ON THE RIGHT TACK

It’s not just the top sailors who are enjoying the stiffening breeze of sailing’s popularity in the region.

THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES to be a sailor in Asia Pacific. The cruising grounds are epic, with stunning beauty and exotic cultures to explore. The competitions are world-class, whether it’s open-water racing or kids sailing dinghies and windsurfers at world championships. Podiums are being filled globally by the region’s sailors at the highestlevel sailing events, as well as locally in sunset series and weekend races at the yacht club.

The Rio Olympics take place this summer in Rio (Aug 8-18), and medals at the sailing events will surely be claimed by competitors from across the region – particularly Mainland China.

The Clipper Round The World race not only has stops in the region, there are yachts representing Da Nang in Vietnam and Qingdao in China. The Volvo Ocean Race is popular in Asia, with China’s Dongfeng Race Team winning the Australia to Sanya in Hainan leg and placing third overall in the last edition. Hong Kong recently was named a port of call in the 2017-18 edition.

As with any activity enjoyed thanks to the generosity of Mother Nature, sailing does have its perils. We have been reminded of this too often over the past year, with fatalities and serious injuries to casual sailors as well as top-level racing crewmembers. But as long as the wind blows, sailors of all abilities and experience will accept the risk and continue taking to the waters in boats of all shapes and sizes, with full sails and wide smiles on their faces.

There was a time when setting sail was the only way to get around on the water, other than paddling or rowing. Motorised boats from a few metres to 140m now rule the waves. We’ve also seen a dramatic evolution from monohulls to foiling cats; and from surfing, to windsurfing, to kitesurfing. The Olympics has gone from a single event for 12ft wooden sailing dinghies to a plethora of ways to capture the wind and race against the world’s best sailors.

The America’s Cup is no longer contested in Clipper ships, but high-tech foiling catamarans made of carbon fibre and other advanced materials and technologies. Luxury sailing yachts of 40, 50, 60, 70 metres and well beyond are being launched at a steady rate, owned by the wealthiest people on the planet. Some racing series are offering large prizemoney, even millions.

Take a look at any of the region’s marinas and yes, you will see more motor yachts and power boats of all shapes and sizes. But you only need to look up, and you’ll see those beautiful masts standing at full attention ready to work hand-in-hand with high-tech sails and Mother Nature to propel us on the water for fun, travel and competition. There’s nowhere better to enjoy sailing than Asia Pacific – from New Zealand and the South Pacific to Turkey and the Middle East.

MY BEST OLYMPIC RACE
CHINA’S LIJIA XU REFLECTS ON LONDON 2012 LASER RADIAL MEDAL RACE

BART’S BASH 2016 SUPPORTING DISABLED SAILING GLOBALLY 
REMOVAL OF SPORT FROM 2020 TOKYO PARALYMPICS PROMPTS GRASSROOTS ACTION 

WITH THE DECISION being made to remove sailing with effect from the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF) will use the funds raised through Bart’s Bash 2016 to help promote and develop disabled sailing globally.

These funds will be distributed via national sailing federations or through the official ASSF grants process, with the aim to support grassroots disabled sailing projects and make disabled sailing more accessible.

Bart’s Bash will take place across two days, September 17-18. Since Bart’s Bash started in 2014, the event has seen more than 45,000 sailors participate across 62 countries. The aim is to encourage more sailors and countries to participate, and continue to be one of the highlights of the sailing club calendar by bringing members and their family and friends together.

“The money raised from Bart’s Bash has already enabled the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation to support grassroots sailing projects around the world, allowing children and young people to experience the sport who otherwise would not have been given the opportunity,” says ASSF Trustee Iain Percy OBE.

“This year, we want to focus our efforts on disabled sailing. Bart was extremely passionate about the power that sailing has and that it should be accessible for all. It is a travesty that the Paralympics is dropping sailing after Rio 2016 so we have placed Bart’s Bash on the last two days of the Paralympics Games. It really is a call for the worldwide sailing community to get together and help raise funds for disabled and Paralympic sailing in the future.” 

