Day 8 Update

We're skirting up the east coast of japan northeast to do the great circle passage. the weather getting stronger with 35-40knots of wind and each icy pelt of spray stings.we're in the middle of the pack and do well in strong winds. we are definitely aiming for a podium finish though 2 boats have sped off with quite a lead already. its 4 hours off and on for two watches so sleep deprivation and fatigue can be a problem but all of us are hanging in there. was a mother on day 5 which entails cooking and bits of task that keeps the boat shipshape. cooked egg fried rice with sweet sour pork for dinner which was quite a hit. Tiring but important chores like cleaning the heads (toilets), vac dry the bilges daily from leaks, engineering and steering checks have to be done also.

We would like to thank our supporters once again. more daily blogs can be found at clipperroundtheworld.com as well.

An update:

ni hao!

We're currently sailing towards the south tip of kyuushu japan
(sata misaka) after a rousing sendoff at Qingdao, China (day 3 evening,
whether its monday or friday doesnt matter too much to us). Qingdao was
lovely with great scenery and the people very warm to their guests (i
received a calligraphy scroll and soft toy tiger from my guest family!)
Their only daughter, Liu Zi Chang, was a prodigy at Chinese painting and
calligraphy who taught me a few strokes and she's only 13! She reminds
me of the important role Club Rainbow plays in giving equal
opportunities and help for all children for them to reach their full
potential :)

The mercury reads 2, the wind is chilly and sometimes i feel like i'm in
a washing machine with my stomach churning and a splitting headache.
There's no home comforts or internet. But it is a once in a lifetime
experience and we are lucky to be able-bodied to do this and we are
lapping it up. It's exhilarating when we surf huge 4m waves with the icy
wind whipping across and the cold waves splash wakes you up. I wish
everyone at home and Club Rainbow can experience being this close to
nature and its awe. Do support us by donating generously to Club
Rainbow! $50 for a mile. It's a meaningful all-rounded Singapore medical
children's charity.

6300 miles to go.

Journal of our Sailing Training

Dear friends,

we would like to share with you one of our journal entries at http://www.sporton.com.sg/tabid/505/Default.aspx and http://www.sporton.com.sg/tabid/507/Default.aspx. It is about the exciting training and lessons learnt when we trained a month long at sea in UK.

Helmsman feeling the cold wind (literally!) Man overboard Drill

Hope you like it. If you would like to help us raise funds for charity, don't hesitate to message us.

For those coming for the dinner on Nov 13, see you there!

Meanwhile, take care and have a good weekend.

warmest regards,

Sail for Smiles

Kok Yee Onn
Jiang Lei

Charity Dinner on 13th Nov

Dear Friends and all,

We will be having an informal charity dinner to raise funds for the children charity, Club Rainbow on 13th November, Friday at the exclusive Kent Ridge Guild House in NUS. Proceeds from the dinner tickets and auction during the dinner will go towards Club Rainbow. Club Rainbow needs over a million annually to fund its medical and social programs for kids with chronic and life threatening illnesses.

There will be delicious food and a fantastic program. Target guests already confirmed are distinguished NUSS alumni, NUS faculty staff, doctors, dentists, pharmacists and lawyers. Not to mention, the guest of honour is Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister for Community, Youth and Sports!

Please contact us if you can support us for the dinner. Get a table! It will be a good night to wind down, relax and have fun with your friends, amidst distinguished and great company; all for a good cause!

See the poster for more details. Or email us at kokyeeonn@gmail.com !

See you there :)

P.S:

Auction donations are eligible for 2.5x tax exemption, so do please give your generous support!

http://www.clubrainbow.org/web/main.aspx?ID=49d9e3e2-c7e8-43e0-bf10-523d82f95c9e,,&TargetPageID=

The Supplement Warehouse

http://www.tsw.com.sg/

Dear Friends,

We are happy to announce that TSW, a premier food supplement company will be supporting us with their great line of products of whey protein, amino acids, weight gainers, vitamins etc.

As you know, sailing in the ocean for long periods can cause weight loss and scurvy. Fitness and strength is also very important to manage the sail and waves. Therefore, we are extremely pleased to have the help of TSW.

TSW 's service and advice is great as well and it has many fitness fans and bodybuilders as loyal customers. They support many sports initiatives as well.

Once again, do check out their website: http://www.tsw.com.sg/!

Rudy Project Singapore

Hi everyone

Some really exciting news... Rudy Project, a premier sports eyewear brand from Italy, has decided to support our cause and provide us with the Zyon Sailing range of specialized sailing sunglasses. These sunglasses come with polarized lenses for protection against glare and revolutionary side shields to ensure wrap-around protection.

