.phuketraceweek.com for more information. Browse the unique AY - PRW 05 Race Reports and Event Media Coverage Page at: http://asianyachting.com/news/PRW05.htm

Miss Canada (crowned Miss Universe 2005), Miss Australia, Miss Ethiopia, Miss Belgium, Miss Columbia and Miss Sri Lanka went onboard Diva II for an interview and photo shoot with the Royal Phuket Marina film crew, before heading over to Koh Phi Phi for lunch. "It was a magnificent day- Phuket really turned on it's best weather" said Skelton and over 880 million worldwide viewers saw Phuket on May 31. Story courtesy of Siam MARINE

Their combined efforts and hard work over the last 3 months has culminated with the first hull being released from the mould recently. Now with the design, mould building and preparation work all completed they expect to be building at least 3 new 10m LongTails a week. Once more moulds are in place they will be able to custom build and do personalized internal fit-outs thus catering for any increased demands, accordingly.

So, Anyone interested in a fiberglass LongTail? We will be announcing the Asking Price on the PRW 05 Coverage Page after visiting the factory.when I'm up there.

Have you ever had " an affair " with a LongTail boat in Thailand?

If you are one of those, that have never led a so called "Normal Life" then you won't be surprised that the editor has got a proud self admission (Skeleton in the cupboard) or little known secret confession to make!

When saving the LongTail images into my boat files, I found the one and only remaining memory I posses, of Capt Submarine, yours truly, skippering the last remaining sailing model longtail "Nantiyar" to circumnavigate Phuket Island, back in 1993-94. See Image, which funny enough was stored under motorboats.

Singapore Girl - Elaine Chua and her 21ft Feng are based in La Rochelle (FRA) till the Mini Transat starts in Sept.
Scuttlebutt Europe #764 - 7 July Issue

Elaine Chua and Feng are officially SE Asia's first Mini Transat entry (Which raced at the PKCR 04) is now based in La Rochelle (FRA) till the race starts in September. Their last outing in the Mini Fastnet was Feng's first race in the Atlantic Ocean off France and used to clock the necessary miles for the Zero class to be a Series in the up coming big race. Their next big event is the Transgascogne at the end of July which will be another good test on all their equipment and see if anything else needs fixing. This will be the last race for the Mini season before the crossing.

Since arriving over in the Mediterranean they have competed with distinction in the Odysee D'Ulysee, Course Du Lion and Mini Solo, also did her 1000 nm solo qualification run and thus completing the 2000 nm needed for all wildcard entries. Elaine is still amazed with the big following Mini sailors have built up over there with fleets of 40 to 80 yachts regularly competing and she continues to meet up with European sailors that are beginning their qualifications now for the 2007 race. WoW!

"It's been a very intense few months of sailing for me since I have arrived in Europe and finally, now I have some time to work on the administrative side of things, like looking for race sponsors and also do a refit to the boat to get her ready for the big race.

Elaine has time for a fleeting visit back to Singapore during August to meet up with old friends and fellow sailors at Raffles Marina's Western Series and hopefully raise any valuable sponsors contributions needed to send her on the way. For more information on Elaine's progress, log onto http://www.elainechua.com

Editors note: If any of the European photographers on the AY Circulation List like Gilles Martin-Raget and others that usually keep me well supplied with fantastic images on the French multihull scene and BMW - Oracle Racing are attending any of the Mini starts - Could you spare a little time finding Feng and a few moments focusing on Elaine as we all would appreciate a few snappy images.

AY Glove $$ale to Raise Funds for SE Asia's first Mini Transat Racer...

As Elaine uses our AY Southern Ocean racing gloves to help protect her worn pinkies from the harsh elements that provide her with plenty of small rope grip in the strong Amara palms. You know, we still have over 60 pairs in stock as they are not big sellers in hot, humid areas. (Although some of the Thai painted Cray divers found the neoprene backs, Kevlar stitching and extended cuffs, very good when sticking their hands into the wall caves or digging around underwater in the sand).

Lets face it Now! - Feng needs new, stronger and smaller spinnakers for the Trans Atlantic run and Elaine estimates that another Euros 25k at least, is needed to complete their mission. AY is willing to put a shoulder to the wheel as we need to move last seasons excess stocks and are pleased to sell each pair of the remaining 60 from our Southern Ocean glove range (Only available in Black Neoprene and S, L, XXL sizes) at below wholesale prices and includes express airmail postage to anywhere in the world, all for a remarkably low US 16pp.

