2006 - 07 AsianYachting Grand Prix Skipper and Yacht Championships
Points
are awarded based on the Yachts
performance over eight selected AY
Grand Prix racing class events (Malaysia 2, Hong Kong
2, Thailand 2 plus Singapore and the Philippines with 1 a piece) held
each year (See below) that fairly grades the competing
Skippers ability to successfully run a racing
campaign in Asian waters over the 2006 -
07 Season.
At
the final AY
GP event in Koh
Samui at the end of May the Champion
Skipper receives a tailored Armani
Blue Blazer and Perpetual
AY
Cup traditionally filled
with chilled champagne is presented at a magnificent prize giving party
on the lawns of the Central Samui Resort at Chewang Beach.
Goto the AY Photo Library for images of the 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006-07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 AY Grand Prix Champions presentation with selected shots taken during the season here...
Check out the Annual AYGP 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 and 2010-11 Champions
Breaking
News stories and Race
Reports as the 2006/07
Season
progresses
Latest News...
Frank
Pong and Jelik
- Crowned 2006 - 07 AY Champions
Talk
about going down to the wire... Coming into the last day of racing at
the season ending Koh
Samui Regatta Neil Pryde's Farr 52OD Hi Fi held
a one point advantage over Frank Pong's 75ft Rachel Pugh Jelik.
Race six got away on a windward / leeward course in 8 to 10 knots of breeze.
Bill Bremner's Sydney 40 Foxy Lady III won the race and went
on to became the overall Racing Class winner after scoring four wins out
of six races. The race to be crowned the 2006-07
AsianYachting
Grand Prix Champions
just got more interesting as Frank Pong's crew on Jelik secured
second place to even up the points with Neil
Pryde's Hi Fi in 3rd place and PRO Tony Denham announced that
a further windward / leeward Race 7 would be conducted back to back to
complete the race program.
One
of the closest starts ever witnessed in Asian waters resulted with everyone
going flat out up the first windward beat. The downwind leg saw the usual
separation based on boat speed but as the yachts turned for the next windward
leg the breeze suddenly died and a shortened course posted. At 75ft Frank
Pong's Jelik is the biggest boat racing here and usually found
at the front of the fleet claiming line honours. On a short windward leeward
course Jelik has to be up to one leg in front of the 52 footers
to have their time on them to score a handicap win. On this occasion Frank
managed to breast the shortened finish line as the other yachts picked
their way through a minefield of wind changes interspersed with holes
of no wind to finish over twenty two minutes in front of the next boat
Mandrake. This gave Jelik the daily double of line and
handicap honours for Race 7 and as Neil
Pryde's Hi Fi finished in third place, this allowed Frank
to leap frog them to win the prestigious2006-07
AsianYachting
Grand Prix Skipper and
Yacht Championships.
To
get there Frank
Pong and his 75ft R/P Jelik scored
3rd place (1 pt) at the China
Coast Regatta in Hong Kong, 2nd place (2 pts) at the
Royal
Langkawi Int Regatta, 1st place (3 pts) at the Presidents
Cup in Boracay and 2nd place (2 pts) here at Koh
Samui to come up with the grand tally of 8 points. Neil Pryde
and Hi Fi finished up on seven points for the year and Bill Bremner's
Koh Samui win on Foxy Lady III lifts them to six points to make
them equal third with Paul Winkelmann TP52 Island Fling at the
end of the season. In total 12 yachts have scored points throughout the
2006 -07 Season and each of the eight selected regatta's or races has
the distinction of having a different winner. The gala prize presentation
may have been washed out on the lawns of the Central Samui Resort but
after a little reorganising the Armani Blue
Blazer was presented to Frank and the crew
celebrated with the champagne in traditional grand prix style.
Koh
Samui - Final
Result still in doubt...
The battle for the prestigious annual 2006-07
AsianYachting
Grand Prix Championships
is heating up between Neil Pryde's Farr 52OD Hi Fi and Frank
Pong's 75ft Rachel Pugh Jelik. Coming into
the final event of the season both boats were tied on six points. Frank's
Jelik started with a win and has since scored 3, 5, 2 and Neil's
Hi Fi 4, 2, 2 plus a resounding win yesterday sees them two points
in front with the possibility of three races to come. If a drop race is
included at this stage the margin is reduced to a mere one point. On
five points coming into this regatta the Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns
owned Farr/Mills 51 Mandrake has dropped out of contention with
a scoreline of 3, 7, 4, 4 which includes a race 2 disqualification that
maybe reopened but they will find it hard to come back from here.
