Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Hebe HavenYacht Club Racing Team
Report from Sentosa Byte and Optimist Nationals Championship
11-15 .06.2008 Singapore.
Entries : 291
Countries: Singapore ,Thailand ,Myanmar ,Hong Kong , Indonesia , Australia ,Belgium
Germany ,United Arab Emirates and big team from Japan.
The Team: Nagisa Sakai, Yann Cudennec, James Griffin ,James Johnston ,Cosmas Grelon, Gerald Wiliams, Sam Cooke , GlennCooke –supporter, Marek Nostitz-Jackowski coach.
Venue : National Sailing Centre Singapore Sailing Federation .This is south-east part of Singapore , narrow strait between Singapore and Sumatra. Mostly light and very light wind, with strong current .Current direction related with outflow (from noth- west to south east )or inflow ( opposite ).Current circulate around the strait clockwise when inflow and anticlockwise when outflow, so beside NSC current change direction little bit on different time(later) then tide table.
Preparation: we arrive to Singapore ( after small problem in Hk Airport due to heavy rain and thunderstorm Saturday morning ) three days before regatta, to have some additional days for training in this specific area. We used this time 100% perfect, spent about 4 hours every day on training and small competition with optisailors from familiar group from Australia.We were just lucky to had wind every day . Training showed , how still difficult is understand and imagine, water is moving and how is big current influence for sailing in this condition.Big change is ,after first malaysian trip ,because I can discuss with children about current and wind like with professional sailors , they understand what we talking about.I can observe how regatta participation give them necessary experience, confidence and being in the team teach them partnership, friendship, responsibility but also make them stronger mentally, emotionally and physically.They can see the goal and they can realize it.
We had no problem with speed in Sin ,actually Yann was fastest boat with this big group and everynone want to compare with him to improve his own speed. Everyday we had three girls from Singapore training with us ,two of them from Sin National team.They were happy to join our team, because atmosphere in Hebe team was fantastic .We did lot of speed test , downwind sailing with current from different side and of course start exercises when Australian team was on the water with us . Always second part of training we spent training starts and short races, because was perfect opportunity to do it if we had 27 boat on start line .Good experience.
Not bad prepare we can start competition next day.
Regatta: Singapore Nationals, year by year is a bigger event ,Currently this is a biggest and strongest event in Asia.Only Singapore has fleet more then 200optimist ,this year was about 100 entries from overseas including 7 sailors from Hebe Haven Yacht Club and 4 from Hong Kong Sea School.
First day we spent on the shore waiting for wind till 5 pm ,but no races that day.
Because was many entries, race officer separate children for 6 group for about 50 boats in the group. Was 6 qualification races where they mix group for each race. Always start two groups together, so about 100 boats in the start line . After 6 qualification races they separate children for gold ,silver and bronze ,according to results after 6 races. Best 97 –gold, next 97 silver ,rest bronze.
Second day wind pick up about 12.30 and was nice to 5.pm so was 4 races that day .
Best results after first day achieved Yann he was 23overall, with two very good races 5 and 6 . but still problem on the good start.
Cosmas and Nagisa race by race better ,but Cosmas had big own preasure to be best on the start line and many time with success .Very Good .He is growing so fast, clever boy.
James Johnston and James Griffin ,youngest from the team they try their best in that big fleet. James Johnston was even 17 after first downwind in the first race ,but judge inform him that he has BFD and he had to withdraw from this race,
Gerald works really hard to has best position as he can and Sam Cooke tried find his own position ,first on the start line , second on first bit . That was first overseas regatta for him and already that big, but he was really competitive.
Second Day. Good wind from 11.30,pick up to 9 knots early afternoon good day for racing .We expect more races that day but after 2 races competition was finished .We were very sad ,because in Singapore if is wind you have to sail, You can have a confidence next day will be ok.
Yann after this day still top 30 (24position),Cosmas very close to Gold group, Nagisa and James Griffin start sailing better improve a lot theirs position . James Johnston in the middle, Gerald almost silver group, Sam in the middle of broze.
After 6 races next mix according to results .
Yann -_Gold
Cosmas ,Nagisa ,James Griffin ,James Johnston –Silver
Gerald and Sam –bronze.
Next day Saturday- like in bad prophecy no wind whole day, make our race schedule difficult .Is only one day left and 6 races more to run ,so is clear will be no 12 like was planed.
Last day very nervous ,same script no wind till 12.30.Wind pick up a bit to few knots ,enough to start race but not enough to made full course .After big shift from right side ,when was deep consistence shift from left side , race committee decided shortened race .This race only Cosmas was lucky be in the correct time on the good side Yann worst result in whole regatta .In silver group half part of the fleet can not finished because wind completely died.
Bronze group raced in different area but they also had shortened course.
Next two hours we were waited for wind on the water and next one hour on the shore and finally 4 pm. regatta was finished after 7 races.
