16th President's Cup 08 - Subic Bay, Philippines, Asian Yachting Daily Race Reports

16th President's Cup 2008
AY Race Report 4 & Summary

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Patience rewarded with fame and glory...
After an hour and a half wait for the sea breeze to come in, the two remaining races to decide this years champions could get underway. Some crews took the rare opportunity to cool down with a quick dip and swim around the boat. It was all worthwhile as the building breeze produced some great sailing conditions that settled the intense rivalry developing between competitors and prove a fitting end to a tough regatta.

IRC Racing Class
Coming into the final day Judes Echauz Sydney 46 Subic Centennial held a comfortable 6.5 point lead. When they corrected out with first place in race five the engraver got to work on the overall trophy. They must be very happy as it is the second major Asian race/regatta victory for the Philippine boat in the same week. Ray Roberts crew on his DK46 Quantum Racing did their damndest to reduce the deficit with a second in race six and first place in the last race to end up with second place in the overall stakes. Once again only seconds separated the seven racing boats on corrected time to show just how hard it is to win a race, let alone the series in this class. Two third places for Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket lifts them to third overall after a very up and down regatta and no doubt has some further fine tuning to do. Frank Pong's Jelik was back on the pace but after yesterdays disappointment and with the drop race being introduced, finished up in fourth overall.

IRC Cruiser/Racer Class
A similar fate awaited the eleven IRC 1 class yachts when George Hackett's J-35 Jo De Ros Rudy Project once again sailed above their handicap rating to score first place in race five and seal the deal on first overall. In the fresh breeze Geoff Hill's Lyons 49 Strewth climbed back into contention with a third and first place plus after the drop race is taken out of the equation they ended up in second overall. Not bad considering they lost the keel on the new boat and still had the sheer tenacity to turn up at Subic and perform so well, all in the space of a week. From near disaster to happiness. Martin Tranco's X 452 Challenge started the regatta with fourth places but improved as the event wore on especially in the fresh breeze where the longer waterline comes into play to take a well earned third place overall. At the start of race five Jun Avecilla's Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star was called over the line and as they failed to return dropped down to fourth overall.

Performance Handicap Class
After winning race three yesterday the Japanese sailors Yamamoto and Nishi on the chartered X - 99 Fast Exit carried on their good fortune to win today's final race. Unfortunately the 9, 6 finish in the first two races has them back in fifth overall. James Donovan's Beneteau First 47.7 Adec Solution led by the proverbial mile but lost some minutes with a bad spinnaker drop which left them with second place in the final race and second overall. Although David Mc Kenna's Sun Odyssey 42 Raparee XXX could only manage third place today he survived the onslaught to claim victory in the overall class title.

Summary
This year the racing class has grown in size and stature plus reaching a stage were it is becoming increasing difficult to win the class. Instead of minutes, it has come down to the seconds separating the entire fleet. The boat owners must be praised for bringing there respective racing teams together and campaigning there finely tuned racing machines throughout the season. This maybe raising the bar for prospective new entries to contend with but if one wants to play with the big boys it is something that they should be prepared for both financially and in the talent department. Otherwise they will have to settle on the Cruiser/Racer class where a large contingent of mainly local sailors are competing with distinction and having allot of fun whilst doing so. One thing for certain is that event organisers in Asia will cater for everyone that wants to race on a yacht and extend a warm welcome to all comers.

It was announced at the prize presentation party that the President's Cup will be held at Boracay again next year, straight after the Manilla - Boracay Race. The dates for the combined event are from 14th to 21st February and judging from the success last year and to avoid disappointment intending competitors should start making plans and bookings at this very windy and popular tourist destination in the near future.

PC08 Results are at: http://www.manilayachtclub.org/prescup/results2008.htm

Goto AY - PC 08 Photo Gallery Here

16th President's Cup 2008
AY Race Report 3

Nature intervenes in the results process
After two days of steady sea breeze that produced unbelievably close results, overnight the favourable north easterly trade wind arrived but unfortunately faded away, half way through the race and has directly affected the results. One hour into the race the leading yachts in each class had completed half a lap of Subic Bay but as they approached the leading channel marker which defines the entrance to Subic Bay, a transition zone appeared between the fading land breeze and the approaching seabreeze. The big boats slowed while the smaller boats caught up from behind to join in the melee. Almost a restart after two hours of racing which continued as the leading boats made their way back down the harbour. As these testing conditions looked likely to continue for a while and after surveying the situation PRO Gerry Rollin had no other option other than to shorten the course at the next mark as the yachts returned from the outer mark. This decision did not please everyone and Frank Pong decided to have the jury deliberate the race committee's decision.