If Neil Pryde's crew are really back on form they may well be the AY GP Champions for a third consecutive year. There has been some discussion about the courses to be used. Hi Fi may prefer windward / leeward courses and Jelik passage races but we have been assured by the race committee that there will be a mixture of both for the remaining races. Jelik's crew have also demonstrated in Langkawi and Boracay that they are capable of winning windward/leeward races and should not be considered out of the running by the media. Anything can happen over the next few days.
AY
Grand Prix Championships
reaching a climax at Koh Samui..
At the top
of the leader board three skippers and yachts, Frank Pong (75ft R/P Jelik),
Neil Pryde (Farr 52OD Hi Fi) and Paul Winkelmann (TP52 Island
Fling) are all tied on six points with only the season ending Koh
Samui Regatta to go. This year, there is no
run away leader with several skippers only one regatta win away from the
leaders. The Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns owned Farr/Mills 51 Mandrake
on five points are closest to the three leaders. Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum
Racing on four points is well within striking distance. Crowning
the 2006-07 Champion is dependant upon who turns up at
Koh Samui.
Frank Pong has been released from China Teams America's Cup duties in Valencia. Neil Pryde and the Mandrake owners have formally registered their intentions to compete. Sam Chan's Ffree Fire 52 entered the frey by scoring three points after a resounding victory on the recent Hong Kong San Fernando Race. Bill Bremner's Sydney 40 Foxy Lady also on three points needs a good outing here to improve their rankings and can be considered outsiders. Past years have shown that anything is possible at Koh Samui. In event off a tie on points at the end of racing the winner will be decided on countback of results at earlier events. So it's anybodies guess who will be receiving the embroidered Amarni Blue Blazer and enough chilled champagne to fill the Perpetual Cup at the Koh Samui prize giving party, held on the magnificent lawns of the Central Samui Resort at Chewang Beach this year...
Hong
Kong - San Fernando Race
- Ffreefire enters the fray
After
suffering from a series of breakages at earlier events Sam Chan's Ffree
Fire 52 finally enters this years rankings with a resounding victory
on the San
Fernando Race.
Second and third placed Chris Mead Halcyon Daze and Steve Manning's
Walawala are the tenth and eleventh skipper and yacht to score
points this season. Closing in at the top of the leader board three skippers
Frank Pong, Neil Pryde and Paul Winkelmann are
tied on six points with only the season ending Koh
Samui Regatta
to go. Several skippers and yachts are only one regatta win away from
the leaders. Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns owned Mandrake (five
points) are closest to the leaders and
Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing on
four points is well within striking distance. In event of a tie on points,
the winner of the last event will become the 2006-07Champion.
Presidents
Cup 2007 - Goes
Frank Pong's way
Frank Pong had to crank up his 75ft R/P Jelik
to a record thirty two plus knots on the last downwind reaching leg at
Boracay to win the 2007
Presidents Cup. By adding three precious points to their
tally in
the annual AY
Grand Prix Skipper and Yacht
Championships finds them
tied for the lead on six points with Neil Pryde's Farr 52 OD Hi Fi.
Ernesto Echauz's
Sydney 46 Centennial
becomes the ninth skipper and boat to enter this
seasons rankings. Ray Roberts third place
on his DK46 Quantum Racing brings
them to within two points of the leaders after only competing at two events.
There is now several skippers and yachts only one regatta win away from
the leaders.
The Fred Kinmonth and
Nick Burns owned Mandrake on five points is closest to the leaders.
With only two regattas left this season
everything is still open for the taking. Racing now swings over
to Hong Kong for the San
Fernando Race before the majority of racers come together
again at the season ending Koh
Samui Regatta.
