Storming the seas

Crew of Uniquely Singapore samba in Salvador as they secured a credible seventh place in the second race of leg one ending in Brazil.

Uniquely Singapore crossed the finish line at 2258 GMT on 18 October (758 am on 19 October in Singapore) in seventh place at the end of Race 2 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 07-08, from La Rochelle to Salvador, Brazil.

The team arrived at the Terminal Maritimo da Bahia where crowds of well wishers including 07-08 race crew lined the pontoon to welcome them in after their 4,200-mile race across the Atlantic.
 
“We’ve had some highs and lows and some particularly tough times during this race,” said Mark Preedy, skipper of Uniquely Singapore, the yacht sponsored by Keppel Corporation.  

“The crew coped really well in the face of adversity and we’ve bonded really well as a team. We were actually quite sad to arrive in Salvador tonight because we’ve had such a good time,” he added.
 
The crew of Uniquely Singapore was racing for 26 days across the Atlantic and was greeted by fireworks and local iced caipirinha cocktails and slices of juicy watermelon when they arrived in Salvador.

The fleet’s arrival marks a long-standing association between Salvador and the Clipper Race with the Brazilian city playing host to the fleet since the first Clipper Race twelve years ago.

However, the race to Salvador was a frustrating one at times for Mark and his crew, including in the early days out of La Rochelle when they were becalmed between the Canary Islands.
 
“We used this race to work on the team’s skills and we’ve spent a lot of time working on helming, sail trim and honing our evolutions,” explained Mark.
 
Keppel Ambassador and round-the-world crew member, Hizam Haiyon, said, “It was a great experience, as everyone gave 110 percent to try to win the race. Our skipper has been great and we’ve enjoyed every minute.”

Mr Joff Bailey, Race Director said, “Uniquely Singapore was hampered by sail damage in this race and that demonstrates how important it is to take the long term view rather than early gains in such a marathon race around the world.”

POSITION FOR RACE 2		OVERALL TEAM POINTS
1	Durban 2010 and Beyond	13
2	Glasgow: Scotland with style	13
3	Nova Scotia	11.5
4	Liverpool 08	11.5
5	Hull & Humber	11
6	westernaustralia2011.com	6
7	Uniquely Singapore	6
8	Qingdao	5.5
9	New York	3.6
10	Jamaica	1.5

 
Uniquely Singapore experienced spinnaker trouble on the afternoon of 6 October, when its kite became tightly wrapped around the inner forestay. The crew had to remove the forestay to unwind the sail, rather than cutting it down, and caused them to lose a few miles to the chasing pair of New York and Jamaica.

The crew of Uniquely Singapore spent the next couple of days cleaning and working on the boat before having some time off to explore the city of Salvador.
 

ANOTHER KEPPEL AMBASSADOR JOINS THE RACE

Full of excitement and enthusiasm, one man waited eagerly at the Terminal Martimo da Bahia for Uniquely Singapore, arriving in Salvador earlier than most for crew change-over.

That man is Koh Kok Siong, Senior Engineer from Keppel Seghers. All cheers and hugs for the crew onboard the little red boat, which he will call home for the next three weeks, Kok Siong could not wait to get onboard and re-familiarise himself with the halyards, clutches and sails.

Kok Siong shared before departing for Salvador, “I look forward to rejoining the team and celebrating with them the completion of leg 1. I’ve followed their progress closely and now I am very excited to be able to contribute and be a part of the team as we strive to do even better for leg 2.

“I am also looking forward to seeing how Hizam is doing after leg 1! He is a great pal and I am proud to work alongside him as we sail Uniquely Singapore to Durban.”

True strength and grit belie the slenderly-built 30-year-old. Kok Siong won hearts and respect from fellow team members during his training in July when he volunteered to assist in the removal of an entangled spinnaker by climbing up the mast.

A consistent performer and competitive marathon runner, Kok Siong will be a welcome addition to the team with his fiercely positive attitude towards challenges, trials and tribulations.

