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China Briefing enjoyed a promising start to the week long Kings's Cup regatta today (Monday) by finishing a punishing 26 mile course with tricky winds in 5 hours and 18 minutes, placed eighth at the end of the first days racing. More than 110 yachts are participating.

The China Briefing yacht is competing in the Bareboat Charter division against yachts which are up to 18 feet longer and have far more sail power. Todays sailing conditions had both north-easterlies and south-westerlies blowing in with periods of dead wind, and temparatures of up to 40 degrees out at sea.

This afternoon I leave the chilly climes of Beijing for the sunnier shores of Phuket, taking part in the annual Kings Cup Regatta where I shall give the good ship "China Briefing" a weeks worth of racing in what promises to be a very competitive field. I have a 32 foot Jeanneau, a French built yacht, fitted with a racing hull to play about with, and a crew of six, including Rob Williams, who is an America's Cup participant. I'm skippering (well it's my yacht!). The Regatta takes place over six days, with five days racing. We probably won't win a major prize - this crew hasn't sailed together before so we lack the teamwork co-ordination - but I'm hopeing we can possibly win one or two of the daily race events. I last participated as crew some ten years ago in the yacht "Kelso" - we came a credible fourth overall. This year sees close to eighty contestants, and rivalry will be high.

Those of you who follow my blog will know by now my love of opera, and possibly, the fact that I used to sing. In fact, given a stiff drink or two, I can be persauded still to render a few bars of Strauss in public - usually the Champagne overture from "Die Fledermaus". Indeed, the last time I did so, in a packed KABB in Shanghai, I received an ovation and two glasses of complimentary bubbly on the house. That may have been to shut me up, but nonetheless, I tried.

One of the enduring legends about Opera however has been the role of the Castrati - a long outlawed practice of severing young pre-pubescent boys from their testiles in order for them to develop a particular, some say exquisite, high male soprano richer in tone than the current female version given the larger male chest size. Very few recordings exist of Castrati singers, however I have seen, on several occassions, sheet music from the original composers specifying the role.   Prepubescent castration for this purpose diminished greatly in the late 1700s and it was illegalized in Italy in 1870. This didn't prevent Castrati from entering the profession however, and the last known such singer was Alessandro Moreschi, who died in 1922. A rare, 100 year old recording of him singing "Ave Maria" can be heard here: 

Miami - Mimo, Royal Terns & Black Beans

I’ve just been in Miami for a conference, and it’s always good to visit. I always find America to comprise of greatly differing cultures and cities (after all, like India, it is comprised of many different states) and Miami has a charm and character all of its own.

Many of the legendary Miami art deco buildings were created by the architect Morris Lapdius, and the so called “mid-century modern buildings” known in style as “Mimo”. Frank Lloyd Wright and Bauhaus are all part of this school, but Miami born Lapidus went a step further. Often described as ‘mad’ or simply ‘crazy’, Lapidus’s basic style revolved around his beliefs that “Less is a bore” and famously, “Too much is never enough”. Stating that his buildings were “the crazy hat for women, the dazzling tie for men” he created many of Miami’s now iconic buildings and hotels, including the one I stayed at, the Eden Roc, located right on South Beach.