Firefly's Blog » sailing experience

Who’s the HOTTEST?

Natalya — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:21:05 +0000

After a thorough reading by our team, we have decided that Norzuhaira to be the winner of the “Are you HOT enough to get WET” blog contest!

Norzuhaira explained to us her love for sailing and it seems that she has a thing or two about sailing now that she got her experience on the ‘HOT SEAT’ with us.

We are glad that all our winners enjoyed their sailing experience and each has their own story to tell from their weight problem (to fit in with the team’) ,the weather at Terengganu, to their fear of falling into the water.

However, we also open the door to our winners to get to know the race team from Adam Minoprio to the well-known Skipper, Dato’ Peter Gilmour. Of course, we are glad that the winners and fans got to know about FIREFLY more and more each day.

We hope to have more activities next year!

Till then, congratulations to Norzuhaira! We hope that you will remember your experience with us always!

Read about her experience here at http://blog.fireflyz.com.my/2009/12/my-monsoon-cup-experience/ now!

Happy Christmas and Happy New Year! Have a good day y’all!

My Monsoon Cup experience

Natalya — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:53:18 +0000

By norzuhaira

Have you been on a sailboat before? For me, it is an experience that resulted in a love for sailing and a dream to cross seas and oceans on a yacht of my own.

I was given the opportunity to renew my love affair with sailing recently, when I won a competition organised by Firefly, one of the sponsors of the Monsoon Cup 2009. It gave me the chance to be on one of the 12 boats competing in the final World Match Racing Tour event of the year, albeit as a spectator. I am not familiar with match racing but it is still a sailing regatta and I relished the chance to see world-class sailors in action.

If it’s gonna be a rainy day / There’s nothing we can do to make it change / We can pray for sunny weather / But that won’t stop the rain

James Morrison’s Please Don’t Stop The Rain

It is the monsoon season in the East Coast and I arrived in Kuala Terengganu that was cold, windy and wet. It felt good to be back in KT, now a favourite holiday destination of mine. If I had enough money, I’d seriously consider buying a beach-fronting property somewhere near Pulau Duyong or further up in Setiu, but that is another story.

I managed to sneak into the press conference of the first day and was introduced to Datuk Peter Gilmour, who is a key person in the organisation of the Monsoon Cup as well as the skipper of the Yanmar Racing Team.

My ‘hotseat’ moment came on the second day, when I got on board Team Origin’s boat, led by Ben Ainslie, a British triple Olympic gold medallist. The five-men crew raced against Torvar Mirsky and his Mirsky Racing Team.

I had wind in my hair and felt again the rush of adrenaline as we sailed upwind, the main sail tight in the middle. Team Origin worked really well together that the skipper only shouted once and it was directed at a media boat that was in the way. They won against Mirsky, of course. Ainslie and Team Origin went on to win the rest of their races in the qualifying round and was the top team in the quarter-final. They however lost to Adam Minoprio and ETNZ / Black Match Racing Team in the finals but managed to sneak into third place in the overall WMRT ranking for 2009 behind Minoprio and Mirsky respectively.

The third day of races saw me lining up to get on to another boat and this time it was on Sebastien Col’s of French Match Racing Team / ALL4ONE.

They were racing against Phil Robertson, a Kiwi youngster skippering Team New Zealand WAKA Racing. I must say I felt like a lucky charm because Col won against Robertson. As we sailed back to the marina, I managed to talk with Col for a bit. He told me he had practically lived on a boat until he was 9. Memang betullah dia orang laut. I told him about my sailing idol – Dame Ellen MacArthur – and he said he knows her. I wish I was brave enough to ask for if he could help me get in touch with her. I wasn’t that brave.

- – -

Being at a sailing event brought back memories of my secondary school days. It also made me realised that while I can go on about wanting to be a crew on a boat sailing competitively, I should have sought out the opportunities available much earlier and that maybe I am more suited to cruise sailing on my own or with a few friends and not racing against another boat for a prize. I don’t think I am able to dedicate my whole life to the sport, like Ben Ainslie or Sebastien Col do. They’re both a year younger than me but they’ve been sailing competitively all this time.

I think I’ll stick with writing. Unless someone buys me a boat, I might do another, different kind of RTW with it. Hmmm….

Firefly Review- Episode 17: I’m HOT enough to get WET!

