Limit - into the racing

Well it's been a hectic couple of days at the Limit Sailing Team. We raced on Tuesday in the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge. It was an awesome day on the harbour and a great fleet of boats on the start line. We had a cast of thousands on board (ok 28 people!) and sailed pretty cleanly through the traffic to come out with a third on IRC.

Wednesday was a day of preparation, we achieved a lot and continue to work through the job list.

Thursday was day 1 of the Rolex Trophy. It was great conditions for our first serious day out on the windward leeward race course, a light nor' easter building a little in the afternoon. Only six boats in our division but a competitive fleet nonetheless, we came out with a third and a second, to be tied on points with Ragamuffin and Yendys at the end of the day.

The Australian Sailing team coach Mike Fletcher was out on his RIB coaching us and took the following photos.

Rolex Trophy racing continues through to Sunday.

Limit sea trials

Just arrived in Sydney after delivering the new Limit up from Melbourne. We left on Tuesday and had headwinds most of the trip and didn't arrive in Sydney until late Friday night. It was a great test of the boat and crew in preparation for the Hobart race, we had three reefs and a storm jib up at times and slammed off plenty of waves. Apart from a few issues down below such as leaks and bunks the boat passed with flying colours and we got to look at all our race sails on the way up.
Now it's into race preparation mode for the big boat race and rolex series starting Tuesday.
Photos and more updates to follow....

Hi Fi 2nd in King's Cup 08

Well the last three races weren't so good for the Hi Fi team. On Friday we had two windward leewards and came out of it with two thirds. This dropped us back from first to third on points, one point behind Island Fling.
On saturday we knew we had to win and beat Island Fling by more than a place to win overall. It was a lighter breeze and the race committee set a long windward leeward course. We had a great start and match raced all the way round the course next to Island Fling knowing that we had our time on them all the way. Unfortunately there wasn't much we could do about the other boats in the fleet and we ended up third in the race, while Quantum won and took out the King's Cup 08. We had a great day and ended up second overall.
All in all a great weeks racing in Phuket, awesome weather, good company and good parties.
The Hi Fi asian tour now takes a short break before the next regatta in Langkawi in Jan.

race 5 king's cup

Another awesome days sailing at the King's Cup in Phuket. The race committee sent us on a coastal race around the islands. Conditions were moderate about twelve to fifteen knots fading to eight to ten as the morning wore on.
The start didn't go well for us, we were called OCS with Island Fling and had to round the pin again. However we quickly found our spot in the fleet and hung onto Fling on the reach. Stevie Benjamin didn't give us much room to find clear air on the long beat but it was good clean racing and we rounded the top mark close behind Fling.
After a long run with the a1 and spaysail we went into the gate and hoisted the a5 for the reach into the finish. We couldn't hold it all the way and eventually hoisted a jib.
We ended up with a first and are now leading the regatta by a point from Island Fling.
There are three races to go, today is meant to be windward leewards.
Sam standing by in Phuket....

king's cup 08

We've had four of the eight races completed so far. The regatta started on Tuesday with very strong breezes and a long passage race round some islands at the south end of Phuket.
After a short beat it was a long reach out to a turning mark before going upwind. Island Fling passed us on the reach, but once we got our staysail up they didn't seem to draw away too much. We mad some gains on the long beat and changed to a heavy jib. At the top mark we set the a2 and spaysail and ran downwind in the moderating breeze. Another reach into the finish with the staysail up and the race was over.
We were happy to come away with a second on irc in this race behind island fling, it was quite windy and our boat is optimized for lighter breezes.
Wednesday was scheduled to be windward leewards. It was a long day on the water in moderate winds with the medium jib and a2 all day. We thought we sailed quite well and were a little disappointed with our results of 4-2-3. In the first race four boats including us were over the line early and the results were close we were just 30sec out of second. Jelik had a win and Quantum had two wins.
So the points stand as Quantum 10, Jelik 11, Hi Fi 11, Island Fling 12, Mandrake 16.
Very close with four races to go....
Photos and updates to come...

happy birthday silas

It seems to be the month of birthdays for the Hi Fi team. This is a choice photo of Silas at Nha Trang after the Vietnam race....

happy birthday to Cosi

In Phuket for King's Cup regatta

Well after a few days off in Kuala Lumpur I arrived in Phuket yesterday.
The fleet is anchored as usual at the southern end of Kata Beach. Today we've been working on the boat in preparation for the arrival of most of the crew saturday morning. The small field of race boats will be boosted by the tp52 Island Fling this week but otherwise it's the usual competition comprising Mandrake, Jelik and Quantum.
Unfortunately the start of racing has been put back by a day due to the closure of Bangkok airport. We will train and prepare over the weekend and start racing on Tuesday.
Updates and photos to follow soon....

raja muda 08 victory

It was a happy hi fi team that hit the dock saturday afternoon in Langkawi.