English sailor Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as crew for skipper Iain Percy in the Star class representing Great Britain. He also won a silver medal at London 2012. Simpson was killed in the capsize of the catamaran he was crewing in 2013, while training for the America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay.

Since being founded in 2014, the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation aims to improve the lives of young people through sailing. The Foundation recognises that sailing as a sport is not always accessible to all due to financial, physical, learning disability, mental health or social barriers. ASSF therefore works to breaks down these barriers by working with sailing providers by offering financial and practical support.

To date, the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation has pledged funds of over £600,000 on a range of inspiring sailing projects across eight countries. Some of the projects supported in 2016 include: A UK national project with Blind Sailing, Chicago Park Districts Community Sailing Program, UK National Schools Sailing Association, Hungarian Yachting Association and Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Sailing Association.

You can register your club or venue to take part in Bart’s Bash at www.bartsbash.com

VIETNAM HOSTS HISTORIC CLIPPER RACE 2016 
40,000 NAUTICAL MILES / 690 SAILORS / 12 TEAMS / 44 NATIONS / 6 CONTINENTS Text & Photos by Barry J Atkinson ASTW 

FOR THE FIRST TIME in its 20-year history, the world-famous Clipper Round The World Race arrived in the Vietnamese port of Da Nang on February 17.

Sailing and racing around the world for 11 months, the 12 identical 70-foot yachts completed a four-week journey from Australia to Vietnam. The next stop was Qingdao in China, before heading eastwards to Seattle and beyond.

Founder and sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston compares this marathon event to climbing Mount Everest. It’s the pinnacle of sailing adventures and the longest yacht race in the world. The crews are mostly novices and the Skippers are the only professional sailors onboard.

During the 10-day stopover in Vietnam, an evening Parade of Sail was witnessed by thousands of Da Nang residents who lined the foreshores of the Han River.

The coastline of Vietnam boasts many spectacular islands, bays and beaches. The sailing and superyacht communities in Southeast Asia and around the world are eager to include Vietnam in future stopovers.

From Halong Bay to Danang, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, Phu Quoc and more, the doors are slowing opening to this multi-million dollar commercial and recreational industry. Da Nang City has been the first in Vietnam to embrace this iconic international sporting and media event.

The significance of the Clipper Race 2016 stop-over means that Vietnam is now on the global sailing map of destinations to visit, and certainly Da Nang City provided the necessary infrastructure to make it happen.

On Saturday February 27 the fleet set sail for the next leg of the marathon adventure. They slipped lines at 1100hrs and motor-sailed to the race start line (1615hrs), a kilometre offshore from the Vinpearl Resort & Villas.

Such was the outstanding success of the Da Nang Vietnam stopover, organisers are hopeful that a repeat performance will take place when the next race starts again from London in 2017-18.

The sport of sailing and the related industries of boat building, luxury boat charters and marinas are well established in the region. In nearby Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan, this lucrative and competitive commercial sector is booming.

Now it’s Vietnam’s turn. As the affluence of the ‘middle-class’ rises, so does the interest in importing luxury motorboats and brand-name sailing vessels. Currently on the Saigon River, small berthing facilities are being developed with international brands starting to appear.

In Nha Trang two major developments are underway. The ONE˚15 Marina in Singapore and Vung Ro Petroleum have entered into a MOU to develop a marina resort in Vung Vo Bay.

The locally based Focus Investment Group has built a 300m breakwater along Pham Van Dong, Vinh Hoa ward Nha Trang. The Ana Marina development has been approved for 300 berths. www.clipperoundtheworld.com

SAILING IS FOR EVERYONE
DISABLED SAILORS IN HONG KONG EXPERIENCE THRILLS OF M32 HIGH-PERFORMANCE CATS 

LIGHT WINDS DID NOT HINDER the enthusiasm of the day as everyone enjoyed a hull-flying experience in June, as 15 sailors from Sailability enjoyed an afternoon on one of Aston Harald’s new high performance catamarans, the M32.

Sailability Hong Kong is a charitable organisation supporting the disabled community’s ambitions to sail and to ultimately develop Paralympic sailors and Asian Para Games medallists.

