Photo: China Briefing, in far center, showing larger competitors a clean pair of heels

China Briefing scored another fifth place finish in the fifth race of the six race Kings Cup yacht racing series in Phuket today, leaving them in with a shout of honors going into the final race tomorrow. With strong gusts of up to 30 knots in the morning, the yacht got off to its now customary flying start until the larger yachts with bigger sails and more power began to take command. Under exciting conditions, not for the faint hearted, two yachts lost masts in heavy gusts, including the perennial favorite, the Thai Royal Navy whose mast broke off about two meters about deck and was left trailing in the sea. Another Sunsail 35 lost its mast completely. A multihull participant turned over and sank as the conditions proved too much for several competitors. China Briefing stayed with the larger boats – some of them 18 feet longer than China Briefing’s Jeanneau 32 – for the duration of the race with spinnaker flying in the return leg of the event which saw a long course out to Ko Aeo Island from Kata Bay and return. To give a measure of the wind conditions, China Briefing finished in less than half the time the similar race took them on day one.

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China Briefing is off to a flying start in race one, day three (far right)  

Today we had two races, and on both occasions the China Briefing yacht got off to exceptional starts, way ahead of the pack and the far larger boats. With better winds, and a shorter course, the conditions featured us much better and the crew were far more disciplined and working far better together as a team.  

In race one we placed fifth, and in race two, fourth (just missing out on a third place trophy by two minutes). China Briefing is now placed sixth overall from 110 entrants. 

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The second days racing here in Phuket proved tough, frustrating and a mixture of sweet and sour as the days course, taking us well south of the island, ground to a halt in dead air around lunchtime. Until that time, China Briefing had been well positioned under an overcast sky and a receding tide, punching far above our weight as our Jeanneau 32 overtook larger and more powerful boats, including some of the first day winners. However, that all came to a halt for close to two hours just as the yacht had rounded the farthest point and had spinnaker up set for a 14 mile long stretch to the finish.   

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China Briefing enjoyed a promising start to the week long Kings’s Cup regatta today (Monday) by finishing a punishing 26 mile course with tricky winds in 5 hours and 18 minutes, placed eighth at the end of the first days racing. More than 110 yachts are participating.

The China Briefing yacht is competing in the Bareboat Charter division against yachts which are up to 18 feet longer and have far more sail power. Todays sailing conditions had both north-easterlies and south-westerlies blowing in with periods of dead wind, and temparatures of up to 40 degrees out at sea.

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Following a fairly lengthy adminsitration half day in finalising our registration for the event, confirming crew, showing insurance and other such stuff, we managed to get a three hours sail out today. Five of the six crew have arrived, and most of the time was spent calibrating sheets and ropes for the spinnaker and main sail, and asigning positions and responsibilities for crew. Practicing getting the spinnaker up was an utter disaster "Does anyone on this boat know what the f*cking mainsheet halyard is?" but that’s just part of bedding in crew. The winds have been light, but that actually suits us, we’re a smaller yacht than some in our class, and a light wind will mean we can be more proactive than the heavier craft which weigh more. At one point we were getting 2 knots out of a 2 knot breeze, so that’s very efficient! 

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This afternoon I leave the chilly climes of Beijing for the sunnier shores of Phuket, taking part in the annual Kings Cup Regatta where I shall give the good ship "China Briefing" a weeks worth of racing in what promises to be a very competitive field. I have a 32 foot Jeanneau, a French built yacht, fitted with a racing hull to play about with, and a crew of six, including Rob Williams, who is an America’s Cup participant. I’m skippering (well it’s my yacht!). The Regatta takes place over six days, with five days racing. We probably won’t win a major prize – this crew hasn’t sailed together before so we lack the teamwork co-ordination – but I’m hopeing we can possibly win one or two of the daily race events. I last participated as crew some ten years ago in the yacht "Kelso" – we came a credible fourth overall. This year sees close to eighty contestants, and rivalry will be high.

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I’m fortunate to have several high quality watches in my collection, built up over the years, I regularly visit an antiques dealer in Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong to see what has turned up. On many occasions nearly brand new watches are on sale at about 30% less than the retail price, unlucky gamblers in nearby Macau perhaps, or merely unwanted presents. Some however are truly antique – Meggie is in proud possession of a 1920’s Cartier dress watch, amongst others, while my collection features Rolex, IWC, Jaeger le Coultre, Breitling, Corum, Cartier and a very nice Breguet, much loved by me as Pushkin mentions it in Eugene Onegin, which coincidentally happens to be one of my favorite operas. Wonderful as all these may be, my favorite as a watch is an antique, 1960 Omega Speedmaster. It is truly sublime.

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Those of you who follow my blog will know by now my love of opera, and possibly, the fact that I used to sing. In fact, given a stiff drink or two, I can be persauded still to render a few bars of Strauss in public – usually the Champagne overture from "Die Fledermaus". Indeed, the last time I did so, in a packed KABB in Shanghai, I received an ovation and two glasses of complimentary bubbly on the house. That may have been to shut me up, but nonetheless, I tried.

One of the enduring legends about Opera however has been the role of the Castrati – a long outlawed practice of severing young pre-pubescent boys from their testiles in order for them to develop a particular, some say exquisite, high male soprano richer in tone than the current female version given the larger male chest size. Very few recordings exist of Castrati singers, however I have seen, on several occassions, sheet music from the original composers specifying the role.   Prepubescent castration for this purpose diminished greatly in the late 1700s and it was illegalized in Italy in 1870. This didn’t prevent Castrati from entering the profession however, and the last known such singer was Alessandro Moreschi, who died in 1922. A rare, 100 year old recording of him singing "Ave Maria" can be heard here: 

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It’s always a pleasure to visit New York, although I must admit it did seem a little on the chilly side arriving from Miami. And having flown to Miami from Bombay, I wasn’t entirely dressed for a chilly November day in the Big Apple. However, all that negativity passes when I check into the Algonquin Hotel.

Travelling so much has made me look out for hotels specific to my character, international chains are fine, but rather lack character. So around the world I have a list of preferred hotels, and in New York the Algonquin is my choice. Opening its doors in 1902, it’s located at 44th Street in Midtown. The Algonquin has also been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark.

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Miami – Mimo, Royal Terns & Black Beans

I’ve just been in Miami for a conference, and it’s always good to visit. I always find America to comprise of greatly differing cultures and cities (after all, like India, it is comprised of many different states) and Miami has a charm and character all of its own.

Many of the legendary Miami art deco buildings were created by the architect Morris Lapdius, and the so called “mid-century modern buildings” known in style as “Mimo”. Frank Lloyd Wright and Bauhaus are all part of this school, but Miami born Lapidus went a step further. Often described as ‘mad’ or simply ‘crazy’, Lapidus’s basic style revolved around his beliefs that “Less is a bore” and famously, “Too much is never enough”. Stating that his buildings were “the crazy hat for women, the dazzling tie for men” he created many of Miami’s now iconic buildings and hotels, including the one I stayed at, the Eden Roc, located right on South Beach.

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