AY
March 07 News and Views
After winning the RLIR
07 Ray Roberts and Quantum Racing enters this seasons
rankings. There is now four skippers and yachts tied on three points and
only one regatta win away from the leader, Neil
Pryde's Hi Fi on six points. There are
three regattas left on our own home grown annual AY
Grand Prix Skipper and Yacht
Championships and
as Ray intends on keeping Quantum Racing here in Asia and compete
on these events everything is still open for the taking. The Fred
Kinmonth and Nick Burns owned Mandrake on five points is closest
to the leader. Third place in Langkawi for Rolf Heemskerk's Farr 40 YO!2
gives them one point to be the eighth skipper and yacht to score points
this season. Racing now swings over to the Philippines and further scoring
opportunities is dependant upon which events the owners choose to do before
coming together again at the season ending Koh
Samui Regatta.
Royal Langkawi Int Regatta - Quantum
leap to victory
A
daring port tack start gave Ray Roberts on Quantum Racing a slight
edge over Frank Pong's Jelik on the winner take all final race.
Quantum wrapped the spinnaker on the second hoist and may have
seen their advantage disappear. Then Jelik missed the gate and
had to quickly gybe back to correct the error. Nail biting stuff! The
final windward work in twenty knots of wind on Bass Harbour may have been
a little overpowering as crews strived to control the back winding mainsails
and skippers kept their foot on the pedal. Eventually it was the bigger
75ft Jelik that crossed the line fourteen minutes in front of
the smaller 46ft Quantum Racing. Was this enough after handicaps
are applied? AY
Race Reports here...
and
check out the AY
Photo
Library
13th
Singapore Straits Regatta
to Paul Winkelmann's Island Fling
In our own home
grown annual AY
Grand Prix
Skipper and Yacht
Championships Paul
Winkelmann's TP52 Island Fling draws level with Neil Pryde's
Hi Fi on six points. The Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns owned Mandrake
increases to five points and clearly within striking distance of the leaders.
Bill Bremner's third place on Foxy Lady III earns them an extra
point and puts them one win away from the leaders with four regattas to
go. As racing now separates out between Langkawi and the Philippines further
scoring opportunities are dependant upon which events the owners choose
to do before coming together again at the season ending Koh
Samui Regatta. SSR
07 - AY Race Reports
with photos here...
Phuket
King's Cup Regatta
- Toby
O'Connell on Dhevatara Drumstick
All
racing class yachts eventually finished within seven minutes of each other,
which gifted Toby
O'Connell on the chartered DK 46 Dhevatara Drumstick his
first King's Cup victory. After
leading the fleet Neil
Pryde's Hi Fi tied
on points with Drumstick
but lost out on a count back. Paul
Winkelmann's TP52
Island Fling has
shown allot of promise during the week but had to settle on third place
overall after drifting into the mark adding further insult to injury on
the final race. A
twist of fate seems to play a hand in determining King Cup results, as
earlier in the week Drumstick
was dealt a severe blow from the
jury and perhaps as retribution, nature has repaid them for the inconvenience.
AY Race Reports here...
Check
out the King's Cup Photo
Library...
Check out the Annual AYGP 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2007-08 and 2008-09 Champions
17th
Raja Muda Selangor
Regatta 2006
- Fred Kinmonth/Nick Burns Mandrake take the title...
As the high
noon showdown time approached, most yachts left the Royal Langkawi Yacht
Club marina early to study the current direction and wind conditions on
Bass Harbour. Five to eight knots of breeze saw the racing classes away
with a lot of jockeying for position and covering tactics being employed
up and down the fleet. All eyes were on the clash between Fred Kinmonth/Nick
Burns Mandrake that narrowly led the pointscore and Bill Bremner's
Foxy Lady that could execute an upset if the conditions suite.
A hush descended on the media boat at the start of race seven as both
RMN-Zuhrah and Mandrake were called over the line. As
the boats were tightly packed, Bill Bremner decided to take the benefit
of the doubt and returned Foxy Lady to the start line in case
they were over early. The ever irrepressible Neil Pryde on Hi Fi
took second place in race seven and Foxy Lady rebounded with
a third placing but not enough to clinch the series. Mandrake's
fifth placing was just enough to give the Fred Kinmonth/Nick Burns owned
yacht the overall IRC Racing title this year. AY
Race Reports here
Check out the RMSIR
06 Photo
Library...
Goto the AY Photo Library for images of the 2003/04, 2004/05