The weather conditions looked challenging as the morning’s forecast predicted only 1 to 5 knots and thunderstorms, but the will and enthusiasm naturally attracted great sea breeze conditions, sending the sailors around Shelter Island at speeds in excess of 15 knots (28 km/h).

“All of the Sailability Hong Kong sailors were very excited to be invited out on the M32,” says Hong Kong Sailability Coach Ed Tang. 

“We have never experienced anything like it before. The sailors regularly train and compete using International 2.4mRs, which are single-handed monohulls. Sailing on an M32 with its huge trampoline and flying hulls was a completely different experience – it was an exhilarating day.”

It was evident through the cheering and beaming smiles that the day had provided an unforgettable experience for this group of extremely inspiring people.

“A day that the sailors will never forget,” says Virgile Bertrand, Hong Kong Sailability volunteer and president of the Hong Kong 2.4 Metre Class Association.

America’s Cup and around-the-world sailor Nick Moloney was in attendance, having recently taken up residence in Hong Kong with aims of promoting sailing in the city, as well as the region.

“I am a previous coach and active fundraiser for the Sailability fleet, and trained the Australian Paralympic sailing team for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games,” says Moloney. “Today was about recognising a great aspect of our sport, a strong fleet of sailors and simply fantastic people who do not even realise how inspiring they are to others. It was a great day on the water!”

The M32s are made of carbon fibre and weigh in at just 500kg, so they only require a small amount of breeze to propel them forward. On a light day in five knots of wind, the boats can fly a hull and move at more than double the wind speed. Their top speeds are in excess of 25 knots (46 km/h).

The M32s are in Hong Kong as part of Aston Harald’s ambitions to create teams around the world to participate in the M32 Series and the World Match Racing Tour with its million-dollar prize money.
www.sailability.org.hk
www.wmrt.com

McCONAGHY TO BUILD INFINITI 46 AND 53 DSS RACE BOATS IN ZHUHAI, CHINA 

INFINITI PERFORMANCE YACHTS and McConaghy Boats recently entered into an agreement to build the Infinity Dynamic Stability System (DSS) equipped Infiniti 46 and Infiniti 53 semi-custom racing yachts in China.

“It is a great pleasure to be working with one of the world’s foremost racing-yacht builders,” says Infiniti Yachts CEO Gordon Kay. “McConaghy Boats has great experience building boats to the highest level and of fitting DSS to Wild Oats XI; we know that construction of the Infiniti 46 and 53 will be in safe hands.” 

Since it was set up in Sydney in 1967, McConaghy Boats has constructed some of the world’s most successful keelboats, America’s Cup challengers and round-the-world race boats. At one end of the spectrum it has constructed 18ft skiffs for use on Sydney Harbour; at the other end, for more than a decade, McConaghy Boats has been the international builder of choice for maxi boats, including the 100ft multiple Rolex Sydney Hobart winner Wild Oats XI.

A decade ago, McConaghy Boats opened a 10,000sqm build facility in Zhuhai, beside Macau and 50km west of Hong Kong. Run by a mix of Australians, New Zealanders and Americans, Volvo Open 70s and America’s Cup Class monohulls have been built here, along with a host of One Design yachts including 600+ Mach 2 foiling Moths, the MC31 and MC38, Elliott 6m and 7m, and the J/70.

“What I particularly like about the DSS is that it is quite simple, because with complexity comes a bit of fear from clients,” says McConaghy Joint Managing Director Mark Evans. “And from a builder¹s perspective, it is easy to put into the boat and to maintain. So given these aspects, and the huge performance gain, it is a great thing and this is a fantastic opportunity for us. We believe that putting foils into boats will become quite standard moving forwards.

“We are more than capable of building this style of boat in China. We made all the new J-foils for the AC45s here – the DSS foils here are relatively straightforward in comparison.”

McConaghy’s facility in China includes three Kuka robots, which will build the foils in the most exacting way, under pressure and at a high temperature.McConaghy Boats will also represent Infiniti Yachts in Australasia and China.
www.mcconaghyboats.com
www.infinitiyachts.com