on 8 Jul 2022
Post-pandemic, competitive sailing in Asia is returning to business as usual. In our latest issue, we celebrate the return of regional racing, and meet four of the region's top female sailors setting the scene ablaze.
CLICK HERE AND SAVE 10% OFF AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TODAY
Every July and August, we focus our bi-monthly print magazine on the incredible sailing scene found across the Asia-Pacific. There’s a sailing revival in the air this year, as sailors return to regattas after a long period of cancellations and disappointments.
Our special feature on sailing sees Hong Kong-based writer Stuart Heaver explore this positive surge in activity, with the return of sailing events and training schools in Asia in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
We also turn our attention to four Spotlight reviews of sailing yachts all available, all newish and in-demand in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s interesting to note that three are multi-hulls, with two of the reviews on boats that can be pushed to perform to decent standards, should owners be interested in races or regattas. The other two are all about leisurely cruising.
The sailing-cat cruisers in review this issue are the Bali 4.8 and the Leopard 50; more performance speed-oriented are the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 and Neel 43 – the latter a trimaran, reviewed by veteran Australia-based boating writer Kevin Green.
In another sailing feature by Abhay Venkitaraman, some of Asia-Pacific’s most formidable female competitive sailors discuss what it takes to be at the height of their sporting potential – including Stephanie Norton of Hong Kong.
Two-time Olympic gold and silver medal-winning sailor Hannah Mills also talks about getting more female racing prominence into the global SailGP circuit in our Comment pages. She just became the organiser’s ‘global purpose and sustainability ambassador’. Earlier this year, SailGP announced the third season of the world F50 hydrofoil-catamaran sailing championship will head to Asia for the first time, with an Asian Grand Prix event to be held in Singapore in January 2023.
Also featuring and making a Comment – on motoryacht design and aesthetics – is Carmen Lau, senior advisor of Camper & Nicholsons International, considering what can help superyachts and megayachts visually stand out from the rest today.
In our newly renamed Living It Up section (formerly entitled Marine Life), Asia- Pacific Boating is grateful to have secured an interview with avid Hong Kong boater Allan Zeman – better known for transforming the Lan Kwai Fong area of Central into a neighbourhood of restaurants and bars and luxury property development, as well his involvement in government committees and a raft of other organisation boards. In a wide-ranging conversation, Zeman reflects on his decades of enjoying time on the water.
Also within our Living It Up section, we interview the highly accomplished self-taught artist Sonia Masocco, who turned a passion for watercolour painting into a career in producing yacht ‘portraits’. Her personalised commissions, predominantly of sailing yachts, stem from years of enjoying windsurfing and sailing in Italy and building a portfolio of painting subjects from these pastimes.
We also take a glimpse at Hong Kong’s largest sailing yacht charter, Lady Lorraine, and explore fun Scandinavian motorised dayboating / overnighting options from Saxdor shipyard in Finland, as well as board-to-surface electric jet-boarding from Radinn of Sweden.
In our Trendlines news reports and Features sections, we cover a few events from Hong Kong, where some relaxations in Covid restrictions by late June, at the time of going to press, have allowed small boat shows and industry events to take place once again.
Wishing all readers a couple of months of smooth sailing – or cruising – until the big boat shows in Cannes and Monaco commence in September.