Going into the final day we had a six point lead over Quantum and Jelik. However with the possibility of three races there were almost half the points of the regatta on offer in one day, we knew it was anyone's game.


As usual in these situations the stress levels onboard were high. It didn't help when ten minutes before the start the mainsheet turning block under the deck decided to let go and tore a hole in the side of the cockpit. After a good bit of improvising we rigged up an external lead and were good to go.


All three races were pretty similar, three laps, short legs and close results on time. We tore a couple of chutes hoisting out of the hatch and had a hard time perfecting our gybing technique, but overall we sailed clean and ended up with a scorecard of 2-3-2.We still can't work out the IRC results on the water, and there was much conjecture after each race as to whether we'd got 1, 2 or 3, and this just added to the 'final day frenzy". As we finished the last race a huge cheer went up on Jelik and this increased our suspicions that we'd had a shocker and lost the regatta. However when we got ashore Willy checked out the notice board and we had won it!


Soon the beers were flowing and you couldn't get the smile off Neil's face all night. Of course the whole crew were in good spirits and we had a great night at the presentation.


The yacht club didn't seem too happy about us filling the expensive raja muda trophy with rum and passing it around and it was a challenge to drink out of but we reckon when you win a trophy like that it would be rude not to.
All in all it was another awesome raja muda and we've learnt a lot about our new rig and sails in preparation for the king's cup next week.
Until then there's a few days r & r and some work on the boat before meeting up at kata beach again....

race 4 report by gundy

Race four of the raja muda regatta got underway from Penang at 1430 on Thurs. It was a typically light start and there were some worryingly large separations in the four boat class 1 fleet. In the light upwind conditions it was hard to get away from Quantum and Mandrake. Once again though our trimmers Gundy, Phizzle and Half Ounce did an awesome job to keep the boat going and with nice tactical calls from Cosi we were in a good position when the new breeze filled in.
Silas and I did a quick change to the medium jib as the breeze swung right and eventually hoisted the genoa staysail inside it. The boat was going like a train in the moderate breeze as we reached towards Langkawi. We knew the big Jelik would be in her element but we worked hard and managed to save our time on the smaller boats. Finishing at 2030 it was a fast race for the 55nm and we docked up at the RLYC in time for a late dinner and of course some more cold Carlsberg.
The conditions definitely suited the bigger boats and that showed in the results, Jelik first, Hi Fi second, Mandrake third and Quantum fourth.
This leaves us with a seven point lead going into the final day; a handy buffer, but the race-course here is notoriously shifty (its not uncommon to beat up a run or run up a beat) and with 3 races scheduled none of the positions are even close to being finalised.
I am going to sign off with a quote from our illustrious leeward runner trimmer half ounce, overheard at lunch today after 50 000 beers “I’m beached as bro”

three in a row for hi fi

Wednesday was windward leeward racing off the northern end of Penang. With the typically light breezes in the area we knew it would be hard to get any racing in. In the end we had one race of three laps in about 5-8kn. The first beat for us wasn't looking promising as we rounded the top mark just in front of Quantum and Mandrake. However over the rest of the race we were able to extend and managed to get our time and come home for the win.
Today is a 50nm race north to Langkawi starting at 2.30pm.
More updates and photos to come when we are in Langkawi....

two races done in raja muda

Well we're now in Penang after races one and two of the raja muda regatta. The two legs so far have been very successful for the Hi Fi team, we've had two wins on IRC and took line honours in the first race.