Natalya — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:58:07 +0000

Posted by azuan in :: All Posts ::, Brand Review, Featured Articles, Firefly Airline on 12 12th, 2009 | one response

Sailing with world class professionals on board the Foundation 36 (F36) yacht, being up-close and personal experiencing the pros at work on an actual race flight, getting soaking wet in the midst of the race thanks to the monsoon rain, chill out with the pro right after a match race.

These are just some of the ‘once in a lifetime’ journey that I experienced last week in the Monsoon Cup 2009! Thanks to Firefly Airlines, I am still literally on cloud nine about the whole “Hot Seat” experience in Pulau Duyong Terengganu.

Its all begin a couple of weeks back when I was chosen as one of the 4 winners for the Firefly Airlines Monsoon Cup Hot Seat Contest. Being the contest winner, I had the privilege to be flown to Monsoon Cup to experience being part of the race on the Hot Seat, a special spot for an observer on board the F36 yacht during the race flight.

It would be impossible to capture the whole experience in words and photos but here are some snapshots of the experience of a lifetime!

December 3rd 2009- Thursday

An early morning Firefly flight on board 9M-FYA, ATR72-500. A smooth flight despite the overcast clouds and rainy weather.

Spent some time doing last minute revision on Monsoon Cup, thanks to this info card from the seat pocket.

As expected it was raining that morning in Terengganu, a usual sight in Monsoon Season.

Monsoon Cup is obviously a big thing in Terengganu. Locals are talking about it and almost everywhere, you can see something on Monsoon Cup, including this baggage carrousel.

and buntings throughout Kuala Terengganu. I find “Pakat Gi Ramai-ramai” wordings rather cute!

After a short drive I find myself at the Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa in Pulau Duyong, the venue of Monsoon Cup.

The home of the tenth and final event on the World Match Racing Tour.

Sights of a world-class sailing event!

Being able to witness live such a grand event with millions of people watching at home from all over the world made me very proud of Malaysia. It was definitely a great platform to promote images of Terengganu and Malaysia to the whole world not to forget the local brand names such as Firefly whose brandings can be seen throughout the venue. Well done!

It was a round-robin competition day with many race flights from morning till the evening. It was interesting to see the close one-on-one races including those involving Taring Pelangi our sole Malaysian representative.

While it was entertaining just watching the race live, I was there for a mission. To be on the HOT SEAT and part of the race!

A brief explanation of what’s The Hot Seat all about!

Meet Linda, one of the person in-charge of the Hot Seat. We had a big laugh that morning as she could not believe my weight! Since Hot Seat is part of an actual race, our weight were taken into consideration to ensure fair race to both parties. I blamed it on the muffins I took that morning on board Firefly!

I was so heavy that the other boat has to take all three of this mineral water to match my weight!

I was randomly assigned to the Minoprio team on the Firefly F36 boat! Cameras were not allowed so no close-up photos during the race.

I was glad that I did not take my camera along as most of the time I had to fully concentrate on the race. While I factually have no function being on the Hot Seat, I still have to follow the instructions of the skipper.

The skipper, Adam Minoprio is a friendly yet very professional guy. Before our race flight started, we had a short chat with the rest of the crew and I told them a bit about my blogging assignments and Firefly Airlines and they only have good words about the airline!

The guys were super serious during the race and I was shifting side from one side to another throughout the race. In those 20 minutes at least 10 times we were switching sides to give the optimum balance to the boat. The tension and anxiety were super high with skippers from both teams giving instructions and coming out with the best strategy.

Halfway through the race, the monsoon hit us and we were drenched by the sudden downpour. The race went on and Minoprio won that particular flight after a great strategy that brought them ahead of the competitor at the last stretch of the course. Minoprio ultimately went on to win Monsoon Cup!

It was one heck of an experience witnessing the guys maneuvering the boat, strategizing to win the race. The guys are sharp and both psychologically and physically strong and not to mention have the look and appearance to die for. They were so fit that throughout the 30 minutes in the boat, I was the most ‘out-of-shaped’ guy and look like a pink panda on the Hot Seat in between the good looking guys!

Being on the Hot Seat alone was enough to make the trip worthwhile. As the contest winner, I also had the opportunity to access the Firefly hospitality lounge and enjoy the race at the comfort of the lounge. A great view of the race with free flow of food and beverages!

