| The latest sailing news from Asia and the world. |
17 Aug 2017 |
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  VOR Leg Zero, Rolex CSR, UK Sailmakers Typhoon Series, All Souls, more
 | | Ambush and Vineta round Bluff Island, UK Sailmakers Typhoon Series 2017 HHYC |
People do say some funny things, don't they? Dee Caffari is quoted in a VOR press release as saying that “our campaign is dedicated to the issue of ocean health.” With 66 days to go until the start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18, you might think that the campaign was dedicated to getting the boat going as fast as possible and trying to win, no?
Certainly the VOR ‘Leg Zero' has laid down a few markers: after four races – Around the Island (Isle of Wight), the Fastnet, Plymouth-St Malo, and St Malo-Lisbon – the MAPFRE crew topped the results sheet with 29 points. Skipper Xabi Fernandez said they are now going to look at “small details of the boat, do the last push in the gym, make sure everyone is healthy...”
 | | MAPFRE – Volvo Ocean Race © Ugo Fonolla / Volvo Ocean Race |
The self-appointed Hong Kong entry Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag came comprehensively last on 9 points. Chief Scallywag David Witt said, “The racing on Leg Zero has shown us what we're strong at, what we're weak at. We are not weak in all areas – there are some areas we are quite good at. It's good to find this out now rather than on Leg 2 of the race. And now we've got five weeks to fix: I've got a pretty good idea how to fix it and now we've just got to get on with it.” Maybe a ‘last push in the gym' would help?
In Hong Kong the impending VOR Stopover still hasn't appeared on the radar, but there's plenty of interest from local sailors: every time I go into the bar at the RHKYC someone asks me, “Have you heard anything about the Volvo stopover?” It's difficult to work out who is actually in charge – who ‘owns' the event. In Hong Kong there are a lot of dots to join up, starting with layers of Government Depts with no experience of large scale sailing events, and the various Clubs in a position to offer assistance. Hopefully it will be all right on the night; if it isn't there's going to be an awful lot of finger-pointing going on, and that would be nothing but bad news for the image of sailing in this town.
 | | All Souls Regatta Puerto Galera Yacht Club |
Elsewhere in Asia there's news of the next All Souls Regatta in Puerto Galera, Philippines - rated by one previous competitor as 'the most laid-back regatta in the world', a call-out for crew for a China entry in the next Rolex China Sea Race, and a roundup of the penultimate day's racing in the UK Sailmakers Typhoon Series - the number one summer entertainment for Hong Kong sailors.
 | | The Fastnet Rock as captured by the legendary photographer Carlo Borlenghi – Rolex Fastnet Race © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi |
And this photo from Carlo Borlenghi? - well, it's just so gorgeous it seemed a shame not to show it off again!
Standing by on 72.
Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia Editor
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