I stumbled upon the Zyon while looking for a suitable gear a few weeks ago, and once I tried it on, I knew this were the sunglasses I needed. It is not often that you find a product which immediately appeals to you, and I was impressed with its comfort and aesthetically pleasing design.

Will be updating the blog as soon as we get to try them out in action. Thanks goes out to the Rudy Project team in Singapore who helped us tremendously in our cause. You can find out more about Rudy Project at www.rudyproject.com.

Facebook group: Sail for smiles !

Hi friends,

We have also created a facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=75124284533 so that we can share more :) Do join! It is open to everyone.

We would like to also thank our friends and people for their support and encouragements!

Yours sincerely,

Jiang Lei and Yee Onn

Feature in Straits Times

Dear friends,


We would like to thank Straits Times, Ms Grace Chua and Mr Albert Sim for helping club rainbow and us feature our cause. We would also like to thank Ms Teri Liew, Ms Diana Chan and Mr Tan Thong Meng from Keppel for helping us with the photos which was taken on a 42 Benito named "Endeavour" (nicely summarising our effort!) at Keppel Bay marina.

We are deeply grateful. Below is the link to the article, do check it out!

Setting sail across the Pacific for sick kids

By Grace Chua

Mr Jiang (left) and Mr Kok hope to raise $250,000 for Club Rainbow by taking part in a segment of the Clipper Round The World yacht race. -- PHOTO: ALBERT SIM

MEDICAL students Kok Yee Onn and Jiang Lei, both 21, have zero sailing experience.

But they aim to be medics aboard a yacht traversing the Pacific Ocean - and to raise $250,000 for the children's charity Club Rainbow while doing so.

Mr Kok and Mr Jiang, both in their third year of study, are taking part in a segment of the Clipper Round The World yacht race, which trains paying crew members with no prior sailing experience to circumnavigate the globe.

This is the first time participants here are using the race as a platform for charity, said Keppel Corporation, which is sponsoring the Uniquely Singapore boat.

Said Mr Jiang: 'Why kids? They have the most potential for growth. And it's a great chance for us to represent Singapore while serving kids.'

In June, they will learn to sail aboard a ship at the Falmouth Marine School in south-west England.

The real adventure begins next February as they sail from Qingdao, China, to California in about five weeks.

So far, Mr Jiang has raised his whole $21,000 entrance and training fee from sponsors. Mr Kok still has about $15,000 to go.

From now till after their trip, they hope to raise at least $250,000 for Club Rainbow via sponsorships and donations.

For updates on their adventure, visit
http://sailforsmiles.blogspot.com/

Article found at:
http://www.straitstimes.com/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f6bb99a25bc60210VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=cf70758920e39010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20090406-133590.html

http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,12450,

Once again, we would like to thank Straits Times as well as our sponsors!

Yours sincerely,

Jiang Lei and Yee Onn

About Club Rainbow's Mission, Vision and Logo

OUR MISSION

To provide compassionate relevant services to children suffering from chronic and life-threatening illnesses and their families

OUR VISION

To be a leading service provider meeting the needs of chronically ill children and their families

OUR LOGO

Our logo consists of a rainbow within a heart.

The four coloured bands of the rainbow represent the four mainraces of Singapore. The rainbow symbolises the innocenceand beauty of childhood. And just as childhood is afleeting phase of growing up, the rainbow too is by nature,a transient entity – a bridge between the sun and rain.

The heart is a reminder that as we strive to provide relevant services to assist our children and their families, everything we offer is done wth a compassionate heart.

Rafflesians Unite

The experience of being a Rafflesian is one that often shapes an individual into their fullest potential, but the beauty lies in the fact that it does not conform to any fixed mold. That is the reason why Rafflesians constantly excel in their various fields, from academic pursuits to sporting achievements. Being in Raffles Institution meant you were free to pursue any interest you were passionate in, and were given the proper training and resources to pursue it with excellence. It was during my days at RI that I developed my passion for adventure, for always taking the path less travelled, and I am filled with pride to have the Rafflesian community's support in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Yee Onn and I were both deeply affected by our education at RI, and in more ways than one it is the Rafflesian Spirit that continues to drive us to sail for charity. Yee Onn has always been passionate about community service, and contributed much to the less privileged via his participation in the Interact Club. He continues to do so, helping out with Project Lokun, a medical initiative to benefit the villagers of Cambodia, providing free healthcare service through a mobile clinic.

