Happy New Year!

Below, from Iris & family, to which we add our own best wishes
to all for healthy and productive 2012!....

Hi Peter and Jing, Grant, Noel and Michael Peter and Jing, Animals and Family:
A Happy Healthy Prosperous and Get Fit New Year 2012 to you Both.
You did mention to get fit was one of your goals.
Lets know how you're going! To Grant and the Boyz:
God speed and safe return KK to H.K.
Work well done as always.  The guys at Miri are just the best. They will always look after you. Angel from "Mandrake" asked where you were..he didn't come back to say where he was. I'm heading away to the beach again. Babysitting New Years Eve? but have a Good Book. Be watch'n your progress via Tracking..Thanks to Peter. TTFN  Lots of LOVE
Go Safely
From us all at Home xoxoxox

Sitting in Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu

Xena got into Kota Kinabalu last night about 8pm.

Awaiting news of rest and repairs...

Sutera Harbour, KK.

I was here in June 2008, with Dennis Dakin and his Chuck Paine designed Bermuda 55' Heartbeat, before we brought her to Discovery Bay, Hong Kong, with crewmate John Karas.  That was June and the winds meant we could go straight to Hong Kong, not quite the case now, with that NE monsoon...

Heading to Kota Kinabalu

16:00 today.

Some of you have noticed that Xena's done an about turn, previously on her way to Puerto Princesa, now on her way to Kota Kinabalu.  SMS from Grant:

Weather forecast model PredicWind is using is understating.  Since Balabac Strait, we had mid 20s gusting high 20s, and steep breaking sea.  This morning we have hight 20s gusting 30s and big breaking sea.  Last night motor which has been sick, max revs pos 1000, gave up completely.  Now too risky to continue to Princesa.  Have reluctantly decided to run with it.  Hopefully get needed parts in K.K.

Part needed appear to be: water hose for generator and main engine filter.  Also some more diesel.

Merry Christmas to Grant and the boyz!

Grant, Noel and Mike are making their way to Puerto Princesa on the East side of Palawan in the Philippines, to pick up some more diesel, and fix a broken water pipe on the generator.  Wish them well as they punch their way into the head-to breeze, of up to 25knots....
Merry Christmas Xena and all now sailing on her!

As always: click on the Track Xena tab above for instructions.

Screenshot of PredictWind, at 17:00 HKT

Sanya Rally: Hong Kong to Hainan Island

Almost like a computer rendering... Murdoch's Vertigo,
at the end of some really yummy-looking berths.... Oh please
Sir Donald, could we have some here in Hongkers as well?!

Your humble correspondent (aka, me) is now on the China Events Sub-Committee of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the aim of which is to develop more sailing in the seas of the mother country.
A recent event by the CESC was the Rally of yachts from Hong Kong to the new Marina in Sanya, Hainan Island.  Only three boats were able to make it on this the first such rally, but given the facilities, we look forward to more in future, and of course a race to the island.
Photos below are courtesy of Spencer Suen of the Wauquiez Centurion 45S, Tipsy Frenz, against which we've raced in Xena, in the '10 China Sea Race and the '11 San Fernando.

The facilities look fantastic!  Oh how we'd love to have some berths like this in Hong Kong, where we're lacking something like 600 spaces for yachts, at last count.

The "Official" crew photo

MC, Iris, Cookie, Digger, TC, Bicky, Jing, Peter, Grant, Stevo, G, Pip, Richard

Thanks to Catherine for this one: taken last day, Saturday 10th.  If you'd like a high-def version, email me and I'll send. This version's pretty high-def as it is: just click on it, and then drag to your desktop if you want to print it. Two other nice crew photos are King's Cup 2010 and Samui 2011.

Xena Tracker now working

See the Tab above, "Track Xena", for how to track her.
She's currently at around 6.37 N and 99.20 E, just north-west of Langkawi.
Heading 140T at 6.8 SOG.
TTFN.

And now for a bit of light relief....

Click on photo for a wild ride...

Sailing mate Gordie sent along this link, with the comment:

"If you ski it's great, but pretty good anyway. What colour do you think his underpants were?"

I can guess.  This is a "WOW howdja survive that!??" vid!

King's Cup: "you only have to sneeze twice and you've lost five places"...

Walawala 2 chases KukuKERchu, in IRC 1. Both are Jason Ker designs
Guy Nowell photo.