Monsoon Cup is not just about the race. It’s also a week long carnival at the race venue and around Kuala Terengganu. Throughout the race days, thousands of locals enjoyed the carnival. Local games, mini zoo, trishaw ride, mini concert, flight simulator, batik demonstration are some of the activities held at the race venue!

Being one of the main sponsors, Firefly had its presence felt by everyone.

Never in my life would I imagine myself on a racing boat in an actual race in Monsoon Cup. Through Firefly Airlines, I had this money-can’t-buy experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

All I can say is just that being pampered as the contest winner in such a nice way means a lot more than just “thank you” can say! Nevertheless thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Dream come true

Natalya — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:31:03 +0000

For me, as a kid, I used to dream a lot. One of it is to own my very own yacht when I grow up someday. However, as a matter of fact, the price for a yacht and the money required to maintain it obviously beyond reach for most of us Malaysians. So, when I saw the competition organized by Firefly Airlines giving a free ride on yacht during the Monsoon Cup race, I said to myself, “It’s now or never. Whatever happens, I’m going for it.”

And so, I crapped a slogan for them and viola, I got the ride of my life!

Honestly, I’m a Terengganu local. In fact, I lived in Kuala Terengganu! So, I didn’t take the free return flight ticket to Kuala Terengganu.

The Monsoon Cup held in Pulau Duyong, Kuala Terengganu is the final race of the World Match Racing Tour, a pinnacle of the yachting competition which is equivalent to Formula 1 in car racing competition. It is held in Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa. As it is the final race of the season, it will determine the champion for the 2009 season and thus the pressure is on for all the teams who are still challenging for the title, namely, Adam Minoprio, Tovar Mirsky, Ian Williams and Mathieu Richard.

My hot seat session was scheduled to be on the 4^th December 2009. I witnessed the race between Damien Iehl’s French Racing Team and Torvar Mirsky’s Mirsky Racing Team. I was seated at the back of Iehl’s yacht while another Chinese lady from Sabah was placed in Mirsky’s yacht with the following instructions:

“When the team moved to the left of the yacht, you move to the left as well and vice versa.”

“If you don’t understand what they said, just stand in the middle!”

And of course, there’s one basic rule that you don’t need anyone telling you,

“Hold tight and don’t fell into the river!”

When everything was set, we got into the umpire’s speedboat and were sent to our assigned yacht. I was greeted by Iehl and his team members. The start of the race is different from any other race, car race, dragon boat race or cycling race. In the Monsoon Cup, the yacht might be separated from one another and depending on the wind condition and the team that successfully attack the other team, they will be given the priority to start first. So, it’s important to successfully attack and defend the attack from the other team during the start of the race. During the start, my team, Iehl Racing Team successfully attack Mirsky Racing Team. Through coordinated teamwork, communication and the ability to respond to the changing wind condition, they were able to force Mirsky to allow them to start the race first.

On the river, the wind condition changed very fast, it could be blowing to the left now and 5-10 seconds later, the wind might be blowing to the right. As such, every time the wind changed, the team will have to adjust the sails and thus, you’ll see the yacht bending to the left or right. For example, if the yacht bends to the right, the whole team will be sitting on the left, using the body weight as a way to balance the yacht again.

Each time the team changed the sail, they will have to release the ropes that tie the sail and the metal holding the sail will be swinging from left to right or right to left and everyone will have to watch out their head to avoid being hit by the metal! At the other end of the course, the team will have to turn their yacht 360 degree and it’s here when the team will have to change their sail, lowering one and releasing a new sail to allow the yacht to sail using the wind. They’ll have to work fast, efficient and quicker than their rival to maintain their advantage over their rival.

The race requires each team to sail up and down the river 3 or 4 times, depending on the race official’s decision which again depends on the wind condition. My team, Iehl’s Racing Team successfully maintain their lead from the start to the end, and thus winning their race against Mirsky Racing Team. Both however, gathered enough points to proceed to the next round of the race.

The final of the Monsoon Cup 2009 pits Adam Minoprio from Black Match Racing against Ben Ainslie from team Origin. However, the winner of the championship is known before the race since Adam Minoprio qualified for the final and all his rivals failed to do so. He won the Monsoon Cup race as well, giving him double cheer to the season ending championship.

As for me, the experience is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Below are some of the pictures taken during the Monsoon Cup. No picture was snapped on board because there’s one person who dropped his or her camera into the river before.

Interviews by one of the participants

Mini Concert

Monsoon Cup’s Yacht

The participants during practice match

Are you HOT enough to get WET?

