Frank Pong likes when you call him China sailor, but he is more than that. Always with a humble aptitude, very accessible, we went to have a look to his new Jelik, possibly the most famous name of all the boats around Hong Kong.

So we are sitting here, in the brand new edition of Jelik. How many editions of Jelik have you had already?

(Laughs). Many, I used this name for many boats before.

Could you tell us something about the boat itself? When did you start the modifications?

It is not actually new, it is several years old, but I am modifying it, we started the modifications two months ago, I plan to sail her in the South China sea and I hope it will be ready in a couple of weeks time. It is a pretty standard 25 meters long boat, but we have added a longer mast and a deeper keel.

The Jelik, getting ready for the action

Jelik's modified mast

Jelik's modified keel

Everybody knows you as the Godfather of Chinese sailing...

Please, do not say that, do not keep saying that. I teach people who is interested. I enjoy showing mainland people how to operate a big boat. Dinghy, of course, it is been doing very well by the Chinese Yachting Association and it will continue his improvement. The big boats, until now, they have not attracted too much interest, but now with more leisure time, more resources, more marinas the people is starting to get interested, starting to get bigger sailboats and they want to get into racing. A good example of this is Longcheer marina.

But you should say: I prefer to be called the Godfather of Chinese sailing better than the Grandfather of Chinese sailing. (Laughs)

(More laughs).  I am the Grandfather! And I prefer to be the Grandfather better than the Godfather.

We can speak a little bit about the current situation of sailing in China, specially after the Olympics, where the two medals in sailing have greatly improved the perception of common people about sailing. What do you think about the situation in China? What improvements have you seen from 2005-2006 until now? How many boats of more than ten meters you can find in China now? Do you think there are more than one hundred? Where are they concentrated?

We have got a magnificent base at Qingdao and, with the help of Chinese Yachting Association more people will go into small boats sailing. But the bigger boats really have to rely on the private owners and they are getting there.  From the first time they went to the King's Cup in December 2005 when they hardly knew, but now with people like Hummingbird, Microlab, Moonlight Shadow and other people like them they are coming along very well. I have to say that the various people who come to contact me they are keen, although unfamiliar, but they want to learn and they will get better and better. There are academies in Qingdao with the French. And J-Boats they will start a very well organized sailing program in Xiamen very soon to teach people how to sail small boats, as the Flying Tigers and so on.

There are many big boats in China, maybe not one hundred but more than fifty. Most of them are racers-cruisers (Beneteau, Jenneau...). They are mostly concentrated in the south of China. In Qingado I only know about the Hunter 42.

In Cantonese pronounced Jelik, in Mandarin Zi Li. Literally translated the meaning is "self power". Mostly translated as "self reliant".

Let's switch to China Cup, China Cup 2008. Frank won the passage race from Hong Kong to Shenzhen last year. What do you think will be main differences between last year and this year?

Of course, you will have more boats. Also, China Cup has chosen the Beneteau First 40.7 to create a One Design Class and the China Cup will be awarded to the winner of the One Design Class. I understand that you are getting a very good response from all around the world to come to China Cup and to charter some of the First 40.7 and that is good. So China Cup is inviting people from overseas to join and that will increase the interest of Chinese to join the competition.

The Jelik from the inside

What are we going to bet if you win this year? (Laughs) Do you expect to win this year?

(More laughs) Of course, first we need to have a look to the entries, it is difficult to say...

Come on, you have to give me a straightforward answer!

Then, of course we will win! When you enter into a competition, everybody expects to win.

The Jelik from the inside

From where is coming your crew? How many days do you sail every week?

Most of my crew are coming from Philippines, Malaysia and Hong Kong. We work in the boat more than we go out, as usual. Maybe we join a race every two weeks. The season here starts now, in September, and it goes until June. Recently we have been concentrated in finishing Jelik Number 2 and get it ready for our Asian season, once every month there is an event. For example in October we will have China Coast in Hong Kong, Honk Kong to Vietnam and China Cup from 24th to 27th in Shenzhen (Daya Bay).

Workshop for the Jelik.

What do you think was the best part of the first edition of China Cup and what things should be improved this year from the point of view of a competitor?

It was a new event, very successful, I would not say it was the biggest racing fleet in Asia, but I think this year, with the One Design Class maybe that will change. I would like to say something about the race management too: there is no need for the Chinese people to insist that they can run the races themselves. Everywhere in the world, when we are talking about big events, everywhere they have professional race management (Race Officer and so on) and I will tell you why. People spend a lot of time in preparing the boats and getting ready for the race and then you go to the race and if the management it is not correct of course we will not be happy. I will give you an example. In Longcheer, due to its geographical position, with the mountains in the back of the marina, just outside of the marina it is very quiet. The race should be designed according to the best sailing conditions, if you have to go further to set up the course, even if it is not convenient for the press, the management should take the correct decision.

Thanks a lot for being so honest Frank, I am sure this year we will make it better than last year. Going back to the Jelik, and as a last question. What plans do you have for the future? Maybe America's Cup one day?

The boat is planned to be used in the Asian circuit, South China Sea. Yes, I am planning to join the next America's Cup. I would like to give it a try. Good planning helps. China Cup 2008 plans started right after last year edition and I think a good planning is very necessary for everything that you do.

This is only a small part, the full interview it is published in our China Cup Podcast.

5-9-2008. China Cup. Victor Fernandez/Kiki (vfernandez@chncup.com)