IRC Racing Class
Judes Echauz race winning Sydney 46 Subic Centennial has the lowest IRC handicap rating in the racing fleet which means, if they are in front of any boats they are beating them on corrected time. After catching up with the fleet and picking their way through the transition zone they came out in front of most the boats and as it was a straight forward reach to the shortened finish line they added another win to their score which gives them a six point advantage with two races left to run. Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket slotted into second place by 24 seconds from Quantum Racing in third and may have spoiled Ray Roberts chances of keeping up with the overall leaders Subic Centennial who have dominated proceedings so far. Unfortunately line honours for Frank Pong's Jelik transformed into seventh place on corrected time as the jury upheld the request for redress.

IRC Cruiser/Racer Class
Allen Burrell's vintage Farr 1104 Rags has won this class in the past and still manages to win at least one race each year against the newer, lighter and faster yacht designs. Today was that day. Dick Morris Shock 35 Salina did one better than yesterday to secure second place. The unflappable George Hackett's J-35 Jo De Ros Team Windshear managed to dig their way out of the hole and recover back to third place. They now go into tomorrows final races with a comfortable five point lead over Jun Avecilla's Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star currently running in second overall. Geoff Hill's Lyons 49 Strewth suffered during the wind change and dropped down to fifth place today but depending on tomorrows results and as the discard comes into play may clamber back inline for a podium place.

Performance Handicap Class
It was the Japanese sailors Yamamoto and Nishi's turn on the X - 99 Fast Exit to come to the fore and score first place. That makes it three different winners for the three races held so far. Rolly Gipulan's Yamaha 36 Punta De Uian made it back on the podium this time for second place. James Donovan's Beneteau First 47.7 Adec Solution led the fleet by the proverbial mile until the transitional zone put them back to third place. David Mc Kenna's race one winner Raparee XXX is still leading the in the overall stakes but the points difference is closing in.

The final day tomorrow consists of two windward / leeward races for the racing classes and one for the PH class. Although the present leaders in the racing classes seem to be in a enviable position, with the discard being introduced the rest of the podium places are still up for grabs.

PC08 Results are at: http://www.manilayachtclub.org/prescup/results2008.htm

Goto AY - PC 08 Photo Gallery Here

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16th President's Cup 2008
AY Race Report 2

That 'hurry up and wait' game again...
Heavy cloud cover over the land delayed the arrival of the seabreeze. After an hours wait the glassed out sea finally grew some wind ripples, which then had to cover the entire racing area before PRO Gerry Rollin's race committee, mainly young Philippine girls (See photo left) got the starting sequence underway. Despite the delay, the breeze increased throughout the afternoon and the two scheduled windward/leeward races for the racing classes and one passage race for the Performance Handicap class where completed in time. The starts were hotly contested with several yachts recalled for being over the line as skippers made there run in a bit early and had nowhere else to go.

IRC Racing Class
This time it was Neil Pryde's Hi Fi and Ray Ordoveza's Karakoa turn to be over the start line. As these yachts are crewed by highly skilled racing teams, any mistake, no matter how small, the boats placing will be heavily punished and need a miracle to recover during the race. Ray Roberts took advantage of every windshift gybing his DK46 Quantum Racing numerous times downwind to finally put one over Jamie Wilmot, his former sailing master who is helming Judes Echauz race winning Sydney 46 Subic Centennial this time around. Ray Ordoveza's Andrews/Excel 53 Karakoa expertly helmed by Steve Benjamin managed to sneak into third place as only two minutes separated first and third places in race two.

Frank Pong's 76ft R/P Jelik has led the fleet at every mark and is constantly sniffing around the podium places, nailed the accelerator down on race three to take out the daily double of line and handicap honours. Once again Judes Echauz's Subic Centennial claimed 2nd place and as they have scored podium places in every race held so far, they take a clear lead in the overall pointscore. Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi reveled in the stronger afternoon breeze to snatch third place from a hungry chasing pack, where only one minute separated third to seventh place.

IRC Cruiser/Racer Class
Geoff Hill got into all sorts of Strewth at the start of race two and was last seen doing circles to exonerate themselves and eventually finished down in tenth place. George Hackett's J-35 Jo De Ros Team Windshear stayed on the pace to claim their second handicap victory. Jun Avecilla picked the right downwind lane for his Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star to slot into second place. Dick Morris shocked a few when it was announced that Salina has scored third place in race two.

