Marina Bay gaining popularity

 WMRT organisers in talks for event here; Extreme Sailing Series kicks off soon

THE Marina Bay area could soon be on its way to fulfilling some of its sporting and glamour potential with at least one high-profile international standard sailing event organiser holding an event there and another ‘in discussions’ to do so.

This past weekend, the RM1.57 million (S$645,000) Monsoon Cup in Terengganu closes out the nine-leg World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) – which Malaysian tycoon Patrick Lim recently bought into – and the organisers are setting their sights firmly on a similar or bigger event in Singapore.

Mr Lim and other investors have acquired the rights holder ProMatch Tour Ltd from F10 Holdings Ltd through Hong Kong-based consortium Regal Faith Ltd. The WMRT features a boat-against-boat match racing format similar to the America’s Cup except that it is part of a circuit that currently has nine venues including France, Germany, Korea, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Bermuda and Malaysia.

‘We are currently in early stage discussion with the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Sports Council for a WMRT event at the Marina Bay,’ said Monsoon Cup adviser Peter Gilmour. Speaking optimistically about the potential race venue as a prime example of a plug-and-play site, Mr Gilmour, who is also acting president of WMRT organisers Promatch Tour said: ‘In fact, the Marina Bay seems to be a natural venue, it could be a case of ‘just add the boats’.’

‘Talks are going well and we plan to be in Singapore in January/ February next year to test the wind conditions,’ he added.

‘We are confident of selecting one more new venue to the WMRT in 2010, bringing the total number of Tour stages to 10 from the current nine,’ said tour director Craig Mitchell. Organisers hope to add two significant venues per year, for an ideal target of 16 worldwide within the next few years. Promatch is in advanced stages of talks with seven new venues, including three in Asia, Mr Gilmour said.

Selection of the venues is relatively straightforward, Mr Mitchell explained. It should have a 500 metre diameter circle of water in order to create a race track and a good shore side vantage point for spectators, conditions Marina Bay easily meets. Technical and communications support to promoters to cater to the media such as live broadcast and providing daily news updates on the race progress are also important elements.

There is also the financial element involved as the tour works on a franchise model quite similar to F1 car racing and each commitment is currently for a period of eight years. ‘The cost to operate a new WMRT event is approximately US$5-8 million, depending on requirements of individual venue. The cost includes prize money, television coverage, local event set-up costs,’ said Mr Gilmour. ‘There are many Asian countries with beautiful coastlines but they might not know how to promote it to the world. Naturally one advantage of having an Asian owner (of the WMRT) is the increased potential for expansion within the Asian region, particularly at this time when we are seeing an awakening by Asian countries to the pleasures and beauty of competitive sailing and waterfront lifestyles,’ he noted. ‘Our focus for the long term is to develop world-class venues around the world including Asia.’

Balancing off against this is the corporate sponsorship model of the Extreme Sailing Series where this week, six teams including two Oman teams and a China team featuring local hotshot sailor Tan Wearn Haw, will be showcasing their cutting edge Extreme 40 boats in the bay at the area between the Flyer and the Marina Barrage from Dec 11-15.

The Extreme Sailing Series Asia, the new Asian leg of the OC Events-organised Extreme Sailing Series which has been an outstanding success in Europe since starting out there in 2005, comes to Singapore as the second stop of its three-stop tour after blowing away the corporate crowd in the middle of Hong Kong’s busy Victoria Harbour. After Singapore, the inaugural Asian series continues in Oman in February.

The series’ popularity is rapidly evolving as corporates warm to the concept and the possibility of a fourth venue is being explored, with a plan to grow the series to a six-event series by 2011/12.

Source : Business Times – 7 Dec 2009