Quantum Racing crew in transit

by Rob Kothe on 3 Dec 2007 This morning, the crew racing on the King's Cup Regatta favourite, Ray Roberts Quantum Racing today met for the first time. Most of them have never been on the DK 46.

A mechanical problem on the jumbo out of Sydney delivered a 24 hour delay and Roberts' regular race crew is still in the air this morning.

Late yesterday afternoon, Roberts had his phone glued to his ear as he assembled a pickup crew for today’s race.

‘I scoured the waterfront and the bars, mainly the bars’', Roberts said as he handed out red crew shirts at the Kata Beach Resort this morning.

‘Some of the guys wanted to go out practicing last night, but I figured they have one race in them, so they are preserving their energy.’

Richard Grimes will be tactician in place of Stephen McConaghy, amongst the crew is Regatta measurer Malcolm Runnells and Sail-World Asia Editor Guy Nowell will be reporting from 'Chaos City' today.

Roberts is the most successful sailor on the Asian circuit in recent years; with tactician Stephen McConaghy and a highly experienced racing crew he has won two Phuket King’s Cups, the Raja Muda twice, the Singapore Straits Regatta and the Hong Kong to Hainan Race. He has twice won the Langkawi Regatta, and also the Koh Samui Regatta and the Borneo International Yachting Challenge in Malaysia and in October he won the inaugural China Cup.

But he’s not expecting a winning performance today... ‘I just want to get us round the track in one piece.’