Compare with last year Yann Cudennec achieved significant improvement.(Last Year 86 position on 270 entries) .33 place this year is not bad if we can see 290 boats, but he sailed much better then position .My quiet target for him was top 20,very difficult ,very hi ,but probably possible after first three races when he was 13 overall .
That was next perfect regatta for Cosmas , showed his big potential . This guy just start serious training in March.
Nagisa ,step by step catch his international experience .She is still not enough confident about her skills and her knowledge,little bit drop down under big regatta pressure.
James Griffin and James Johnston “young wolfs” in my team every time more mature realize their idea about tactics on the first bit .They try use maximum their knowledge and skills to achieve best results. Good for future.
Gerald saw, he can compete with other sailors and he is not worst. He took 10 place in bronze group and received his first racing trophy in his life . Bravo.Well done.
Sam Cooke unfortunately start his international experience from strongest regatta ,but I can observed like very competitive he is . In regatta in Hk almost always last, in Singapore left more then 50 sailors behind. Very confuse from the beginning (first time he saw more Opti boat on the then 30 –like Hk)took good racing lesson.
No, more that keen sailors then our team in HK and maybe in Asia.
Final Results: 291 entries
Yann Cudennec 33
Cosmas Grelon 106 and medal for 9 position in silver fleet
Nagisa Sakai 133
James Griffin 137
James Johnston 164
Gerald Wiliams 204 and medal for 10 position in bronze fleet
Sam Cooke 237
Big thanks to Glenn Coke for helping me Singapore ,all my “crazy” parents and Hebe Haven Yacht Club for support.
Marek Nostitz-Jackowski
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Journeying to a different country by sail is unheard of these days, but Owen Turnbull tells us of his experiences sailing to Macau and of the cultural.
How do you wind down on a long weekend and travel to a neighbouring country for next to nothing? The answer is to leave the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong behind and to make your way to Macau, though not on a ferry. Get yourself on a yacht and sail down there in the Hong Kong-Macau Yacht Race. The additional excitement of sailing in a race is something you won’t forget and entering Macau at night is a magical experience, with the bright lights of the illuminating buildings of all shapes and sizes.
It’s barely six in the morning and we are down at the Yacht Club and nearly ready to go. Pre-passage preparations include loading the boat with supplies and the customary sea-sickness preparations. The boat that we are going to be sailing on is Até, a beautiful 40ft French-built catamaran. Her classic hull lines and a Bermudan rig mean that this journey will be neither uncomfortable nor slow.
And so, after raising the mainsail and unfurling the jib we motor out of Hebe Haven in Sai Kung and begin our journey. Waking up at 5am means that an overdose of caffeine is required to wake up the brain, and soon the aroma of coffee is beginning to do its job.
After leaving Port Shelter we head out past Little Palm Beach and, as usual, there is more rubbish than sand. The serenity of sailing in the morning is something that should not be missed. Especially in Hong Kong, since the opportunity to enjoy silence is rare. There is absolutely no noise; no birds, no cars, nothing at all except for the soothing sound of water lapping on the hulls.
Soon we are heading out past Shelter Island, and into the swell. Within minutes our sea-sickness tablets feel useless and soon we have a couple of incidents upon our hands. Here is a useful tip: always carry plastic bags without holes when passage-making.
The sun has fully risen and we are at the start line, off Lamma Island, ready for the 10 o’clock start. “Crack!” Why are we slowing down? Our hearts sink simultaneously, and we all look up at the sail knowing what we will see. Our mainsail is ripped, ripped to pieces. One careless gibe (the act of changing direction) and we will not be competing in the race to Macau. We swiftly inform the race committee that we are retiring, but proceeding to Macau anyway.
Our mainsail incident has left us relatively unscathed, morale-wise. Although we will not be racing to Macau, we will be there at the same time as we won’t have to go around a marker buoy. So we set off in high spirits and in anticipation of the long, fast down-wind run to Macau with the spinnaker hoisted. A spinnaker, also known as a kite, is used when going down-wind and requires a certain level of skill to handle. “Phew, it’s flying!” we all think once it is up. No hiccups at all. And then history repeats itself and we find ourselves without a spinnaker. Luckily, due to their relative fragility, a spare spinnaker is usually carried, so we hoist it and continue with our voyage. Now that our number two spinnaker is hoisted we all set to work on making the boat go that little bit faster, and it pays off. We manage to get within half a knot (half a mile per hour) of the boat’s 15½ knot speed record set in the Bay of Biscay. The exhilaration that can be felt from surfing down a wave on nothing but the wind is one of life’s simple pleasures, and in an age of increasing environmental awareness, one that leaves no guilty stain on the conscience. Within two hours we have made quick progress, passing numerous little islands, each island, subtly different, but in essence a weather-beaten rock, with a cluster of verdant green trees.
As we enter Macau the former Portuguese enclave’s various casinos and hotels scream for our attention. Macau has all the characteristics of a boomtown filled with tourists; lights, cameras and a whole load of action. To get to the Clube Nautico de Macau, the boat’s home for the weekend, we have to go under the three bridges that link Macau with the island of Taipa. Tourists from mainland China wave at us while admiring Macau’s architecture.
