Memories from Team Ellen and Asian Record Circuit

by Team Ellen on 21 May 2006 FROM ELLEN:

'Our tour of Asia has been a learning process from start to finish, before I came out here I did not know what to expect. I knew that what we were about to take on would lead us into some pretty incredible experiences, and it has. I have my head so full of images of this tour that it’s incredibly hard to talk about the tour in general as there has been nothing really very ‘general’ about the tour.

It has been a mix of contrasts so stark that it’s hard to know where to file them as memories. From the sailing side of the tour, to the people side of the tour, we have been absolutely amazed by what we have seen. I expected the cultures to be different, but nothing could prepare me for some of the situations we experienced. From the officialdom and paperwork to parking in the centre of Shanghai - one of the busiest rivers in the world. From the passion that the people of so many countries have put into this tour to trying to reschedule a tug for the third time off the coast of China.

To the colourful Malaysian welcome party, and their generosity, and our wonderful Chinese translator Hilary; to the Kung Fu demonstration by a very talented and motivated B&Q staff member in Shanghai.

All these things contrasted by the changes and challenges at sea. Freezing gales, to sweltering heat. Such a rich and undiluted mix of events each of which could easily stand alone as an experience of a lifetime.

As for what has been achieved, I feel it’s impossible to say for us at this stage. Obviously, there are the record times but this tour has been about much more than just establishing new record times. We are still here in Asia, in the final few days of our tour. Though we have finished the sailing part we are still here, still concentrating on the final few events here, and on the planning of getting the real star of the show, B&Q, safely home to Europe.

It has been a long tour for her. She has sailed over 6,000 miles in total, the equivalent of a quarter of a circumnavigation! Until our feet reach home, and we are able to step back from all that has happened here, I feel that none of us, not one of the team, shall really have a chance to take in what has happened.

It has been an incredible story, one that I hope I, if not we, shall be far more capable of recounting in time. Standing back from all this seems virtually unreal for all of us. That we have made it here to Singapore, so I think that the most overwhelming feeling right now is one of sheer relief and gratitude that we have all been able to make it to the end and experience so many wonderful things as a result of many peoples kindness. This feeling is all the stronger considering the difficulties we have faced, and the hurdles we have had to get over.'

The Asian Record Circuit began at 07:03:22 GMT on the 25th March when the Omega clock started ticking to record the first record time. Ellen and her crew onboard the 75ft trimaran B&Q sailed from Yokohama, Japan via eight different countries from Japan via South Korea, to mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore over an eight-week period. The objective was to establish a series of new crewed record times and to do this in such a well documented way, that the opportunity now exists for other sailing campaigns to challenge these records in the future in Asia.

The record-breaking trimaran B&Q, famous for setting a new, solo, non-stop round the world record last year, was raced by Ellen and an international crew that included the regular crew from the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team of Loik Gallon, Erwan Lemeilleur and Charles Darbyshire, and included Chinese solo sailor Shaun Weng and Singaporean solo sailor Elaine Chua. In addition, French multihull sailing star and ‘record chaser’, Thomas Coville, joined the trimaran for the penultimate stage.

B&Q sailed a total of 11 legs covering 4581 miles at an average speed of 7.94 knots establishing a total of 12 new record times. The fastest leg was the short sprint between Tumpai (Thailand) and Terengganu (Malaysia) covering 75 miles at an average speed of 13.91 knots. And the slowest leg was the final 280-mile leg from Terengganu to Singapore at an average of 5.95 knots.

Ellen’s shore team had been on three independent fact-finding missions to Asia, visiting the eight stopover ports. This forward planning proved invaluable – without putting these foundations in place in advance, the tour would have been impossible – and this will, undoubtedly, have laid a much smoother path for any other sailing campaign that may be looking to take on the records Ellen and her crew have established in Asia in the future. Especially in China where without the official government rubber-stamp, nothing can happen.

'This has been a ground-breaking tour of Asia. Finally, we have a product for the future for both our own sailing campaigns, and for others. The logistical, administrative and sporting hurdles that we have successfully tackled will be much easier a second time around, and we plan to make that knowledge available through the Asian Record Circuit,' said Mark Turner, CEO OC Group.

For more information log onto http://www.asianrecordcircuit.com

Although sailing in Asian waters has its own challenges, what does appeal is the lucrative market that China and other Asian countries can offer to the sponsors of sailing projects like Ellen’s. This tour of Asia became an integral part of B&Q’s sponsorship programme and is the final chapter in what has to be the one of the most successful sailing sponsorships ever. In Asia, B&Q have reaped further rewards from this association as Ellen visited B&Q store after B&Q store, sharing her ‘can do’ spirit with their employees. Other team partners, such as Omega, jumped in to exploit the profile of Ellen and build retail opportunities. No one is denying that this circuit has been in part tailor-made to work for sponsors and the sailing challenges have been just as rewarding, as the international crew of B&Q have discovered a whole new world of eye-opening sailing on this ground-breaking tour.


ESTABLISHED TIMES:

Route / Distance / Date / Elapsed Time / Average Speed

Yokohama (Japan) - Jeju Island (South Korea) 906nm / 30.3.06 / 5d 11h 10m 51s / 6.91 knots

Jeju Island (South Korea) – Dalian (China) 418nm / 1.4.06 / 1d 15h 57m 28s / 10.46 knots

The Manchu Record: Yokohama (Japan) – Dalian (China) 1342nm / 1.4.06 / 7d 3h 8m 19s / 7.74 knots

The Marco Polo Record: Dalian – Qingdao (China) 265nm / 5.4.06 / 1d 0h 2m 53s / 11.03 knots

The Cotton Record: Qingdao – Shanghai (China) 308nm / 10.4.06 / 1d 5h 25m 33s / 10.52 knots

The Old Tea Record: Shanghai (China) – Taipei (Taiwan) 580nm / 19.4.06 / 3d 0h 1m 55s / 7.41 knots

The Colonial Record: Taipei (Taiwan) – Hong Kong SAR (China) 465nm / 23.4.06 / 2d 16h 46m 37s / 7.21 knots (ratified by WSSRC)

Hong Kong SAR (China) – Sanya, Hainan Island (China) 354nm / 2.5.06 / 1d 22h 53m 25s* / 7.60 knots

Sanya, Hainan Island (China) – Nha Trang (Vietnam) 360nm / 4.5.06 / 2d 1h 37m 45s / 7.30 knots

Nha Trang (Vietnam) – Tumpai (Thailand) 570nm / 7.5.06 / 2d 17h 55m 14s / 8.69 knots

Tumpai (Thailand) – Terengganu (Malaysia) 75nm / 7.5.06 / 0d 5h 39m 26s / 13.91 knots

The Jade record: Hong Kong SAR (China) – Terengganu (Malaysia) 1350nm / 7.5.06 / 7d 0h 5m 50s / 8.00 knots

Terengganu (Malaysia) – Singapore 280nm 12.5.06 1d 23h 9m 8s 5.94 knots

* Official time recorded by <> for the Hong Kong-Sanya 354nm route on the Asian Record Circuit. The current record holders for Hong Kong-Sanya, in a time of 29h 55m, is the yacht Ffree Fire recorded during the annual Hong Kong to Sanya race organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

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