SINGAPORE, Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The Audi
ultra finished the VinaCapital Hong Kong to Vietnam Race
2011 (19-21 October) with line-honours -- the first-ever Singapore
registered yacht to manage this, following its line-honours victory
in the previous week's China Coast Regatta in Hong Kong.
The Audi ultra is
one of the world's most advanced ocean racing yachts with a
26-strong crew consisting of experienced international sailors and
12 of Singapore's most promising young sailors.
After sailing in good winds for the
first 90 per cent of the race, the Audi
ultra looked set to break the monohull record but the
attempt over the 656 nm course was compromised when the 27.5m yacht
experienced wind squalls up to 26 knots, a blown spinnaker and
damage to the bow.
Still, crossing the line in 43h 44m
24s, the Audi ultra team was less than an hour
off Grant Wharington's 2004 monohull record in
supermaxi Wild Thing.
Ludde Ingvall, co-owner of
the Audi ultra said, "After top speeds at over
26 knots, a tropical thunderstorm in the night between Thursday and
Friday off the coast of Vietnam brought rain so intense that you
could not see many metres in front of you. The wind became very
erratic and then non-existent.
"However, we got the desired
line-honours and won, finishing several hours ahead of the
competition. I am very proud of the newly-formed
Singaporean Audi ultra racing team and have no
doubt of its capability to achieve further successes," finished
Ingvall.
The week before, the team had taken
on the region's most experienced yachtsmen and crossed the line
first in four of seven China Coast Regatta's races.
Tan Wearn Haw, who skippered
the Audi ultra for majority of the China Coast
Regatta races said: "Our sailors did very well in tough
international competition".
"We have built the breadth of
sailing experience in Singapore and will cycle more sailors through
this exciting and unique offshore racing programme, brought on by
owners, Ingvall and Singapore-based entrepreneurs Thomas Zilliacus
and Ron Creevey. The Audi ultra will continue to
develop opportunities for Singaporean sailors to have a career in
big boat sailing and make Singapore the Asian kingpins in offshore
racing," said Tan, who is also the CEO of Singapore Sailing
Federation.
The Audi
ultra will now be preparing for the 2011 Phuket King's
Cup Regatta held on 3-10 December.
SOURCE Audi Singapore Pte Ltd.