When we finally reach Clube Nautico, we tie up the boat and wait in the long queue for our immigration papers to be verified. The slightly shabby club consists of two disused shipping containers, but we don’t stay long, and soon after being allowed to enter Macau we are flagging down a taxi and heading to our hotel, the Best Western Taipa.
It turns out that the Best Western has the hardest beds in town, but that doesn’t affect our sleep, and we manage 12 hours flat. We quickly get breakfast and head out to enjoy Macau. After visiting the Go-Karting Club we head to a famous restaurant on Chauk Van Beach for lunch. An Italian place, by the name of The Gondola, it serves no-nonsense traditional Italian cuisine and has magnificent sea views.
In the evening we dine at a little Macanese restaurant in Taipa Village, a village filled with traditional houses converted into restaurants. We all have Portuguese-style paella with chorizo. The traditional dish is cooked to perfection and laden with seafood from mussels to scallops. The restaurant is exactly how it would be in Portugal, right down to the smallest of touches. The bread is served with olive oil, not butter, and is warm from the oven, the smell wafting out from the slightly open door. To end the night we wander in the streets of Macau marvelling at the contrast between the cosy restaurants and the centre, filled with casinos and the associated culture. We head back to our hotel for another night on the hard beds.
When we wake up we are greeted by beautiful blue skies and a consistent breeze, great for sailing back to Hong Kong. As we head down to the Clube Nautico and start the preparations, we joke that we are getting to be old hands at this passage-making lark. We untie and head out of the marina and back under the bridges. The wind has died, so this looks to be a motoring job. After a few hours, we have passed the same islands and Hong Kong is back in view. We pass Lantau island and stop for a little swim. The crystal clear water and the absence of people makes the cove a charming spot. We swim around a bit and clean the sewage and petrol stains from the boat. Soon though it’s time to head off again. We decide to go through Hong Kong harbour, as we aren’t in any rush. The tall buildings, which are testament to Hong Kong’s obsession with wealth and prosperity are, however, hardly visible. They have been engulfed by the pollution.
Soon we have left Victoria harbour and in no time at all we are back passing Little Palm Beach, which hasn’t changed, and is still covered in rubbish. We sail through Port Shelter and back into Hebe Haven, and our adventure is over. The boat is unloaded and we have a little time to reflect on our accomplishment. This journey really was quite an experience, a voyage to Europe without leaving Asia.
Owen Turnbull
Friday, September 01, 2006
It's been a busy summer for the Hong Kong Optimist & 420 squads. As we don't yet have any large dinghy fleets in HK, our teams needed to go overseas to gain experience in racing with more competitors and also in stronger wind conditions.
Puck in Poland was selceted as the base for the training. The 420 team, Sam Sakai & Bryan Tse, also entered competitons in Europe, while Akira and the rest of teh Optimist squad have been gaining experience in competitions in Asia.
Sam, Bryan and coach Marek left for Poland on June 29th. They trained with the Polish national 420 team & took part in the Jacek Plaeck Cup achieving 2nd place. They then flew to Weymouth, UK to take part in the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships, hoping that their training with the Polish team would pay off. As usual the British weather was uncooperative - a heatwave and light to nil wind. The start was hard for them, as the fleet sits on the start line three minutes before the gun - they persevered & managed to come 24th - not bad. Back to Poland, for nine more days of training & the Polish Cup (1st place - well done) - then, traveling with the polish team, 4000k across Europe (by car, towing the dighies on a trailer) to Tavira in Portugal, for the 420 Junior european Championships.
In Tavira the fleet of 111 boats sailed 6 qualification races. Our team managed to end day one with 22nd, 20th and 23rd. not a bad day, but tragedy was waiting for them. Next day, Race 4, they crossed the finish line in 16th position but with no horn. - Yes they were OCS, but they were still optimistic as as they could discard this race. They finished 24th in race 5, One more to go. Race 6, the breeze picked up to 30kts, gear failure! They had to retire and their dream to race in gold fleet was gone. Sam & Bryan are currently lying 2nd in the Silver fleet.
<eanwhile the HK Optimist squad has been busy in Asia. First the Sentosa National Optimist Championships. With 217 boats on the start line out team struggled on the line, not being used to so many other boats. Akira managed mid fleet (105th).
Next was the IODA Asian Chapionships in Fuiling Taiwan. A smaller fleet here with only 63 boats on the start line. The weather tested their skills to the extreme with a min of 13knots, and one day varying between 15-32 knots. Our best HK place was 44th, Akira coming 47th.
Back to HK for the Oppie team, two days rest and then off to Poland. They will be joined there by Sam and Bryan and everyone will return, exhausted and tanned, to Hong Kong at the end of August.
Sam, Bryan & Akira would like to say THANK YOU to all the Hebe Members who helped them with sponsership and support and hope you will be proud of their results.
Please click
HERE to view the photos.
Carol Sakai