The lads at Ker's will be happy with the results in IRC 1.  Two newly-launched Ker-designed boats, the Sydney Yachts GTS 43 Walawala 2, owned by Steve Manning of Singapore and the Singapore-based Ker 40 KukuKERchu, owned by David Ross now based in Dubai, took out 2nd and 3rd respectively.  Also happy the folks at Mills who are doing well in Asia, who took out first place with the Japanese entry the Summit 40 Karasu, with a team of Olympic sailors.

Earlier, "the custom IRC 40 Mandrake 2 owned by Nick Burns and Fred Kinmonth swept to a resounding win at the 2011 Raja Muda Selangor Regatta."  More here.
As Nick Burns said of the King's Cup: “This is definitely the best 40-foot fleet in Asia. It’s very competitive and you only have to sneeze twice and you have lost five places.”

Karasu Summit 40, Mills design, winner IRC 1

Meantime: back in Premier, a couple of piccies of the winner Titania of Cowes, the Swan 68.  There don't seem to be any by Guy Nowell, the official photographer, of our Xena, (sniff...).

Swan 68', Titania readies for spinnaker hoist. Guy Nowell photo

Note big overlapping jib.  Guy Nowell photo

Titania's owner, Richard Dobbs, is based in Seoul with McKinsey's, so I'm guessing he's going to be back next year.  I'd earlier thought he was UK based and that the boat -- given its name 'of Cowes' -- might be on the way back to the UK after it's 2010 race in the Sydney-Hobart, but, erm.. no such luck!... They're tough to beat.  Of the other Swans, Chao Ren, the Swan 82, is based near us in Shantou, and may well be back; but we can beat them on a good day.  And Silandra V, the Swan 76, appears to be based in the South Pacific, so may or may not be back, but in any case we can beat them too, and did this time.

Baby Tonga, the Farr-designed First 53.5, sailed by Pete Sorenson, will definitely be back.  They'll be competing to win the KC again, and also to retain the "TongZena" Cup.  They're tough competitors.  We do well against them in Islands courses; harder to beat them around the cans.

New Boats at next KC?

Neil Pryde, multiple winner at KC, with Hi Fi his Custom Wellbourne 52, took out 2nd this time in IRC 0, behind the TP52 Team Premier, and is now talking of getting a new TP52 to modify for the Cup.  Hi Fi is now too heavy, he says.

We also hear that Suwan Poopoksakul the owner of Lawana, the X-512 which used to be owned by our crew-mate Rick Strompf, is going to buy a new X-55, same as our Xena, so we can look forward to some match racing with them next year...

TTFN.  Keep in touch.

Day Five: Swan Song

Guy Nowell who took this labels it "moveable stack"

Today was a day for the big Swans.  A fine, fresh breeze of 18 knots, gusting 20 took us round an Islands course for the last day of Racing in King's Cup '11.
The results: clean sweep for the Swans: Titania of Cowes (Swan 68), first; Chao Ren (Swan 82), second; Silandra V (Swan 76), third and we in Xena fourth, both over the line and corrected time.

The TongZena Cup, Phuket 2011.
Current holder: Baby Tonga

Now, attentive readers will recall that when I left you last night, in my last post, we were sitting in Third position overall in the regatta, but with one point separating us and Chao Ren, we had to beat them today to keep the podium position.  We sailed well, had a fabulous day's champagne sailing, but couldn't quite catch them, our consolation prize being to beat our "arch enemies" Baby Tonga, who finished the Regatta in second overall.  Our congratulations to our friends on Tonga, for a finely sailed Regatta.  They don't take the King's Cup this year, but they do take back the "TongZena" (sic) Cup, which they presented to us in Samui this last June, and which we'll be presenting to them at tonight's party.

Well, them's the breaks and we'll be back to give it another shot in 2012.  See you then!

Party night! Kata Beach Resort turns it on, last nite.

Sequined babe

After party at Club 44, Katie (Tonga), Neil Pryde (Hi Fi), Jing (Xena)

Two sailing legends: Pete Sorenson (Tonga), Neil Pryde (Hi Fi)

Uh-oh.... Katie and Jing, and... Russ (Free Fire TP52). Rockin' on at
3:15 am...

Results below the fold...