Natalya — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:37:54 +0000

Hello all, we have all our entries here for “SAIL YOUR WAY TO MONSOON CUP 2009″ contest!

Wish them all the best! Guess who’s the first lucky ones to be on the HOT SEAT!

NAME: NURUL LIYANA OSMAN

Q1: TELEKOM MALAYSIA BERHAD

ASTRO

FIREFLY

Q2: ADAM MINOPRIO

SLOGAN: IT LOOKS EXCLUSIVE BUT AFFORDABLE, COMFORTABLE AND CUSTOMER FRIENDLY…I LOVE FLY WITH FIREFLY… (^_^)/`

***********************************************************************

NAME: Chen Tien Zyee

Q1: Revive Isotonic from Permanis Sdn. Bhd. , Richard Mille, Cartrade Group sponsoring Volkswagen cars for transportation

Q2: Adam Minoprio with 100 points

SLOGAN: they give me an opportunity to witness yacht race from start till the end, something that money wouldn’t be able to buy it! Way to go Firefly!

************************************************************************

NAME: Ku Yin Lun

Q1: 1) Firefly Airlines

2) Astro

3) TM

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: It’s fly incredible valueS with low fares.

************************************************************************

NAME: Heryanto Kunadi

Q1: Fire Fly, Ri-Yaz Heritage and Astro.

Q2: Adam Minoprio.

SLOGAN: Low fare airline with full service.

************************************************************************

NAME: Joseph Choo

Q1: Permanis Sdn Bhd, Cartrade Group and Richard Mille Watches.

Q2: Pil Robertson (Team New Zealand WAKA Racing)

SLOGAN: it provides the best services, affordable flights and great destinations to everyone!!!

***********************************************************************

NAME: Anino

Q1: 1. FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd

2. Astro

3. TM

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: Firefly rocks my world!!

***********************************************************************

NAME: Elaine Ooi

Q1: 1) ASTRO

2) FIREFLY

3) MINISTRY OF YOUTH & SPORTS

Q2: PHIL ROBERTSON

(TEAM NEW ZEALAND WAKA RACING)

SLOGAN: It give me very convenience, save money & save my time to flight back to my hometown Terengganu from Singapore.

************************************************************************

NAME: Rohan Anthony

Q1: Firefly!

Astro

Tourism Malaysia!

Q2: adam minoprio

SLOGAN: they are small, fun and near to my house!

***********************************************************************

NAME: Mohd Nasir Bin Ismail

Q1: Firefly, Astro, TM

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: affordable ticket price, comfortable facilities provided and forever the choice of the people to fly.

***********************************************************************

NAME: Nurfatehah Md Ulang

Q1: 1) Firefly

2) Telekom Malaysia

3) Astro

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: I believe I still can fly eventhough I don’t have wings.

***********************************************************************

NAME: Aminuddin Hilmi Bin Ahmad

Q1: Cartrade Group, Richard Mille, Firefly

Q2: Adam Minoprio from ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing

SLOGAN: Its offer another type of affordable budget airline travel with comfortable, simple and nice cabin interior plus the great hospitality from firefly staff which is made me fully appreciate as a part of firefly family rather than just a passenger.

***********************************************************************

NAME: Daphne Maia

Q1: Firefly, Astro, TM

Q2: Adam Minoprio, Torvar Mirsky, Ian Williams

SLOGAN: they’re a cool airline that listens to what customers want, through Social Media! Not only that, fans of Firefly get to partake in cool contests, and find out more about Firefly and their promotions on Facebook and Twitter. Not many airlines do it as well as Firefly does! (Psst. In fact, you’re the only airline in Malaysia that uses Social Media this well!)

***********************************************************************

NAME: Teh Foo Hock

Q1: TM, Astro & Firefly

Q2: Adam Minoprio from NZL

SLOGAN: It makes my flying experience within Malaysia and this region Complete!

***********************************************************************

NAME: Numirah Anang

Q1: Firefly, Astro, Telekom Malaysia

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: Good things comes in small packages! Budget airlines that don’t make you feel like you are on budget! Superb service….

***********************************************************************

NAME: mohammad shahril kamarudin

Q1: Fire fly,Astro,TM

Q2: Phil Robertson

SLOGAN: i found my love here!!!!!!!!!!!it will last forever

***********************************************************************

NAME: SY Lau

Q1: Firefly, TM & ASTRO

Q2: Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team

SLOGAN: without worrying being charged sky high, I will now only FLY SKY HIGH!