As it probably costs more than that to arrange individual money transfers in some countries, this limited offer is really only open to collectors and sailors that want the same gloves that Elaine uses in the Atlantic Ocean and Bruno Peyron recently set a new round the world record of 50 days with. We will then Donate US 6 from every registered sale to Elaine plus keep in reserve a few more pairs for her crossing in September. "We always like to send our sailors out to sea with the best gloves we can possibly get made for them" is one of our company motto's around here.

I know that this is only a miserly US 400 to 500 but Elaine assures me, every little bit helps at this stage. She might be able to buy a couple rounds of cappuccinos with her new found sailing friends over there or perhaps heat up a chicken - rice - vegetable soup, the single-handed sailors seem to like, on one of those miserable, rough, cold and windy nights, all alone in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean somewhere. If you want to make a little extra donation to their cause, you can TT it along with the glove payment and we will arrange to pass it onto her wherever she is. All enquiries on this Super Deal should be made to: info@asianyachting.com

First personalized International glove $$ale by AY

Sponsors at bigger yacht club events may be interested to know that by ordering 60 or more pairs from the AY Collection  http://asianyachting.com/Mall/AYGloves.htm you are entitled to select the color of the spandex backs and print your companies name and promotional logo on the wide wristed Velcro tabs. We recently fulfilled a 60 (Padded, Five-finger cut) glove order in dark bottle green (Like the original Jaguar car) to the Commodore of the Clyde Yacht Club in far away Scotland (See Online Photo Edition) with Mc Innes Gardner Architects blazoned over white wrist tabs. All this for only US 660 and delivered in time. This won't necessarily blow the organisers budget but provides the sponsor with an exceptional promotion and marketing tool during the event.

Want to know more on the Sailing Action presently taking place in SE Asian waters?

It's easy, you can either goto the 2005/06 AY Calendar at: http://asianyachting.com/asiancalendar.htm Follow the links (Below) to the now running RSYC Regatta, the soon to start "Sail Indonesia Yacht Rally" Darwin - Kupang 23rd July and the early August 8th Western Circuit Sailing Regatta at 5 Star Raffles Marina. Or you can Subscribe to Sail-World.com - Asia Edition as they are the only other Yachting News provider, worth their salt, around here, to report on Asian Events...

RSYC Regatta - 17, 23 & 24 July 2005

The RSYC Regatta is fast becoming Singapore's largest premier keelboat event. A record total of 34 yachts took part last year and attracted the cream of Singapore’s keelboat racing community with an exciting line-up of sport boats, racing and cruising yachts.

This is one regatta which attracts all comers, ranging from solo sailors to the serious racers and leisure cruisers. The J-24 fleet is also expected to be the biggest gathering of one-design boats in a Singapore regatta in recent years.

Follow the events "week by week" progress at http://www.rsycregatta.org/ or for news deadline results contact Race Secretariat, Republic of Singapore Yacht Club. Tel: 6768 9336 Fax: 6768 9280 Email: sailing@rsyc.org.sg

"Sail Indonesia Yacht Rally" Darwin - Kupang 23rd July

Over 70 boats from 11 countries that signed up or are going along on the Darwin - Kupang Rally followed by a rather ambitious Cruise in Company onto Bali, through Indonesia's 15,000 island archipelago and continuing right on up to Langkawi, in Malaysia's NW, will be setting sail from Australia's tropical north, capital city on 23rd July.

Organizers stopped taking applications early June and are already looking at future ways to further increase the fleet numbers.

The event has been renamed "Sail Indonesia Yacht Rally" and yachts will enjoy many benefits including the obligatory CAIT (Cruising Permit for Indonesia), swift port clearances and Gala celebrations in Darwin and Kupang plus cultural visits to neighboring villages on the way.

Described by past participants as "Too much fun, very helpful and an informative introduction to sailing through Indonesia".

More Dwn - Kupang Rally News at http://www.darwinbalirace.com and SailAsia will attempt to keep us updated with photos and sailing reports along the way at: http://www.sailasia.net

Individual applications for Indo Cruising Permits and sailors intending to visit this region during the event, for heaps of local knowledge info on sailing through the archipelago, pay Bali Marina a visit at: http://www.balimarina.com