On 24 October 2007, the fleet would depart from Salvador for Race 3 to Durban during which the Keppel Ambassadors, together with the crew, will be faced with the testing waters and weather of the South Atlantic.


FRIENDS OF THE WORLD

During the almost week-long stopover in Salvador, Hizam took the opportunity to revisit old friends and colleagues at Keppel FELS Brasil’s BrasFELS yard in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Welcomed warmly as a member of the big Keppel family, Hizam was glad that working for a multi-national conglomerate like Keppel meant that he could find trustworthy friends and faces almost all over the world.

But with Keppel’s operations in more than 30 countries now, it will take more than just a round-the-world race on Uniquely Singapore for Hizam to visit all of Keppel’s businesses globally!

The Assistant Section Manager (Engineering) from Keppel FELS shared with great enthusiasm the tiring and testing days onboard the yacht on his first leg, as well as the camaraderie that has alloyed his loyalty and commitment to the Singapore team.

From a close crash at the hull with the bow of another boat, to the flying fishes that unceremoniously smacked the crew around a little in the unsuspecting darkness of the nights, and to the attack of lethal weapons in the galley from flying knives to scalding tea, Hizam captured all attention and imagination as he shared his exciting adventures.

One down, six races to go. Looking forward to the next challenge on leg two from Salvador to Durban, Hizam has certainly learnt invaluable lessons and formed attachments to his fellow team mates.

He said, “The next few months, life would be a series of lessons with no time to practise. Experience is the name we gave to our mistakes.

“Our community of 17 has grown into a close-knit team and we totally concentrated all our physical and mental efforts on the race to give Uniquely Singapore a great big push forward.”

A low point of the race for Hizam was when he suffered backaches that he developed after waking from his bunk in an awkward position. The crew sat down to think of a solution for his back problem – from heat rubs to painkillers and a transfer from the top bunk to the hospital bunk.

But with a touch of the Can Do! spirit, a dash of self-induced humour and an abundance of positive thoughts and good company, Hizam recovered in no time and resumed deck duties, pushing boundaries of his mind over body.

With fellow Keppelite Koh Kok Siong onboard, the Keppel duo will certainly have lots more stories to regale us – keep up with their adventures and crew blogs at
www.channelnewsasia.com/keppelclipper.

Highlights of Race 2 – La Rochelle to Salvador

• 26 Sep
Even in the early days of Race 2 which started on 23 September, it became apparent that several of the yachts had damaged their equipment and sails as they have encountered strong northerly winds down the coast.

• 29 Sep
Approaching the island of Madeira in the middle of their, race positions began to pull apart as skippers and crews took crucial tactical decisions based on weather forecasts, resulting in a division in the fleet as they decided which tack to take to make best use of the wind.

• 2 Oct
A week since racestart in La Rochelle, the crew were getting on with daily life onboard, a routine of eating, sleeping and working. Apart from sailing the boats, the crew worked hard to keep all systems and sails in top condition with routine maintenance and repairs. So generators and water makers were serviced, spinnakers and chafe on lines repaired and the list went on.

• 7 Oct
As the fleet approached the Equator, shifts and squalls brought dramatic changes in wind conditions, sometimes dropping to nothing at all and at other times blowing with great speed and varying direction. The teams had to adjust quickly to their unpredictability.

• 14 Oct
Uniquely Singapore crossed the Equator at 1000 am, ahead of Qingdao, New York and Jamaica.

• 17 Oct
With the podium positions settled and the top three boats, Durban 2010 and Beyond, Glasgow: Scotland with style and Nova Scotia all moored up in Salvador, the battle on the water remained intense as each boat aimed to get the maximum points left up for grabs to ensure a higher position on the overall leader board. All of the remaining boats chose the shorter inshore route to Salvador. Despite reducing their distance to the finish, that particular route ran the increased risk of fickle winds.

• 18 Oct
Uniquely Singapore is seventh!