Fwd: Winners again!

Sam A Hunt

+61 411 759 019

Begin forwarded message:

From: Sam Hunt <samahunt@gmail.com>
Date: 1 December 2010 11:16:38 GMT+08:00
To: "samahunt@eastcoastlow.blogger.com" <samahunt@eastcoastlow.blogger.com>
Subject: Winners again!

A fantastic result for the Hi Fi team winning the Raja Muda regatta in Malaysia for the third year in a row. This years event was closely fought with ray roberts' evolution racing team leading by four points going into the final day.

The raja muda regatta is an event held each year on the west coast of Malaysia from port klang to Langkawi. It consists of three offshore legs up to 90nm long and two days of windward leewards.
This years regatta had a bit of everything. We struggled on the opening two long legs getting caught in a fish net on the second leg to Penang. At the Penang inshore races we bounced back with two wins. Another shocker on the leg to Langkawi saw us faced with a mountain to climb for the final day.
The team was on form for the last two races on the harbour we know pretty well after so many regattas.

Winter 2010

Once again a long time between posts. I've been pretty busy this southern winter working with the Wild Oats team and doing a few regattas again with the Hi Fi team up in Asia. Highlights have included a win in the Rolex China Sea race at Easter and two great races up the east coast of Oz on Wild Oats X. Here's some photos:

Wild Joe loading

March saw me down in Port Kembla to load the 60' yacht Wild Joe onto a ship bound for Europe. The boat's been sold to an eastern European owner. Here are a couple of shots. This boat, launched in 2002 as Wild Oats IX was one of the first offshore racers with a canting keel and the front rudder system (CBTF) and spawned a successful line of boats such as Morning Glory, Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI.

Also loaded onto this ship for the trip to Europe were Ran, Leopard, Alfa Romeo (now painted purple) and assorted other powerboats and yachts. An expensive cargo!

January 2010

After the Sydney Hobart (on a Sydney 38!) I was back up to SE Asia for two more events with the Hi Fi team. 
First up was the Langkawi regatta. A tough four days of close racing against Evolution Racing saw us come in second. Despite not winning, the final day was a highlight, racing in the narrow confines of Kuah harbour against another 52 footer in twenty knots of wind. This regatta remains an elusive one for the Neil Pryde team, in the four or five times we've competed we've never won it. Just means we'll have to keep coming back!!

                                           our bowman Ryan up the rig


Next up was the Singapore Straits regatta, this year hosted out of Nongsa Point Marina in Batam, Indonesia. A bigger fleet of boats and more wind made for an exciting four days of racing. Once again we had some close races with Evolution Racing in the choppy waters between Singapore and Indonesia. Evolution was sailing well this time and narrowly beat us again. Our consolation prize was winning the Lipton Cup, a historic trophy which adds up the boats' scores from the Raja Muda, King's Cup and Singapore Straits regatta.

                                                     The Lipton Cup trophy.

Kings Cup 2009

Hi Fi had another narrow win at the final Asian event for 2009, the King's Cup regatta in Phuket. Great racing in a spectacular location with one of the best crews we've had on Hi Fi all add up to one awesome week of sailing. Here's some pics.