The race from Port Klang started downwind in light airs with a strong current going with us. We had a good start and managed to get away from the other boats. A couple of hours into the race we sailed into a net.Our navigator Willy Roberts jumped into the murky water and cut us free and we didn''t lose too much time. I think the whole fleet got stuck in nets at some stage I'm not sure if we'll be too popular with the Malaysian fisherman... As the breeze got lighter we had to anchor against the tide, so for about half an hour we took a coffee break and watched the fleet sail up to us. We were soon sailing again though and managed to get a big break as we headed for the shore and never saw our competitors again. As the land breeze built in the evening we made a lot of sail changes Ryan did an awesome job packing the chutes about fifty times! We finished off the island of Pangkor at about three am and had some beers by the beach till dawn.

Pangkor was a great stopover, we had lunch at the impressive Pangkor Laut Resort and collected our prizes at the party in the evening.

Monday we started the 65nm race to Penang. Another light airs start, this time upwind. It was close with Quantum but we managed to roll over them and settled into our groove laying through to the finish. No nets this time, but the huge thunderstorms crossing the course meant it was another sail change fest! Staying close into the mud banks which extend out from the shore we were often sailing in less than half a metre of water. We managed to stay ahead of Jelik most of the race, they finally passed us as we reached for the finish line, beating us by only two minutes. A nervous wait for results at the Tanjung city marina ensued but it was all good and we beat Mandrake and Quantum by about 25mins on IRC.

More updates to follow....

Raja Muda 08 Welcome

Hi Fi is all set to go at Port Klang for the Raja Muda regatta. Halfy and Cos greeted all the other teams resplendent in the fantastic regatta shirts.

After a few quiet Carlsbergs it was an early night for Hi Fi.

Race one to Pangkor starts today at 1330.

Arrived in Port Klang yesterday to prepare the Hi Fi for the Raja Muda regatta. As usual there is plenty to do, the boat having travelled a long way from our last event in Vietnam, and a new rig installed in Singapore.
The new rig looks great though we haven't had too much wind to check out how it performs!
Currently having lunch at the Royal Selangor Yacht Club before going for another sail to look at some new Doyle sails.
Tonight is the welcome party and the first race starts tomorrow, an 80nm leg to Pangkor.
More updates to follow....

cabbage tree race on limit

Last Friday night was race four of the CYCA's prestigious Bluewater Pointscore. I joined the crew of Alan Brierty's 49 foot Limit for the 180nm race north to Cabbage Tree Island and back.
There was a good fleet entered as the race is a qualifier for the Hobart, our main competition would be Ragamuffin, the two Wot tp52s, Mr Beak's and Midnight Rambler.
It was a typically chaotic start in the dark and we beat up the harbour in the fickle nor 'easter with the med jib on. We tucked in behind the three tp52s and worked up the northern beaches to stay out of the current. In general we stayed inshore of the other boats and seemed to pick up some good left handers. By dawn we were up next to the faster boats which gave us time but as we approached Port Stephens the breeze got lighter and they drew away a little.
The northerly built to around 18kn as we rounded the island and we thought we were on our way back to Sydney with the a2. However it faded quickly and soon we were back on the wind with the light and med jibs. Apart from a few hours of sou' wester we were on the wind the whole way back to Sydney, the good thing about this being that the tps couldn't get away from us.
After a frustrating sail up the harbour we finished at ten pm, and it was a nervous wait to see whether we'd beaten ragamuffin. In the end we beat them by just four minutes, and the smaller boats didn't make up any time. We corrected out to first on IRC, which puts Limit in equal 2nd behind Mr Beak's and AFR Midnight Rambler on the Bluewater Pointscore.
Next on the agenda for the Limit sailing team is the delivery of a new rp62 from Mal Hart later in November. I look forward to joining the boat for the trip from Melbourne to Sydney.

meet the hi fi crew...

Hong Kong Vietnam race 08

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This race is run every two years by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. It finishes in Nha Trang and is 650nm long.

The race is traditionally downwind and this year the wind gods didn't disappoint. Sailing on the Welbourne 52 Hi Fi we were confident the mix of fast downwind and lighter breezes towards the end would suit our boat. Amongst the small fleet of ten boats were our main competitors Island Fling (rp tp52), Ffree Fire (tp 52), Mandrake (Mills 50), Full Metal Jacket (Corby 43) and Ambush (Mills 40).