Day Four racing: Swan for dinner

The crew at the Tree House, Kata beach, after Race 6.
Richard, Bicky, Jing, G, TC, Cookie, Digger, Peter, Grant (obscured),
Pip, Iris, MC, Stevo.  Photo: courtesy Isabel Winter

Well, today was the day when we got to the Swans.
And when I say "we" I mean we and our arch nemesis, Baby Tonga.
So, here's how it goes...
But first a thought from Digger, the handsome long-locked German fellow you see in the photo at left.
He said that he'd got a phone call from friends asking "what's going on you guys? Why fifth instead of first?"
And Digger answered, he tells me, that he said it was like Formula One: sometimes it the Mercedes or Ferrari team; now it's Red Bull.  We're the Ferrari... (shrug).  The Ferrari will come back.
Now that's a very sweet thought, and there may well be truth in it: the cycles in life and all that.

Day Four: Lay day photos

View from "The Boathouse", where we are having crew dinner tonight.
The yachts are anchored in the background.  Part of the series
"life is tough in Phuket"... Photo: Jing, Pano.  (all below: PF's iPhone)

More in the series "life is tough in Phuket": view from our room to "King's Cup Regatta Bar"

The lads and ladies showing yet again that "life is tough in Phuket",
yesterday after Races 3 and 4, the Kata Poolside, where Kiwi contingent stay

Contemplative Noel on the bow of Xena, last night's sunset

Racing yachts in the sunset.... Off Kata beach.  Photo: PF's iPhone

Came across this fellow on our shopping trip
this afternoon, and he reminded us of Basil
our yellow Labrador, bless his canine soul...

Day Three: Swan Soup... and some photos

The lovely Schooner Seraph, our Committee Boat

First of all, hi to "Mrs Pip" in the UK, Pip's mum, who, Pip (our foredeck crew) tells me follows the blog religiously and says it's "lovely", and so thank you for your kind comments, "Mrs Pip". It's always nice to know there are folk around the world following these "random jottings"...
As for "Swan Soup", well, that's a jokey jokey reference to Duck Soup, as in, not the Marx Bros movie, but "a bit of a mess".  Yuck, yuck!..
Well, that's being a bit unfair to all concerned, ourselves and the Swans in our division as well.
It was their day today, with an 18knt breeze, on which we did two courses: a short windward/leeward (aka, for the FBR's, up to a mark, back down, up and down again, hence its other name of doing "sausages").  We thought we did quite well, crew work wise, and overall, though we did fault ourselves for not getting "in mode" early enough, and my steering I must say, was not that great either, especially when pressed a bit.  Still, not too bad, but we still couldn't catch the Swan 68, Titania of Cowes, and our "arch enemy" Tonga also pipped us, and Lawana an X512 and our mate Rick Strompf's old boat snuck in there as well.  The next race was a kind of figure of eight, with a windward-leeward in the middle, and again, we were on top of it, when we fell in a hole at the top mark and to our deep chagrin (grrr), Tonga actually added insult to injury by coming on our inside with wind, while we were still mooching with flat air and struggling to get round the mark.  Once round, though, we walked away to the finish, but not enough to keep Tonga out of another second.  So for us, the results today a fifth and a third.
[Update 8/12: The results in Race 3 were very close: just 6 seconds first to second, 40 seconds to third and 9 seconds to fourth, then 1minute 20 fourth to fifth.]
[Further update: I'm not giving anything away, or being a grinch, when I note that there are questions on Titania's rating. The reporter who interviewed my for Sail TV (see below) asked me at one stage: "People are commenting on Titania's rating what's your view?".  I just smiled and said "well, she's got a very competitive rating, and she's a bit of handful to catch!".  Fact is, in whatever airs and whatever course, she's uncatchable. In race 3, where she got her only 2nd place, by 6 seconds, that was only because she blew out her spinnaker and had to sail with her genoa only for a while.]
We've had better days, and not too many worse.  As I say, for yacht racing: heartache mixed with the joy.
The wind though was fine, we couldn't really complain. Though I will, of course.  The hole at the top mark was a lottery, coming and going and it came on us when we pitched up there....  The joy bit was fanging along to the gate under Code Zero sail, doing 9-10 knots, with high bow wave.  Lovely.

