Trophy time

Pete Churchouse, Judy, Mark and Ah Wai pick up the silverware
for second on Day Three, last night

This is the cute prize for Day Two first place, which
cunningly changes into an....

... ashtray.  Oh so politically incorrect!  Samui all over....
(thanks to Ah Wai for this and previous photo)

A few catch up photos: Lay Day

Yesterday just before the squall hit. Doug our "wind whisperer", Judy on
Main and Grunter querying something on the foredeck....

It got wild and wolly pretty soon.  Winds were in the mid 40s knots
At this stage we were under main only...

A cropped version of earlier photo: Genuine Risk, the Dubois 90
rushes past at, I guess, 28+ knots.... (see UPDATE, below)

Today's a lay day, so no racing.  A few woke up with sore heads, having been out on the town last nite till 4-ish....  A day of pottering round the Island and relaxing.  Save for the boys on FreeFire, Sam Chan's TP52, who had to try to get a boom fixed.  It bent in the squall yesterday, just after a gybe while still with jib, not kite, up. As I sit here at the Chawang Cove Resort, looking out at the bay and the boats, she's still boom-less....
So, I'd better finish off with a photo taken just now, from the terrace of our hotel, overlooking the boats in Chaweng Cove, Ffreefire at far left still without boom, Moonblue 2 third from left:

UPDATE (2 June): Geoff Hill, owner of the Dubois 90 Genuine Risk, which you can see at the end of our boom above, told me they hit 29.2 knots in that squall, so I wasn't far off in my guess. He says that they figured if they hadn't had to bear away to go through the Gate, they could've hit 32 knots or more.  The boat's set to go to Australia, be modified and competed in this year's Sydney-Hobart, going for Line Honours.  They had a few issues: the engine wouldn't drive the boat and the canting keel at the same time, so it was one or 'tother, but they've sorted that, I understand. (That had become an issue that the Race Office had to adjudicate on, as you can't race if you don't have a working engine; RO gave Risk dispensation).  Sailing legend Syd Fischer was on board, liked her a lot, and, I'm told, wants now to buy a share in her.

Genuine Risk planes past

Moonblue 2's boom points to the Dubois 90, Genuine Risk,
passing us on the horizon doing 28 knots.  Winds reached mid 40s knots

A cracking day on the water for Moonbue 2

A sea of red on Moonblue 2, finish Race 4

Everything sorted on the boat and they sent us off on a 30-miler round the Islands to the South. So: a long beat with steady breezes in the teens, sneak past the reef to port, round Ko Rap Island on easing pressure, up with A1 kite, round the island and north to the gate.
Then we get hit by a 40+knot squall, which lasted 45 minutes.  Winds too strong, so Jib up, Kite down, still stronger winds, so Jib down, powering along at 12+ knots Main only... wind eases, Jib up, eases more... A2 Kite up, Jib down, pole on... then pole down, Kite down, Jib up, to the finish.
Overtaken during the squall by the 90' Genuine Risk planing along at nearly 30 knots.
Finished at 3:00 pm and we may have just pipped El Cayote for first but, don't want to put the mockers on that by saying it...
UPDATE: well, I guess I did put the mockers on it, as we came second....

First overall today for Moonblue 2...

.... Not without some dramas, mainly at the top mark roundings, a few kerfuffles with spinnaker hoists and on windward leg the outhaul gave way. But all retrieved in due course for results in windward leeward courses of First and Second, for overall First on the day.
Missed Race Day One, so we sit on 8 points in three races.
No photos of today's racing on the regatta website yet, and stupidly I forgot to get a piccie of Pete with the first-place prize: an elephant carving that turns into an ash-tray.... so here's a photo of the beach last nite, from the Regatta website.

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Risk the winner?

My guess, seeing Genuine Risk at the bottom mark and working to the finish, is that she's go this race won. There's me putting the mokkers on it...

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Rockpool race watch

Sitting at the Rockpool in south Samui watching the racing on the horizon and it seems like Genuine Risk has stolen a huge march on the others in IRC 0 on the downwind leg.

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No Sailing for us today....

Not sure what the issue is, but we can see Grant still up the mast and Pete has radioed in that they can't get things sorted in time for us to make the startline this morning.

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Sittin' on the dock of the Bay: Race Day One

We're sitting here at the Chaweng Cove ResortHotel bayside, waiting for the Moonblue dinghy.
Moonblue arrived last night around midnight with no engine and no Main after the Main halyard parted at a new splice put on by the Boatyard in HK.
Not sure if we'll make it to the startlne yet, nor in which division, as two boats pulled out of our Div.
09:50 race day one.

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Waiting for the Blue Moon..

Sue, Kate, Marcus and Judy (aka "Bucket"), await arrival of Moonblue 2 at Chaweng Cove...

Rainy days at Kellett

My old boss, Ralph Evans and wife Maria join Jing and me on Xena at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht club. Sadly, the forecast was right - thunder storms and steady rain -- so we sit here sipping wines in Xena's cockpit.  Jing, Maria, Ralph.
(sent from my iPhone: I made them put their wine glasses away, not cool!)

Adastra -- "to the stars"...

Jing at IFC, as we head off to the Adastra launch party last night.
Owners: Anto and Elaine Marden.

At the Middle Island pontoon.  140 ft.  Designed by John Shuttleworth
The "stylish interiors" were designed by friend Inge Strompf-Jepsen:
see photos on the Shuttleworth website.

Beautiful evening at Middle Island

Jing, Gabrielle and Sytske on the barcalounge..

Stunning lines...

PF at the bow.  Ocean Park in background

Set the controls for the heart of the sun...

Crew welcome the 200-odd guests.

Pretty in blue...

Moonblue 2 in Samui

The famous Moonblue 2 party, King's Cup 2010

I believe, from Pete Churchouse, she's arriving in Samui today or tomorrow.
Practice starts on Sunday, racing on Monday.
Jing's not able to make it this time, as she's got to head off to Korea next week.  

Koh Samui

Moonblue 2 bunkering outside the RHKYC, last Friday.
Jing and I are joining her crew at the Koh Samui Regatta.

"Australian Maid adrift in Makassar Strait"

Australian Maid makes it safely to Makassar after a bit of bother....
Photo Jakarta Globe

That ol' warhorse, Aussie Maid, (against whom we've raced many times) was in a touch of bother on the delivery home (to Oz, it seems) from the China Sea Race (where, btw, they did very well, taking out 2nd in their IRC racing division).  Happily, all ok now. Thanks to Grant for bringing to my attention.  Iris says there are some hilarious comments on Andrew ("Jed") Jennings' Facebook page and that it was not as serious as the press made out...
A couple of links:
Sailing Anarchy "Australian Maid adrift in Makassar Strait", with much discussion of the problem with the prop.  "Time the doc lashed out for a new one", says one of the commenters....
Jakarta Post: "Foreigners from UK and Australia rescued at Sea" with the tantalising info that they were at first considered "illegal immigrants". Shades of Stevo last year after the San Fernando race, when his passport had not been chopped in, and they held him at outward immigration....

He He...

Stevo sent me these photos with comment "he he". Start of the race to Subic.
I replied - I remember his call at this cross: "keep going, we're right of way".
Genuine Risk (Geoff Hill's Dubois 90) passed with feet to spare.  FfreeFire (Sam Chan's TP52) in background.
And Stevo comes back with "the video is even better, you can see us clean FreeFire out"...

Photos courtesy RHKYC Facebook page. Genuine Risk crosses Xena