Uniquely Singapore - Current Race Updates from Tony

[Tony]

Yes, yes, yes...........the red boat is now no. 1 in the race to Durban-South Africa with just another 1,472 nm to go. Go Singapore go.

Uniquely Singapore Web Site




Just some news for those interested in sailing. Anyone interested in making a model Uniquely Singapore?

[Ryan]

yay!!!

but how come so many of them aren't local?

[kennyc]

yay!!!

but how come so many of them aren't local?

its is singapore sponsored team! crew can be international.

GO on singapore!

[Tony]

yay!!!

but how come so many of them aren't local?

The skipper is a professional yachtsman and he is Australian. Singapore does not have anyone with inter-ocean sailing to qualify for the job as most if not all of the yacht races done locally are coastal races. The skipper has to be very experienced as the lives and the safety of all on board depends on his ability to teach, train and manage the crew under trying circumstances. A very difficult job indeed. He is the slave driver, the boss and the man you look to get you out of trouble when you mess up and we do mess up from time to time eg. like dropping the spinnaker (sail) and getting it wrapped around the keel and rudder (read as big oops!)

A number of the Ang Mohs you see are naturalised Singaporeans - some have lived more years in Singapore than I have.

There are a number of non-Singaporean crew on board - mainly Britons. These are required to make up for the shortfall in Singapore sailors or otherwise we'd have the actual number of crew on board on some legs fall short of the minimum required for safe sailing. We also need to have at least one crew on board at any one time that has a medical background ie. doctor or nurse or paramedic.

There were not enough people answering the call to crew the boat. I guess the problem is the time required - some crew have had to quit their jobs and others had to take no pay leave etc etc. The fact that one has to endure, at times, almost intolerable hardships eg. water rationing, freezing cold, sleeping on cold damp bunks, eating slop (freeze dried reconstituted food), constant physical exhaustion, discomfort, the danger of injury or being swept overboard into a frigid ocean is ever present etc may have put off the others. In an earlier Clipper race series, there were half a dozen incidents of man overboard (all were recovered safely though) and one crew had to have his foot amputated because it was too badly mangled in an accident.

Hopefully, we can get more Singaporeans to crew on the boat in the next race (2007/08).

[AstroBoy]

Hi Tony,

I've moved your boat race thread to "News and Announcements" topic to better reflect the thread content.

[stuka]

Wow....this is so exciting, gota make a model of Uniquely Singapore if I can get some time off..

[alamin2]

The skipper is a professional yachtsman and he is Australian. Singapore does not have anyone with inter-ocean sailing to qualify for the job as most if not all of the yacht races done locally are coastal races. The skipper has to be very experienced as the lives and the safety of all on board depends on his ability to teach, train and manage the crew under trying circumstances. A very difficult job indeed. He is the slave driver, the boss and the man you look to get you out of trouble when you mess up and we do mess up from time to time eg. like dropping the spinnaker (sail) and getting it wrapped around the keel and rudder (read as big oops!)

A number of the Ang Mohs you see are naturalised Singaporeans - some have lived more years in Singapore than I have.

There are a number of non-Singaporean crew on board - mainly Britons. These are required to make up for the shortfall in Singapore sailors or otherwise we'd have the actual number of crew on board on some legs fall short of the minimum required for safe sailing. We also need to have at least one crew on board at any one time that has a medical background ie. doctor or nurse or paramedic.

There were not enough people answering the call to crew the boat. I guess the problem is the time required - some crew have had to quit their jobs and others had to take no pay leave etc etc. The fact that one has to endure, at times, almost intolerable hardships eg. water rationing, freezing cold, sleeping on cold damp bunks, eating slop (freeze dried reconstituted food), constant physical exhaustion, discomfort, the danger of injury or being swept overboard into a frigid ocean is ever present etc may have put off the others. In an earlier Clipper race series, there were half a dozen incidents of man overboard (all were recovered safely though) and one crew had to have his foot amputated because it was too badly mangled in an accident.

Hopefully, we can get more Singaporeans to crew on the boat in the next race (2007/08).

ah.. i never like eating on a boat.. i rememberd sailing in opitmist boat.. though its a single person boat .. the experience is enough to give a brief idea how real competitive sailors onboard a yatch would feel... having to have salt water in your food at times.. making it soggy... or shifting sides on the boat during Tacking ... ah.. those were the days..

[yorbenator]

GO SINGAPORE GO!!!!

[Tony]

Wow....this is so exciting, gota make a model of Uniquely Singapore if I can get some time off..

That would be really neat if you could make a sailing RC model of the Uniquely Singapore. We could even sail it around Keppel Harbour where the fleet will be moored from 15 January 2006 (estimated). Should be quite newsworthy.

If you need the drawings, I should be able to get them for you from the boat designers.

[Tony]

And this is why its pointless to bathe on off shore races. LOL! The fleet is currently experiencing 30 knot winds and 30 foot tall waves.



The fleet ua now rounding the tip of South Africa. Uniquely Singapore was hit by a patch of low winds and lost 4 positions to 5th. Also slowed down by a torn medium weight spinnaker so they had to sail with the smaller and heavier 22 oz spinnaker.

Still some way more to go to Durban, so the boat may be able to claw back the lead (fingers crossed).

[alamin2]

Tony any updates on Uniquely Singapore ?

[nic]

Uniquely Singapore is standing at 5th position.
The next leg to western Australia is starting on 29th Nov.

Hopefully they can be the first to reach Singapore in the following leg...

[AstroBoy]

Go Singapore Go!!!

"Jia-Yu! Jia-Yu!"

[Tony]

The Uniquely Singqpore coming to Fishing Boat Harbour Fremantle. Caught in a windhole for many days, it came in 9th. But all on board were safe after experiencing the worse bit of ocean in the world. We are talking 75 foot waves and 70 knots of wind. The worse part is that waves are coming at you from 3 different directions at the same time. In these conditions, the yacht becomes a 68 foot surf board charging at 30 knots. Real head banging stuff. Total tally for stitches done while on board is 24 and counting. At least one of the crew on board must be a doctor and the one we have is pretty good at stitching while the boat is being tossed about. The ride is wilder than any roller coaster ride in the world. Like on a plane, you experience positive Gs while the boat is climbing the back of 75 tall wave and then negative Gs when it flips over the crest to slalom down the other side of the wave.






Tired and hungry crew receiving a well deserved beer and steak sandwitch.

[Mathieu]

Fascinating stuff. Never cared for sailing until i came across Ellen Macarthur (Shes 1.57m tall, broke the solo round the world record), after reading the stories i cant imagine how physically and metally demanding a sport it is, the sleep deprivation and all. Did you have problems with that? Very interested to know more about the voyage from a personal point of view. Congratulations.