The bigger boats seemed to benefit when the wind increased for race three. Geoff Hill's Lyons 49 Strewth rebounded in the best possible way by posting a first and fastest. Twelve seconds latter, Martin Tanco's X-452 Challenge slotted into second place. Talk about close racing, the second hand on the watch had barely completed another beat when Roland Buser's Swiss Team on the Sydney 38 Stella took third place. Only 18 seconds separated first to fourth places and a little over four minutes separated first to ninth place is a sign of how good the IRC handicap system is working during this regatta.

Performance Handicap Class
After sailing the wrong course on Day 1, James Donovan's very slippery Beneteau First 47.7 Adec Solution made amends by posting the daily double (First and fastest) on the score sheets. Even the PH yachts are getting caught up with the racing spirit and posting close results when David Mc Kenna's race one winner Raparee XXX corrected out in second place by a mere four seconds. The ink on the paper had barely dried when Rolly Gipulan's Yamaha 36 Punta De Uian claimed third place only nineteen seconds latter.

Racing continues tomorrow with one passage race scheduled for all classes.

PC08 Results at: http://www.manilayachtclub.org/prescup/results2008.htm

Goto AY - PC 08 Photo Gallery Here

16th President's Cup 2008
AY Race Report 1

Subic Bay turns it on...
The sea breeze arrived early, right on cue for the 10:30 start time and as it continued to build in strength it turned the opening proceedings for this years Presidents Cup into a majestic day for racing sailboats. PRO Gerry Rollin's chose to send the IRC Racing and Cruiser/Racer Classes off on a 22 nautical mile passage race and the Performance Handicap Class on a 14nm point to point course which took the yachts to the extremities of Subic Bay. They had it all, a couple of long windward beats, square runs, beam spinnaker reaches and two sail close reaches that soon sorted the crew work out and proved a good test on how effective the IRC handicap system is at estimating boat speeds when calculating the results for such a diverse range of boat sizes, racing under similar conditions. At the end of the day the crew that makes the least mistakes and the boat that sails up to there allotted handicap should be amongst the winners.

IRC Racing class
After quite a bit of jockeying around during the pre-start, "Fortis Mandrake across the start line" crackled out over the radio waves as the hooter sounded. The long windward beat to the weather mark sorted the boats out in order of size, IRC rating and relative boat speed. As they proceeded around the course the separation grew and with out taking the mark rounding times it was very hard to visually determine the handicap leader. After whipping around the course in 2hrs 21mins Frank Pong's 76ft R/P Jelik took line honours but finishing 34 minutes latter at the back of the racing fleet, Judes Echauz Sydney 46 Subic Centennial corrected out a mere six seconds faster than Jelik to continue on their winning ways. Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi finished strongly to secure 3rd place only 18 seconds adrift of the leader. All the boats corrected out within three minutes from first to last place and Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket tied for fourth place with exactly the same time as Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing showing just how close the racing is expected to be this week.

IRC Cruiser/Racer Class
Undeterred after losing the keel on his new TP52 Strewth during the China Sea Race, Geoff Hill's crew drew on their inner strength and showed they are people with iron resolutions, to come and fire up his recently retired Lyons 49 Strewth that was conveniently berthed in Subic Bay. Almost a faultless performance except being beaten for Handicap Honours by a mere 37 seconds by George Hackett's J-35 Jo De Ros Team Windshear, who last won this class held in Subic two years ago. The boats in the 36ft range staged a good battle around the course with Jun Avecilla's Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star coming out the best to score 3rd place. Only 12 seconds separated third to fifth places and as the first race usually irons out a few problems we can expect see some fireworks over the coming days.

Performance Handicap Class
A slight misinterpretation of the sailing instructions saw three boats sail the wrong course and regretfully score Did Not Finish. With the crew happy that the fridge is now working David Mc Kenna's Sun Odyssey 42 Raparee XXX sailed the correct course and scored the daily double of Line and Handicap honours. By finishing five minutes behind Raparee XXX, Jeremy Simpson's Warwick 42 Shibumi slotted into second place. Austin Chamberlain's Irwin 37 Sorcerer managed third spot and all the boats corrected out the same as there finishing order.