***********************************************************************

NAME: Robin Yong

Q1: Astro, FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, TM

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: it just affordable, now I can dream + fly to it

***********************************************************************

NAME: mohd azahari

Q1: Cartrade Group, Richard Mille, Firefly

Q2: Adam Minoprio from ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing

SLOGAN: semua mampu terbang ke distinasi impian yang diinginkan

***********************************************************************

NAME: Norzuhaira

Q1: Telekom Malaysia (TM), Firefly, Astro

Q2: Adam Minoprio (ETNZ/BlackMatch)

SLOGAN: it’s convenient, it’s orange and it will send me to the Monsoon Cup!

***********************************************************************

NAME: OHD HAFIZ BIN MOHD SALLEH

Q1: Firefly, Telekom & Astro

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: firefly is a community airline that connects me from urban to rural area and vice versa at a cheaper price with fantastic added services

***********************************************************************

NAME: Ng Tien Tjuen

Q1: TM, Astro & Firefly

Q2: Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN: everyone can fly with firefly!

***********************************************************************

NAME: Azuan Ahmad Zahdi

Q1: Firefly, TM, ASTRO

Q2: Adam Minoprio of ETNZ/BlackMatch

SLOGAN: it is a perfect balance of convenient air travel, exciting flying experience and vibrant ways of connecting communities across the region.

***********************************************************************

NAME: AINA ABDUL HAMID

Q1:Firefly,ASTRO,TM

Q2:Adam Minoprio

SLOGAN:of its strategic location being 20km from KL city centre which is away from the hustle and bustle of big airport.

***********************************************************************

NAME: yeoh kah kiong

Q1: 1 firefly airline

2 tm

3 astro

Q2: phil robertson

SLOGAN: firefly offering fantastic offer deals , excellent service , fun and caring cabin crew and lastly firefly your community airline.

***********************************************************************

Well, that’s all for today. We will announce the winners soon! STAY TUNED!

Thank you and have a nice weekend!

First sailing experience on F36!

Natalya — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:13:54 +0000

November 17, 2009 in Experience | Tags: monsoon cup, sailing, profressionals, fun, exciting, challenging | Leave a comment

I went sailing last weekend at Terengganu with the pros of course (i can’t and never will be able to handle a boat on my own). So, i was there for work and we got to experience sailing on another level.

We had briefing from the Monsoon Cup champion, Peter Gilmour and of course, we were taught the basic rule of safety (the thought of falling into the water came into my mind). But anyways, it was pouring, the water was high,cold and muddy (as we were near the coast), the wind was blowing madly and I thought we were not ready to go out in this weather.

We waited for a mere 15 minutes for the rain to slow down, the wind was blowing and we were wet before we can sit on the boat.

After that, we went sailing on a F36 sail boat made from New Zealand in the pouring rain. I was on the white team in which another professional, Dave Mills act as our guide. He assigned me to pull the rope, in which im steering based on the ’sail’. It was really challenging, having to pull (have to be strong),having to look at the wind direction and mind you, it’s all water on your feet and it was raining (which was kind of hard to open my eyes).

Hence, i really felt like i was in the Monsoon Cup race (thanks to the wind). It was an experience that i will never forget. It was tiring as i used all my body parts but definitely something in which i thought i can and will never do but i did it!

We were so proud of ourselves when we beat Gilmour to the finish line.

To get an experience similar to mine, i have a solution for you.

Just join the Firefly “Sail your way to Monsoon Cup” 2009 on http://blog.fireflyz.com.my

Answer 2 simple questions and give them your best slogan on why you love Firefly and win the chance to be on the ‘HOT SEAT’. The HOT SEAT allows you to be on the same boat when the professionals race. You have first-hand experience on what goes on during the race and plus, you can witness how they manage the boat, well, it wasn’t easy at all, as you need to look out for the wind, the tide change, etc. It’s like engineering to me!

So, grab that chance and sit on the boat when they race. Plus, Firefly will also sponsor your flight to Terengganu for FREE! all you need to pay for is your accommodation in which it will definitely be cheap in TGG.

I’ve went sailing, how about you?

Join now! It’s FREE anyway.

http://blog.fireflyz.com.my

http://dotcherry.wordpress.com/