In the morning a lady from Sail.com had wanted to do an interview for the online TV show, but I had to decline, as it's been deemed on our boat unlucky to talk to the media in the middle of a regatta.   I wonder what if I'd done it anyway. Answer, of course, is that our results would all have been my fault!  In the end, I did the interview, and note a comment above re Titania in the Update above.

So, that being the case, a forgettable day in terms of results, I think I'll just post a few photos and head off across the road with Jing, to catch up with the rest of the crew who are having drinks at the poolside bar.
It's a tough life here in sunny, tropical, friendly Phuket...

Grant, Bicky and TC, showing us course info

Richard, Iris, Stevo, Jing, Digger, Pip, Grant, Bicky and TC

Richard, Iris and Stevo

Jing on the ladies' lounge

Navigator TC wears the "blooper bandana", presented to the mistake
of the day: his for making a touch of an optimistic layline call...

Grant, Pip, Digger, G and Bicky heading out to the course

Our Mainsheet Trimmer with 100% attendance on Xena: "M C Danger"

This is from day one, Baby Tonga drifting on the Tide
on mirror waters, zero breeze.  We'd been well in front of them
to this stage and had it in the bag, as it were.... not quite...

Day Two: Long Island Course

The "longtails" we take out to the boats each morning
(click to enlarge)

And a much better day, at least with wind throughout. The Race Officer, Ross Chisholm sent the whole fleet IRC and ours off on course five, a 27 miler south round the Islands.

First beat to the wing mark, then long lay to the Island rounding a beat to a cardinal mark, where we made a lot of ground on the fleet which rounded had us hoist our A1 spinnaker to the gate and down to the finish, a nice shy spinnaker run at 8+ knots in 9 knots breeze, where again we did well. Overall, we felt we sailed well and without mistake, though we couldn't quite pip the Swan 68, Titania of Cowes which took corrected time honours nine minutes over us in the four hour race, with Xena second and Baby Tonga third.  Titania only gives us 2.13, and yet she's long-legged in the reaches, so she's going to be hard to rein in.

The crew heads out in the longtail. G, Bicky, Iris, Grant, TC, Cookie
Stevo, Pip and Jing.  (Click to enlarge)

Altogether a happier result for us and a happier crew resulting.
We bank that and look forward to hopefully having a couple of windward/leeward races coming up. In these we have a chance of doing better against the big Swans, as we're a bit more manoeuvrable in the shorter up-wind and down-wind races.


Note to FBR's ("Family Blog Readers", aka non-sailors).  The "Corrected Time" is the one that counts in working out who won a race. It's calculated by applying a Time Correction Factor (TCF) which is a number like, in our case, 1.219.  It means that the time we took to finish a race (our "Elapsed Time") is multiplied by 1.219 to give "Corrected Time".  Titania of Cowes has a TCF of 1.256, so she rates a bit higher, and has to finish the race not just before we do, but also a specific time in front of us, in order to win.  Specifically, she has to finish 2 minutes and 13 seconds faster than us, each hour of the race, or in a four hour race, 8:25 mins in front. But, she's a very fast boat, 68 feet length (we are 55'), built as a racer, and she have very long legs, and does well in reaching conditions that we had today, such that she's virtually uncatchable, and so we moan about her handicap being too low (of course!).  Then again, I recall that people were a bit dark last year, when we came first in the first two races as well. As you can imagine, these TCFs are a source of constant discussion and dispute amongst sailors, one's own handicap is always too high and that of the opposition always too low!  If you are a faster boat, and have a higher TCF than another boat, you are said to "give time" to them; and if they have a higher TCF than you, they "give time" to you.  Alles Klar?
Screenshot of results below the fold

