Extreme Sailing Series Asia - Singapore
AY Race Experience

Life changing experience in Singapore...

14:12:09 Despite covering the highly successful King's Cup last week and being on the road for almost four weeks, I could not pass up the opportunity to race on an Extreme 40 in Singapore this week. A quick laundry pit stop in PD, then hit the road for Singapore. Having closely followed Mark Turners OC Events, right from the early EX 40 design days, then watch the widely reported and award-winning European EX40 iShares Cup grow over the last few years, it was music to my ears when OC Events announced that they were bringing this event to Asia and also making it a three regatta series on this inaugural outing.

Having grown up in an 'off the beach' catamaran culture at the Darwin Sailing Club, when I was a teenager, some things never die in your heart even as you get older. One of my greatest sailing moments back in the early 70's was skippering one of the early fiberglass Tornado catamarans imported into Australia and winning the year ending Cock of the Harbour Race by a country mile. To me just going for a ride on one of these Extreme 40's would have been good enough but to actually go onboard as fifth person during a race seemed unreal. It is absolutely amazing to watch the skipper and 3 crew go about full on racing the boat around the course with an observer clinging onto the rope trampoline and occasionally crossing from side to side. The average race is about 12 to 15 minutes long and given the unpredictable nature of the wind and racing in close quarters some of the races had up to 19 lead changes. This is amazing and as everything happens so fast, the best way to follow the racing if you are not here is to watch the daily video highlights.

When discussing Oman Sail's newly launched Arabian 100 (A100) trimaran, Majan, with Ingmar Jense, he challenged AsianYachting to come to Singapore and look up Katharine Birtwistle, the Communications and Marketing Director who would organise a ride on one of their Oman boats. Now if I can just find my way to Marina Bay, right under the Singapore Eye, which is on the corner that leads into pit lane of the Singapore F1 night race. Just walking around there it is hard to imagine going around at over 200klm an hour.

Look out onto the water and another revolution is taking place - six massive sleek 40ft all carbon fibre racing machines being driven by some of the worlds best sailing teams, going head to head in fleet races right in front of your eyes. A great opportunity also to meet some of the world renown sailors that we have been networking with for years and a chance to put a face to a name. After trying to get keelboat sailing going in Malaysia for many years this event is like 'A dream coming true'. Bring sailing to the masses by turning it into a spectator sport similar to car racing. Go one step further and offer a fifth position onboard the boats during the race for anyone game enough to go onboard. No other extreme sport can offer you that. Imagine sitting on Schumi's lap during the race? I was surprised to see that each of the six boats had a fifth person onboard and the line-up of familiar Singapore based sailors and sponsors all taking advantage of this once in a lifetime experience.

By the time it was my turn, we somehow managed to draw Pete Cumming and join the European Champion Oman Sail team onboard Masirah. Fortunately I was not on the early races as the clouds opened up and gave them all an almighty tropical deluge. The speedy transfer was carried out with care but the passing storm left little or no wind on the race course. A case of hurry up and wait. While we crawled around waiting for the wind it gave us a little time to discuss what angle of the story I would like to write. I'm afraid 'Only time for crew positions and jobs each one does during the maneuvers this time out.'

One thing became surprisingly clear from the onset was that skipper Pete Cumming does not steer the boat, instead chooses to trim the headsail and asymmetric spinnaker while discussing the shots between maneuvers. A very busy man playing a huge physical role as well as leading an intensely dedicated crew fully loaded with the highest of expectations. It was left to Leigh McMillian to steer the mighty Masirah and Mark Bulkeley to trim the main, control the hydraulics and play the tacticians role during the race. Lone Omani sailor Nasser Almasari was introduced as the foredeck crew and controls everything around the mast, plus plays a pivotal role in positioning the fifth person during the race. As he is a bit on the big size and very fit looking, you don't want to mess with him.

When the breeze did return it came down the river and Richard Cai's official race team once again relayed the start line to suit and the countdown began. Just like the real estate game its positioning, positioning and more positioning that will win you the day. As these very nippy catamarans can accelerate very quickly, the time and distance study as they approach the start line plus allowing for some maneuvering are of paramount importance in getting a good or bad start.

Fortunately for us the crew did a great job of staying back a little and as the minutes wore down powered up just below the starboard layline to sail over the boats below and give the boats above a little warning luff, which left a clear run to the line. How is that on my very first Extreme 40 race - Hit the line at the boat end, with full speed in clear air when the starting horn sounds. Wow! Thumbs up back to the skipper. Now negotiate through the minefield of wind gusts and lulls up to the windward mark. Keeping your nose clean at the front of the fleet is not enough in this class as picking the right wind lanes and receiving some lucky wind shifts can turn your whole race upside down in a matter of seconds. This would be totally gut wrenching in other forms of fleet racing but here you have to live with the mistake and get on with it as it all could change back again in a matter of moments.

The mighty Masirah crew did everything right to cling onto the lead at the windward mark, when Nasser hauled up the spinnaker and unfurled it to take us hurtling off downwind at great speed. Carry the gust to the shore then gybing across. Second placed Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team preformed a gybe set at the mark and held onto their own private wind gust to nearly run over us but gybing away before the cross had us holding on till the bottom mark. When gybing these machines the spin has to be rolled in and then rolled out on the other tack. The quicker the set the sooner the boat takes off again. Rounding the bottom mark requires rolling up the spin and dropping the whole mechanism to the deck ready to go upwind. Crucial timing of the opposition and placing the boat in the most advantageous position between the mark and the next boat, plus picking the right wind lanes followed. Even got to change sides a couple of times and not get to much in the way of Nasser who was now going forward of the main cross beam to lift the stern up as we scampered upwind.

Roman Hagara's Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team were still hot on our tail and with other challenges coming from all directions, we rounded the top mark for the final downwind clear in front. As the wind had increased and stabilized, throw in a few covering gybes on Red Bull and scoot off to the finish line to win my first and only race in the Extreme 40 class and Race 14 of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia - Singapore. Wow! Beginners luck. It's as easy as that? Done it! Won it! Many thanks must go to the hard working and dedicated crew that guided the mighty Masirah on their winning ways and for transforming the way we look at staging high profile yacht racing events going into the future.

If you have not had the opportunity to see or feel these racing greyhounds there is only one day left in Singapore, tomorrow Tuesday 15th at Marina Bay before packing up and heading off to the final round in Muscat, Oman from the 1st to 5th Feb 2010. We certainly hope they have created enough interest for the full road show to come next year and welcoming some neighboring countries to expand their sporting portfolios to include what only can be described as a 'marketers delight'.

Daily video roundup, photos and news releases at: - Extreme 40 Sailing Series Asia

Some photo credits to Thierry Martinez at: http://www.thmartinez.com

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