Korea Cup 2010 – 50 boats on the start line - one start line...

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 21 May 2010
The Korea Cup is split into two sub-events – the Uljin Inshore Series for the beach cats and small keelboats, and the Offshore Series for the big boats. With the Offshore fleet joining in the first inshore race, making a (very) mixed fleet of some 50 entries.

Bright and breezy was the order of the day, with an onshore breeze of 15 kts, and a windward/leeward course set just a matter of yards from the entrance to the regatta marina. The start line was substantially biased towards the boat end (although very few boats seemed to notice), and some observers were surprised to find that ALL boats would be starting together.

Predictably enough, this produced a great deal of shouting as the fleet came to the line, with some of the boats maybe not being handled as well as the situation demanded. Many of the smaller boats wisely decided not to join in the melee – those that did got stopped dead in their tracks as they lost their wind.

There were a few other things that were a little surprising – for starters, the windward leg was only about 600 yards long, and the leading big boat, an unmistakably IMS-design Grand Soleil 42, Time Machine, made her first turn at the top of the course after 3min 10sec, having almost fetched the mark on starboard. Snapping at her heels was a Bakewell-White 36, Sunny, an IRC-with-cabin version of the boats used by the Korea Match Cup. And then followed a parade of boats all going straight back through the oncoming fleet still on the upwind leg. It must have looked really good from the circling helicopter – the race was being broadcast live on Korean tv.

As the leaders trucked straight down to the leeward gate on one gybe, it was noticeable that the gate was abeam the Committee Boat a mere 20 metres above the finish line - which was the same as the start line, but shortened. There was plenty of action at the leeward gate as the leaders rounded up and then started back through the following fleet… again. First full lap for the ORC div leader – 6 min. The small boats that went round with their bigger brethren soon found that although an Elliott 5.9 can squeeze into a pretty small gap at the pin, if that gap then puts them in between two 40-footers, the small boat tends to stop. The smart money in the Nacras and F-16s decided that the best tactic was to spin out fast and wide from the gate, go all the way round the outside of the Committee Boat, and then fetch the next windward leg from way out on the right.

The breeze was shifting right, too, although the extremely short course meant that there was no chance of the RO moving the windward mark and calling a course change. The race was five sausages, and the breeze just kept going right until on the last leg boats were sailing the windward leg with sheets eased, and then reaching back to the bottom without spinnakers.
Time Machine did two laps in 13 minutes, three in 18, and the full course in a shade under half an hour - good timing for the telly? First to finish overall – about two minutes earlier - was Scott McCook on an F-16, but the RO never saw him coming and there was no toot or recorded finish time.

As the rest of the boats came home in rapid succession the hooter was working overtime and the recorder’s pencil was running hot. Some lap counting ran astray, with more than one boat receiving a finish signal after only four laps - and then rounding up for another leg. And in spite of a careful explanation at the Skipper’s Briefing, some competitors’ lap counting was questionable too. At least one boat mistook ‘laps’ for ‘legs’.

There were plenty of incidents further up the race course, too. By Opening Ceremony time (an occasion attended by an entire department store-full of blazers) the stack of protests forms was substantial. Somehow, three Hobies Getaways came out for a bit of sightseeing, didn’t race, but did receive finishes.

So there were a few glitches. But all that was set aside as competitors enjoyed a spectacular show including drum music, an electric digeridoo, modern dance, and the flags of the 19 nations represented by competitors at the event. Not forgetting a buffet dinner including the seafood for which this region of Korea is so justly famous.

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First (Beneteau First 40.7, Alexandr Papruga, RUS) won Offshore/ORC division (and KRW1,000,000 – about HKD6,000 or USD890) and Yacht In 350 ((KOR) collected the cheque, literally in the Offshore/Open division. By 2230 hrs no further results had been confirmed. The Jury have a tough job on tonight, but tomorrow is another day – a day of two more cans races for the Inshore Fleet, and the start of the Offshore event – the 80 nm passage race to Ulleung-do in the East Sea. Overseas competitors are promised an unforgettable experience when they visit one of Korea’s most picturesque islands. Ulleung-do is known for its squid fishing industry – sailors are urged to 'try some raw squid dipped in hot sauce. You are guaranteed to squirt faster upwind when you load up your belly with spicy squid'. Bon appétit!

STOP PRESS: At the offhore skippers' briefing this morning, organisers advise that the position of the finish line is not actually known. Still no results from yesterday, and the IJs are still deep in consultation.