Day One: slinky Swans swan home

A 22-mile Islands course, began with fine little breeze 8-10 knots, a short beat to the wing mark, reach to the gate, beat up round the top island, then up with the A1 kite, in fine fettle and looking good three hours into the race, till we fall into a huge hole a couple of miles to the finish, the wind dying completely, bobbing round with zero knots boat speed.  So while we were looking good for an opening win, the end result not so happy for us: the Swan 68 Titania of Cowes first on corrected; Baby Tonga second, the biggest in the fleet, the 82' Swan Chao Ren third and us in fourth, with the other of the twelve boats in the fleet still to finish.
Correction: the above done before all boats in, and now we're fifth behind Resolution of Whitby, coming in 30 minutes later pips us on corrected time.  Grrrr.
In our debrief we didn't find much we'd done wrong, just bitten by the wind gods.
Six, hopefully, races to go....
Later: forgot to mention: the morning started off with a Sail Past for the King's Birthday.  100 boats sail past three Thai Navy ships with sailors to attention, while our crew stands to attention on the starboard side and salutes a large portrait of the King, today his 85th birthday.  Planes fly overhead and drop ticker tape.  Fun, and rather charming..
Party at the Boathouse, the usual wonderful King's Cup event, fireworks and unlimited food and drink on the beach, with candles handed out to salute the King, as a choir sings the national anthem, and songs to the King, hundreds of sailors raise their candles in salute.  Again, fun, and rather charming... A number of people say we were "dead unlucky", as we were doing so well.  But again, "that's sailing".  Heartache shared with the joys.
Screenshot of results, below the fold:

Day Zero: evening photos

The fleet from Kata beach resort on evening, Day Zero

Ditto... a few minutes later

Poolside party venue, Kata Beach resort

G, Bicky, Stevo, TC, Jing

Day Zero: Zero wind

Out early on the water in between showers, up with Code Zero, staysail and spins, learning in the process that the sacrificial bits at the end of the new halyards don't work real well, so in turn have to be promptly sacrificed and respliced.
Then out to the course, for the practice race, only to sit bobbing for an hour or so with winds of 2-3 knots, so packed it in at 2:00 and headed home for Skipper's briefing.
And that, my friends, is about that.
Off to the opening party shortly, but with weather looming....

Day Zero: practice day

Update  4/12:  Just spoke with Ross Chisholm race officer for our division, who tells me they'll probably set a couple of short windward/leewards for Premier, in addition to the longer Island courses.  This is to make up for last year's having none and only racing four races.  That's good for us.
******
Arriving yesterday arvo after scuffles with Russian tour group at the Immigration ("from Russia with shove..."), meet up with Grant for sail measurement, which find already done -- thanks to him and the boyz -- and handover of halyards, then comes in the usual afternoon squall and a few other boats start dragging.
Now in Regatta HQ, the Kata Beach Resort, forecast 9-ish knots in the morning and afternoon from the east. Have signed on to new North Sails forecasting facility, which they do in conjunction with Commmanders Weather.  Link here.  Rego's easy.

Jing does Regatta paperwork, Kata Beach Resort

The fleet -- now nearly 100-strong -- peeps through the welcome

Bits and pieces

From this website... 

Turns out this blog is good for more than just keeping track of Xena (O Xena where art thou....).  Eg: have got in touch with a boat I sailed on in '83, and its crew and skipper.  Eg, Klaus notes the post re the Autohelm issues, and sends along some comments that may be of use to us.  Eg, some people now in touch re the Boracay regatta, which we're committing to doing: Feb next year.
This post is just for some bits and pieces:
Grant:

This is her last year.  Babs's photo

Today: ... Ichi Ban up on the beach at Kata again in last nights southerly blow. (!!) PF: Babs' photos of Ichi Bann on the beach last year here. [also link from Rick here]


Grant Yesterday:  ... Raining hard here at present and blowing from the South so Kata and Nai Harn will be lumpy tonight. "Xena" all safe and sound in Ao Chalong. 
[earlier]... wind has dropped at present,quite light here today. See you both Sat afternoon. Should have sails measured by then, so need the predict wind gear and halyards from you,hopeful have installed and operating before practice race Sunday.

[PS: I hadn't meant this to be about Ichi-Ban, just that the news came in as I was writing it.  There's no schadenfreude, I assure you!....That would rather be the pot calling the kettle a utensil of colour...]


And we have Jamie McWillian giving lectures on "Secrets of Lamma" and "Secrets of the Harbour", in YouTube.  Focussed on smaller boats, but also a lot of interest to a big boat, esp re tides, wind shifts, sea states around Lamma of Hong Kong and the HK Harbour.


I have two new halyards with me: Main and Spin.  I also have new Tracker from PreditWind folk.  Have the NOR and the Course notes, laminated.  
Xena heading round to Kata in the morning; then the sails scrutineering being done by Grant and boyz, with some help from TC, thanks to all.  Halyards will have to be moused in tomorrow arvo....
We're off in the morning, arrive Phuket around mid-day.