The start line was a little chaotic as most long races are and we had a short beat to windward before setting the A2 and getting into some vmg running. We quickly overhauled Mandrake and Ffree Fire before chasing down Island Fling. The breeze increased and we made a swift change to the A4, which we kept up all night. Moving the halyard and tack line every watch change to avoid chafe we settled in for the night. The waves got bigger and better for surfing and the moon was out making for perfect sailing conditions, just what the vietnam race is renowned for. We could see the lights of Island Fling all night and both boats seemed to have their favoured conditions. At times we would be faster and lower and at times they would have the advantage.

In the morning the breeze increased and we had a small windcheck, unfortunately blowing out the a4 in the process. We quickly recovered and hoisted the a3. Our speed wasn't down much but we did have to sail slightly higher. After a short gybe onto starboard to avoid some islands we gybed back onto port and headed once again for Nha Trang. By lunchtime we'd sailed approximately 360nm, it was a fast night and we knew the press would be talking up the chances of breaking the record. We knew the breeze would back off and we'd have to contend with some tricky thunderstorm activity before the finish though.

During the day we backed off a little and hoisted the jib top for a while, there was over forty knots true wind and in the confused seaway we were better off with this sail anyway. As the afternoon wore on and we got closer to the Vietnamese coast the predicted thunderstorms began crossing our path. It was wet, wet, wet and the wind was all over the place. We had been able to see Island Fling all day, they were on our port beam most of the day but as night fell we lost them and we weren't to see them again until later on Friday. It was proving to be an exciting close race with our 52 foot competitor....

Friday dawned bright and sunny and we could see the coast of Vietnam. Unfortunately there was no wind, and with the haze over the shore it took forever for any kind of seabreeze to build. We took advantage of any puffs from the big grey clouds and made slow progress towards the finish. When we finally sighted Island Fling it was good news, they were behind us and offshore. As the breeze slowly built we were on the wind and knew we'd have our work cut out to hold them off. When the wind lifted us and both boats cracked off however, we hoisted an a5 and started to draw away from the Fling. It was a nervous sail in to the finish, getting into the bay under the a1 with a fading breeze we knew anything could happen and our hard-won gap could evaporate. The Nha Trang fishing fleet on their way out for the night welcomed us with their loud diesel chuggas and big lights. We finally finished around 8pm with Island Fling finishing 40mins later.

After a quick clean up it was off to the famous Nha Trang sailing club, for some well earned drinks.

Thanks to the RHKYC and the sponsors for running the race and to Neil Pryde for providing us with the boat, gear and crew to win...

Back in Sydney this week. It was a great fun tour up in Hong Kong and Vietnam with the Neil Pryde Hi Fi team. A more complete report will follow of the downwind sleighride that is the Vietnam race (well the first half anyway!) but for now it's off to get a Farr 40 ready for this weekend's regatta up at Pittwater in Sydney.
sam

race to vietnam starts tomorrow

We've just stepped off the Hi Fi after finishing preparing the yacht for the Vietnam race which starts tomorrow. All the sails are loaded and food, water and spares onboard.
Our last crewmember Bruce Clarke arrived yesterday and he's already put himself into contention for the next yellow jersey...
sam standing by in wan chai, hong kong...

China Coast Regatta 08

the china coast regatta has finished and we're now preparing for the vietnam race. it was windy to say the least and the Hi Fi doesn't seem to like going upwind in a breeze. we ended up third after island fling and mandrake.
the boat goes well downwind though and we're looking forward to the vietnam race which starts on wednesday.
more updates to follow

yellow jersey update

the quest for the yellow jacket 09 has begun.
the firrst three days of the tour have seen the jersey awarded to the following:
day 2: cosi for poor starts on day 1
day 3: silas for clipping himself to the jibsheet before a tack then being wound into the block
day 4 and thee start of the vietnam: sam for off boat offence

Arrived in Hong Kong wednesday morning and checked into our hotel before going to the boat down at Clearwater Bay.
As usual there was lots of work to do but now the boat's in good shape and we're ready to go sailing today. More crew arrived today and now we've got the full complement.
More detailed reports to follow....

asian tour 08-09 begins

Welcome to sam hunt's blog.
I'm going to post reports from the various regattas I'll be doing in Asia and Australia this summer.
We are flying to Hong Kong tonight to sail on the yacht Hi Fi in the China Coast Cup and Hong Kong Vietnam Race run by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
Tomorrow we'll be working to set up the boat before training on Thursday when the rest of the crew arrive....
sam standing by in sydney....