| The latest sailing news from Asia and the world. |
01 Aug 2017 |
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  Banging the drums in Nansha
 | | ...and off go the confetti cannons - Guangzhou Nansha International Sailing Regatta 2017. Guy Nowell © |
While there's something close to radio silence surrounding the impending Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Hong Kong, up the river in Nansha they are banging drums and making as much noise as they can. Last weekend this took the form of the inaugural Guangzhou Nansha International Sailing Regatta, in which seven national teams in Far East 26s duked it out for the Maritime Silk Road Cup and a share of the RBM120,000 prize money. It's tough sailing on the Pearl River when the tide is running and the breeze is soft; and it was hot, damn hot, so all praise to those who made the effort. Let's look forward to an even bigger event in 2018, and wish VOR well with their Nansha pit stop.
 | | VOR Leg 5 - Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015 Stefan Coppers/Team Brunel |
Still with the VOR, and very soon the seven crews will go head-to-head for the first time when they race ‘Leg 0', the non-scoring shakedown for the big event (which starts on 22 October from Alicante). Actually there are four parts to Leg 0 – the Round the Island Race (Isle of Wight) and the Rolex Fastnet Race, and then VOR-only races from Plymouth to St Malo and on to Lisbon. Total 1,553nm to get to know who will be watching you back in the next bar fight.
 | | ADORs American Onboard Reporter Matt Knighton celebrates the second-place result into his home country with Adil Khalid - Volvo Ocean Race 2015 © Ian Roman / Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing |
Many years ago I remember chasing China Sea Race finishers across Subic Bay in the dark, getting a teeny-tiny inflatable alongside HiFi at flank speed, and scrambling three people over the quarter to interview Neil Pryde. It was difficult, exciting (and fun!), and we called ourselves the Media Commandos. Adam Brown and Matt Connors are you listening? But all that pales into total insignificance beside the VOR Onboard Reporters who will be accompanying the racing boats around the globe. It's damn hard to take images on board a racing boat – I know - but to shoot video as well, and then edit, write stories, and get it all off the boat? Hats off to the members of the OBR squad, undoubtedly the toughest job in sports media. Let's hope none of them fall foul of any social experiments.
Standing by on 72.
Guy Nowell, Asia Editor
Maritime Silk Road Cup at Nansha Marina
Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia, 
Invited teams from China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Russia and India sailed a seven-race series over three days in Far East 26s, just outside the marina breakwater. It's a tough spot to try and race, especially when the wind is light and the mighty Pearl River is running, but a healthy dose of grit and determination go a long way.... [more]
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