Sailing Towards an ASEAN Community
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is supporting an ASEAN contingent on Leg 4 of the seven-leg Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race. The ASEAN contingent will sail on board the "Uniquely Singapore Clipper" whose main sponsor is Keppel Corporation, with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as Race Partner.
Leg 4 of the 35,000-mile Clipper Race will begin in Fremantle, Western Australia, on 1 January 2008, head north for a stop-over in Singapore, sail through the South China Sea and finish at the Olympic sailing port of Qingdao, China in February 2008.
This initiative is part of Singapore's series of commemorative activities to celebrate ASEAN's 40th Anniversary this year. Singapore will also be taking over the ASEAN Chairmanship from the Philippines in August and hosting the 13th ASEAN Summit in November 2007.
At the last ASEAN Summit in Cebu, ASEAN leaders called for ASEAN to be more people-oriented and integral to the lives of all Southeast Asians. In line with this call, Singapore will continue to advance and accelerate ASEAN's efforts towards the goal of an integrated ASEAN Community by 2015 during our Chairmanship. The commemorative events that Singapore has lined up throughout the year are thus focused on promoting greater awareness of ASEAN, especially among the youth of the region. Singapore kicked off the celebrations in January with an ASEAN music festival entitled "ASEAN Rocks!" held at Hard Rock Cafe Singapore, which showcased young pop and rock music talents from all across ASEAN.
Elaborating on the line-up of commemorative events, the MFA Spokesman said, "Singapore hopes to reach out to all ASEAN youths and not just Singaporean youths. In our increasingly globalised world, it is important for ASEAN young people to identify not just with their individual countries, but also with the region. We hope to develop stronger people-to-people linkages through our various commemorative activities."
Of the ASEAN Clipper contingent project, the MFA Spokesman explained, "Having young people from ASEAN countries sailing together in the Clipper Race is a unique opportunity for them to interact and understand one another better. We hope that the ASEAN crew, after three months of close contact and working together towards a common goal, will develop a sense of camaraderie that will be kept alive through post-race networking in the years to come."
When asked why he wanted to participate in the ASEAN contingent, Mr. Goh Lih Shiun, Singapore's participant in the ASEAN contingent replied, "Besides challenging myself to the limits and hoping to achieve a sense of accomplishment and self-actualisation, I am also excited about representing Singapore as part of the contingent and to be an ambassador of ASEAN."
The ASEAN crew, most of whom have hardly had any sailing experience, will begin an intensive training programme on 27 June 2007 in Gosport, UK. The rigorous month-long training will prepare them mentally, physically and technically to tackle the world's oceans. During the race, the ASEAN crew will adhere to a four-hour watch system. Each will take their turn with cooking and cleaning duties, as well as helming and sail repairing, as they strive as a team together with the rest of the "Uniquely Singapore" crew to keep their competitors at bay.
The ten identical 68-feet yachts participating in the ten-month long Clipper Race will set off from Liverpool, UK on 16 September 2007. Each is sponsored by an international city or territory and will be manned by non-professional sailors led by a professional skipper. Apart from the "Uniquely Singapore Clipper", other yachts include those representing New York, Durban, Qingdao, Glasgow and Western Australia. The ASEAN contingent will be among crew representing 25 nations during the race.
. . . . . .
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
22 JUNE 2007