When feasibly possible the PC08 Results will begin appearing at: http://www.manilayachtclub.org/prescup/results2008.htm

Goto AY - PC 08 Photo Gallery Here

16th President's Cup 2008
AY Pre-Race Report

Focus now switches to the President's Cup...
Despite disappearing off the PurpleFinder yacht tracking radar on day one of the Rolex China Sea Race, Vince Fidel and Judes Echauz Sydney 46 Subic Centennial ghosted across the Subic Bay finish line, right on sunset three days latter. By completing the 565 nautical mile course, just under 7 hours after Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi took Line Honours, Subic Centennial had done enough to convincingly take out the 2008 Handicap Honours. Paul Bankowski's crew made the most gains on the final day with his Kerr 11.3 Jaywalker to fill second place overall as well as claim the IRC Division B title. Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket excelled in the heavier conditions but after finding a private parking lot slowed their progress and relegated them to third overall by twelve minutes.

The focus now switches to the President's Cup. Having won the RCSR and the PC on several occasions Vince Fidel and Judes Echauz's mostly all Philippine crew on Subic Centennial helmed by Aussie Olympian Jamie Wilmot may start out as favourite's but will have their hands full amongst the top racing class contenders assembled at Subic Bay. Ray Roberts Quantum Racing crew are hot to trot after their Brisbane to Gladstone Race win over the Easter weekend and as Frank Pong's Jelik is returning to the frey they are expected to continue there head to head battle. Ray Ordoveza's Andrews/Excel 53 Karakoa skippered by US racing legend Steve Benjamin are also looking forward at renewing the duel with Subic Centennial. Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi are getting better with each event they enter and the Fred Kinmonth / Nick Burns co-owned Farr/Mills 51 Fortis Mandrake will be making amends after being piped for the RCSR handicap honours. After claiming third place overall at the RCSR Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket won't be basking in the sunshine as they are hell bent on going on and stamping their authority at Asian regattas.

There is an equally impressive line up in the 11 strong IRC Cruiser/Racer Class that are likely to produce some close and exciting racing. Geoff Hill's Lyons 49 Strewth comes out of retirement and in the absence of a Premier Cruising Class together with Jon Wardill's Cassidy 55 Australian Maid have been bundled in with the smaller rating boats and have shown in the past they can still spring a surprise. Paul Bankowski's Kerr 11.3 Jaywalker is on a roll after 2nd place in the RCSR but will be up against Jun Avecilla's all Philippine crew on the Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star who have cleaned up at recent events and will be looking at making up for last years final race disappointment. Klass Hiisjes Dutch team on the BH 36 Sandaway are returning to defend last years title they so narrowly won but George Hacketts PC 2006 regatta winning crew on his J-35 Jo De Ros Team Windshear are very familiar with the Subic Bay conditions and will be out to spoil there party. With there vast sailing experience Allen Burrell's Farr 1104 Rags is always considered a threat in Philippine waters. Fresh from the RCSR outing Martin Tanco's X-452 Challenge have gained confidence and expect to be in the running by the end of the regatta. Roland Buser's Sydney 38 Stella has won here two times before in different hands, so the Swiss Team have a big reputation to live up to. Which leaves Dick Morris Shock 35 Salina and Chiang Kavalan's chartered Beneteau First 31.7 Selma the smallest boat in the fleet, that if they perform up to their handicaps could become a thorn in the side of there bigger counterparts. The skippers that can quickly adapt to the tricky Subic Bay conditions over the four-day, eight-race series that combines windward/leeward courses with passage races can expect to be standing proud on the podium come presentation night.

Eight vastly different yacht designs are fronting up in the Performance Handicap Class. David Mc Kenna has kept the engineers busy getting the motor running so the fridge on the Sun Odyssey 42 Raparee XXX is in working order. Japanese sailors Yamamoto / Nishi have been fine tuning the X - 99 Fast Exit to perfection. Tom Van Hierden Beneteau Oceanis 42 Cocobolo entry form was temporary misplaced but all is forgiven. Rolly Gipulan's Yamaha 36 Punta De Uian, John Kerner / Ray Wolfe's Brewer 42 New Moon, Austin Chamberlain's Irwin 37 Sorcerer and Jeremy Simpson's Warwick 42 Shibumi shows the diversity in the class, who will be all aiming to get the better of James Donovan's very slippery Beneteau First 47.7 Adec Solution the biggest in the class.

In the 2007-08 AY Grand Prix Championships three new entries are a welcome addition to the annual skipper and yacht rankings for the year. Vince Fidel and Judes Echauz Sydney 46 Subic Centennial, Paul Bankowski's Kerr 11.3 Jaywalker and Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket join an elite group of eight skippers and yachts that have already scored podium places at five of the earlier regattas. No changes at the top of the leaderboard with Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing on 11 points still holding a clear three point advantage over Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik on 8 points. However things could change after the showdown on Subic Bay reaches a climax this week.

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