Starboard Vietnam Fun Cup 2003

The local lore suggests that the strongest winds come with the full moon, and this year’s Fun Cup in beautiful Mui Ne Bay proves the locals may be on to something! Three solid days of wild racing action in two different events - including the first ever All Starboard HyperSonic race – wound up on Sunday afternoon, February 16th, 2003 on a beautiful beach at the Jibe’s Windsurfing Club in warm and windy Vietnam.
   With a small but close field of 13 competitors including Sylvie Fuerle, the event’s first ever (and we hope not the last!) woman competitor, racing was tightly contested on all three days – the lead changing constantly with the conditions and the event.
Day 1 started off with very strong winds and the competitors scrambling for smaller sails. In a double elimination format, a fast reaching two-buoy slalom course was set, with heats drawn randomly from the competitor pool. Running beach starts made the race starts a real crowd pleaser, with the shore break occasionally rearing its ugly head to provide an added dimension to the challenge. Small boards ruled the day with Starboard Acid 70s and 77s ripping across the water in the 30 to 35 knot winds.
One of the early heats saw a collision at the outside jibe mark between two of the Vietnamese competitors. While Tam needed to be whisked off to the hospital for some quick stitches, in true shred dog style, ‘Tambo’ was back on the water that afternoon sporting a bandana, a new lid and the same ‘go for it’ attitude!
Overall for the day, Alex Richerd, one of the French sailors in a truly international fleet proved unstoppable with great starts, blazing board speed and control at both marks. He ended the day in first place, followed by American Jaipal Tuttle and Canadian Ken Hovland.
Day 2 started out early with building winds. The fleet was divided into three heats for the first ever all HyperSonic event. The three-buoy modified triangle event (a close reach to the outside mark, broad reach to the far inside mark, back upwind to the outside mark and a close reach back to the start) was fast and furious. All three heats were run in 20 – 25 knots with the HyperSonics smoking across the water on the reaches. A final heat was held with all the fastest sailors. With powerful style Vietnamese sailor, Nguyen Hoang Phi Ho took the fleet by wide margin, followed by a strong finish by Dutch sailor Olav Yvon, Nguyen Quoc Chien (Vietnam’s original windsurfer!), Philippe Jouan from France and Lai Hoang Phong, also from Vietnam. These results would strongly influence the final outcome of the three-day event.
While the sailors broke for lunch, the crowd was treated to a kite surfing extravaganza with two local professionals Campbell and Hatori demonstrating the latest extreme water sport in superb style. Campbell’s beach front acrobatics made the tricks look easy, with one handed jumps, grabs and inverts generating cheers and laughter from an astonished and appreciative crowd.
Soon after, slalom racing began again on the same fast reaching two-buoy course. The wind was now in the 25 – 30 knot range with the same double elimination format. The addition of Philippe Jouan and Olav Yvon changed the fleet somewhat with the racing even more hotly contested, for all but first place. French sailor Philippe proved unstoppable on his Starboard Carve 99 with blistering board speed right from the beach and a powerful style that saw him win every heat in the slalom event for the day. Canadian Ken Hovland took second place for the day while Holland’s Olav Yvon was solidly in third followed by a hard charging Phong from Vietnam.
At 7:30 Saturday night, the Jibe’s club opened its doors for a huge beachfront extravaganza. Jazz stylings from an American DJ rocked the crowd. Jibe’s and The Full Moon Hotel fed a hungry crowd with sumptuous grilled lemon chicken, barracuda and tuna. As well, the guests enjoyed local favorites Banh Xeo, pork in coconut milk and delicious pizzas supplied by two more of the event’s fantastic sponsors (and GREAT local restaurants!), Good Morning Vietnam and Autunno Luna. With Foster’s Beer flowing freely on a two for one deal - thanks again to fantastic sponsorship of the event, the party went late into the windy moonlit night.
Sunday morning came and almost went, with many of the fleet tired and hurting from two days of racing. By 11:00, the fleet was assembled and in the lightest winds for the three days, began the fast reaching slalom event once again. The heats were run with all eight remaining competitors, and the final score for the day determined by the cumulative placing in all three races. By the third race, the wind had kicked up into the 20-knot range, but the fleet was in form, with fast, tight races in all heats. The HyperSonic proved its race winning form with 1st and 2nd in the first heat, 2nd and 3rd in the second heat and 3rd in the third heat. In a ‘shades of things to come’ finish in the third race, Tam, the sailor who suffered the collision on the first day came through with a bullet in a decisive victory well ahead of the rest of the fleet. Tam’s fast starts and good board speed finally came together to make him a force to be reckoned with – especially for the 5th Annual Vietnam Fun Cup!
The day’s results ended with France’s Alex Richerd and Philippe Jouan tied for first, with Vietnam’s Vo Gnoc Tam in second and Canadian Ken Hovland in third place, just nipping out Holland’s Olav Yvon.
Final results placed a well deserving Alex Richerd in first place. Alex will be going home with a Starboard HyperSonic board, thanks to the major event sponsor Starboard – powering the Jibe’s Windsurfing Club with fast and innovative windsurfing gear. Ken Hovland took second place, with consistent showing in the three-day event and went home with a new 5.7m2 YES sail, thanks to YES Sails who capture the wind for windsurfing at the Jibe’s Club. Philippe Jouan and Nguyen Hoang Phi Ho tied for third and received YES harnesses again generously supplied by YES Sails and VioKite Trainer kites, supplied by an innovative local manufacturer, VioKite.
All the sailors should be congratulated for an excellent, spirited event, which saw not only great competition, but great camaraderie as well. Thanks Pascal for round four of a truly Fun Cup!
Raging appreciation for our main event sponsors – Starboard and Foster’s Beer. You put the fun in the Fun Cup! Thanks also to YES Sails, The Full Moon Hotel, Action Asia, Danzas Intercontinental, VioKite, and Laska Natural Mineral Water. Where would we be without your support and continued generosity?
Stay tuned next year for not only the 5th running of the Vietnam Fun Cup (where if Tam, Ho, Phong and Chien have any say, we may see our first all Vietnamese final!) but also the Asian Windsurfing Tour’s first Vietnamese event in this televised annual event. Pray for Wind!

Final Results 4th Annual Vietnam Fun Cup
Competitor   Country   Final Placing
Alexandre (Alex) Richerd   France   1
Ken Hovland   Canada   2
Nguyen Hoang Phi Ho   Vietnam   3 (Tied)
Philippe Jouan   France   3 (Tied)
Olav Yvon   Holland   4
Vo Gnoc Tam   Vietnam   5
Oskar Johansson   Sweden   6
Lai Hoang Phong   Vietnam   7
Jaipal Tuttle   USA   8 (Tied)
Nguyen Quoc Chien   Vietnam   8 (Tied)
Paul Siletti   USA   8 (Tied)
Sylvie Fuerle   France   8 (Tied)
Thorsten Kipp   Germany   8 (Tied)