2009/2010 AsianYachting Grand Prix Championship
September 2009 - Update

AYGP comes alive next month
We like to keep our readers up to speed, by filling the current monthly AYGP Newsletter with all the finer points on the upcoming events, expert analysis, race results plus links to the Progressive Pointscore throughout the 2009-10 Season. Also the popular AYGP Updates to notify sailors when the regatta Photo Galleries are posted online, after each of the ten selected regatta/races that score points towards becoming the AY Skipper and Yacht of the Season.

Just to recap on what has gone down already...
Six Senses Phuket Raceweek saw an early start to the 2009/10 AYGP Season. The 2007/08 Champion Ray Roberts on his re branded DK46 Evolution Sails (formerly Quantum Racing) decided to tackle the reigning 2008/09 Champion Neil Pryde and his prized Welbourne 52 Hi Fi head on, right from the very start of the season. Coming into the final day, Ray Roberts Evolution Sails held a slender three point lead over Neil Pryde's Hi Fi. The discussion over breakfast was "Would this be enough? Could Peter Ahern's Farr 40 YO!2 slot in to create some points separation?" Neil Pryde's crew were up and at it early, with an air of confidence in their stride and struck gold soon after by winning both races. Only 34 seconds in Race 7 and 41 seconds in Race 8 on corrected time separated Neil and Ray in 2nd place, that whittled their overall lead down to one point but still enough for Roberts crew to claim the title on their first outing at Raceweek. Talk about coming down to the wire. Now if that's how it is going to be for the rest of nine events that make up the AYGP we are going to be in for a tremendous season. Two third places for Peter Ahern's Farr 40 YO!2 places them in third overall and hopefully enough motivation to join us for a few more events on the calendar. The SSPR - AY Race Reports can be accessed from : http://asianyachting.com/news/PRW09/5.htm and the spectacular 2009 Photo Gallery is posted online at: http://asianyachting.com/photos/photo.htm?PRW09

Racing Yacht For Sale
DK46 Evolution Sails (ex Quantum Racing)

Also available for regatta charter
If your serious about forming a racing team and joining the racing class at major regattas in the Asian region - Ray Roberts has placed his Mark Mills designed DK46 on the market. Over the years they have won or placed in nearly every event in the Austral - Asian region, including the prestigious Sydney Hobart Race. She is also available for regatta charters and would suit any teams that like to try out the Asian scene without committing to a full blown racing campaign. All the sails have been specially designed to suit the boat and are less than a year old, making her ready to power the new owners into the future. The interior is fully fitted to high IRC specifications and could easily serve as a fast passage maker on extended cruises. Serious buyers can contact us at: info@asianyachting.com and prospective charterers seeking more details can contact Workforce Marine directly by E-mail: enquiries@workforcemarine.com.au Office Tel: 61 2 9310 5164 Mob: 0418 556 626 Fax: 61 2 9310 4881 Asking Price US$450,000 o.n.o. More Yachts For Sale Here...

Coming up on the horizon...
Ray Roberts has completed the purchase of Paul Winkelmann's TP52 Island Fling and the re-branded Evolution Racing is reported by sailing coordinator Don Buckley to be in Guilty's hands and already left KK for Subic yesterday. They will be joining the bulk of the Racing Class fleet based in Hong Kong to contest the China Coast Regatta, from 16-18 October, which is the 2nd event on the AYGP calendar. Picking your time to cross the very active Typhoon ally at this time of the year will require a very experienced delivery skipper and crew. After undergoing major surgery, Neil Pryde's beloved Welbourne 52 Hi Fi will not be joining them in Hong Kong because they are taking her up to Koh Samuii about the same time as CCR for some crew practice and celebrating Neil's ?? birthday. It will be the first time in ages that Neil has missed his home regatta that he used to preside over. It will also be a chance for Ray Roberts to extend the early one point lead over Neil Pryde but also put some points on the board if his crew can quickly come to terms with the bigger TP52 racing scene.

The 20th Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta is moving along at a fast clip. Over 50 expressions of interest have been received and past winners, yacht club commodores and Royal dignitaries have been invited to attend a gala reunion and celebrate with a Open House BBQ Party on Thursday 12 November at the Royal Selangor Yacht Club in Port Klang. On Friday 13th (unlucky for some) the RSYC will also host the Welcome Dinner for all participants. Some crews are coming up with some canny ideas like theme costumes, songs or chants and dance routines that will no doubt entertain us sometime at the parties planned in Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi. Although there is a serious racing element to the event it is good to see the emphasis swinging back to its cruising origins and enjoying some good old Malaysian hospitality while you sail along the way. There are still some pretty fancy Yachts for Charter (Including the DK 46 Evolution Sails above) So if your running late and still looking for a crewing position post your desire on the Crew Available List 2009 for all to see. Contact the RMSIR Organising Committee directly through the website http://www.rmsir.com or by Emailing info@rmsir.com Phone: +603 3168 6964 Fax: +603 3168 8650

AsianYachting.

Photos and Info to share...
A fantastic array of photos from all the major Asian regattas since 2004 have been posted online in the AY Photo Library at: http://asianyachting.com/photos/default.htm As every single article ever published on the AY Website can still be found online we have a wonderful database of yachting news stories in the archives. So if you have been a notable sailor over the last ten years or more and like to search the entire AsianYachting website, to see if we have given you a mention - It's EASY - Just type Your Name into the Google Search box, conveniently placed alongside. Then Hit Search and see how you fare. This service is also available on the AY Homepage. You can also search for your favourite Boat by Name, Design, Skipper or enter any other computations about sailing you like to mention. We use it a lot to find files that we have long forgotten about. This service is not just limited to Asian waters as the popular monthly News & Views has mostly covered International events the length and breadth of the globe for the past 10 years. Also having the complete Asian Yachtmaster syllabus stored online, try searching for more boating related techniques, maneuvers and other specific sailing terms. Enjoy!

First points posted
Check out the 2009/10 AYGP pointscore as the championship unfolds at: http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP09-10.htm

Advertising on the AY Website
This AYGP Update is proudly sponsored by four of our long standing advertisers. If your company would like to advertise in the monthly AYGP Newsletter and AYGP Updates after each event, special monthly and annual rates are now being negotiated by E-mailing info@asianyachting.com Take a look at the rest of the advertising opportunities and sponsorship packages that we have available on all our online publications at: http://asianyachting.com/Mall/Advertising.htm