2009/2010 AsianYachting Grand Prix Championship
June 2010 - Final Newsletter

Ray Roberts & Evolution Racing - 2009/10 AYGP Skipper and Yacht of the Year
By AsianYachting Event Media

9th June 2010: After winning 6 regatta's and scoring 3 x 2nd places and one 3rd, Ray Roberts was never off the podium at all 10 X AYGP events held this season, and was consequently crowned the 2009-10 AYGP Skipper and Yacht of the Year at the Sawadee.com Regatta Samui awards ceremony last weekend. Believe me this is no easy task, as having top racing crews on standby around the world and running a professional campaign/team throughout Asian waters over the last 12 months requires quite a lot of conviction from all concerned. Neil Pryde and Ray Roberts went blow for blow at most the regattas this year and by mid season they opened up a substantial points lead over the rest of the racing class yachts vying for the honours.

Coming into the final event at Koh Samui, Ray Roberts had already won the Skipper of the Year award but the ongoing battle for Yacht of the Year went right down to the wire on the last Race #10 of the regatta. (See AY Race Reports) There was a chance that the dueling duo could share the awards between them and bring a fitting end to their battle over the 2009-10 Season. This was not to be, as Ray Roberts steered his TP52 Evolution Racing across the finish line only one boat length in front of Pryde's Hi Fi team on the final race showdown to claim the trifecta. Upon receiving the Sawadee.com Regatta Samui Racing Class trophy, Roberts then donned the Armani International Suits - Koh Samui Blue Blazer and the Perpetual AY Cup traditionally filled with chilled sponsors champagne at the magnificent prize giving party held on the spacious lawn in front of the spectacular Centara Grand Beach Resort on Chewang Beach. Check out SamuiPics.com flickr gallery or goto the AYGP Photo Gallery on Facebook of the trophy presentation.

2009-10 Statistics
Ray Roberts raced on all 10 events this season and won 6 regattas, plus scored three 2nd places and 3rd in another. Neil Pryde missed two events but won 4 regattas and scored 4 second places. What an extraordinary set of events. Could not have asked for a better script and a fitting end to a magnificent 12 months of racing. Each regatta has its own degree of difficulty and there have been some huge battles up and down the order throughout the season.

About the annual AYGP
Points are awarded each sailing season based on the racing class Skippers and Yachts performance over Ten x 5-Star Yachting Events that make up the AY Grand Prix Championship (Malaysia 2, Hong Kong 2, Thailand 4 plus Singapore and the Philippines each with 1 a piece). This system fairly grades the competing Boatowners and Skippers ability to successfully run a full-on racing campaign through Asian waters over the 2009 - 10 Season.

2010-11 AYGP calendar of events
Each year the events on the annual AsianYachting Grand Prix Championships come under close scrutiny and must reflect the high standards expected by the Racing Class boat owners and a fair turnout of top level Racing Teams to compete at their event. Next season we will be broadening our scope by incorporating an all New High Scoring Ranking System that scores the best five yachts at each event and the best seven regatta results out of the 10 AYGP Events are to be counted. As this is the best way to determine the top Skipper and Racing Yacht of the Year in Asian waters, selecting the events each year is of paramount importance. The Biennial HK to Vietnam Race returns for the 2010-11 Season in place of the Rolex China Sea Race and all other events on the annual Asian Sailing Calendar remain roughly the same (Except for the Philippines) as last season. Six Senses Phuket Raceweek will kick off the 2010-11 AYGP Championship on 21st - 25th July.

20010/11 AYGP Championship (10 Events)
Six Senses Phuket Raceweek - July 21st to 25th
China Coast Regatta - October 15th to 17th
Hong Kong to Vietnam Offshore Race - October 20th start
21st Raja Muda Selangor Int Regatta - November 19th - 27th
24th Phuket Kings Cup Regatta - December 4th - 11th
8th Royal Langkawi Int Regatta - January 11th - 15th
17th Singapore Straits Regatta - January 26th - 29th
Commodore's Cup - Subic Bay or President's Cup - Boracay (Event & Dates TBA)
7th Top of The Gulf Regatta - May 1st to 5th
10th Sawadee.com Regatta, Samui - May 30th - June 4th

2010-11 AYGP comes alive
We like to keep our readers up to speed and will again be generating monthly AYGP Newsletters with all the finer points on the upcoming events, expert analysis, race results plus links to the 2010-11 AYGP site with the all NEW Ranking System. Goto the latest AYGP Newsletter or the AYGP Update which also notify's sailors when the regatta Photo Galleries are posted online after each of the ten selected regatta/races that score points.

Advertising Changes on the AY Website
This AYGP Newsletter is proudly sponsored by the four advertisers below. For as little as US$100 per month (Min of 3 months) we will carry your linked company logo in the monthly AYGP Newsletter and Updates plus throw in some spots at the bottom of the AY Race Reports. The Advertising Rates in AY Publications are presently under review, so keep looking for the revised advertising opportunities and packages as they are posted on: http://asianyachting.com/Mall/Advertising.htm Special rates can be negotiated by E-mailing info@asianyachting.com