On the other hand, I have always been a keen and curious adventurer. My friends and I were always restless, looking for ways to break into the clock tower to see if stories about it being haunted were true. Even when I was at Raffles Junior College, I never lost the spirit of adventure, spending hours exploring the vast underground tunnels of the old RJC campus and going on kayaking expeditions with the scouts.

Although we did not know each other well during our days in RI, it is interesting how our common identity as Rafflesians now propel us to represent Singapore in the Clipper Race, and we will definitely be doing our best for the team. It is only natural that as Rafflesians we continue to give back to the community, and we are proud to have adopted a charity to sail for.

I would like to thank Mr. Magendiran, Deputy Headmaster of RI, Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, Principal of RI for allowing me the opportunity to speak to the students and their support. In addition, I would like to thank the RI prefects for their extremely encouraging and well-designed support banner. Lastly, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the teachers and students of RI for giving generously to support us in our cause. Knowing that the Rafflesian community is behind us will definitely help us tide through the challenging moments as we sail across the pacific.

Our Goals and Aims

• GOAL 1:

Representing Singapore, the sailing, sporting and medical fraternity, we hope to sail trans-Pacific in the Clipper race and make history (and hopefully a podium finish!).

In doing this, we want to promote

1. Singaporean sporting spirit and culture

2.Love of adventure and challenges

3. Values like resilience and perseverance

4. Showcase the collegiality and active spirit of our fraternities, alma mater, university and medical alumni who have given us strong support

We would like to thank our current sponsors for helping us with the financial cost of sailing, which is over $20000 per person. We still need about $17000 more and hope that interested sponsors will contact us at kokyeeonn@gmail.com or megabyte_sg@hotmail.com. (We have a sponsorship proposal and presentation as well as various media opportunities we hope to discuss if a meeting can be scheduled :))

We are also organising sports and sailing talks, outings and activities for youths and the student community. If you are interested to help or if you think it is a good idea for us to come down to your organisation to share more, please contact us as well at kokyeeonn@gmail.com or megabyte_sg@hotmail.com.

We will only take corporate or private donations specifically outlined for the sailing cause. Otherwise, ALL donations, especially public, goes towards Club Rainbow Singapore.

• GOAL 2:

Promote awareness and raise funds for children via Club Rainbow Singapore

We hope to symbolically raise at least S$250 000, which is 50 dollars for each of the harsh nautical mile we will be sailing as well as use the media opportunity in this sailing race to raise awareness about Club Rainbow.

In doing so we hope to promote:

1. Helping Children who need our help

2. Love of children and the spirit of giving, helping

3. Values like giving back to society, helping others in need.

We hope to promote awareness about social causes and galvanise social activism in general, particularly that of children. Even in tough times, worthy causes are still very important. The less fortunate will need our help even more in the current economic climate. Tough times don't last, but worthy causes do.

Club Rainbow needs the money to continue providing an all-encompassing emotional, informational, educational, social and financial support to its beneficiaries. It needs over a million dollars a year.

We will do the symbolic hard work; all you have to do is identify with ours and Club Rainbow Singapore's cause and donate!

We are doing at least 5000 nautical miles each (trans-pacific from Qingdao, China to California, USA), of braving -20 degrees celsius chills, 20 foot waves, 3 to 4 hours of shift work and broken sleep for 5 weeks (!!!). It definitely doesn't rank below doing tiring night calls as house officers!

Please support your fellow Singaporeans and charity!

What are you waiting for?

Yours sincerely,

Jiang Lei and Yee Onn

P.S: For current donors, supporters and sponsors; a heartfelt THANK YOU! for your support and donations thus far!!

About the Clipper Race

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race was founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail around the world non-stop in a single-handed yacht. He always had the idea that ocean racing should be accessible to everyone and was keen to break the myth that it was just the preserve of the rich or the privileged.

Race crews come from all walks of life and different cultures, united only by their common spirit of adventure and drive to succeed. The race is over 35,000 miles, spanning 14 cities on five continents and divided into seven legs. For each leg of the race, crew members spend up to five weeks aboard the yacht, battling tumultuous storms and freezing temperatures as they compete to secure the prestigious Clipper Cup. Points are awarded Grand Prix style, so every leg of the race counts towards victory.

Because it is the only round the world yacht race open to non-professional sailors, all competitors have to undergo a grueling training session. Along the way, crew members also pick up skills such as baking, navigation, nautical communications and first aid, all of which are essential to the success of the team.

For the 09-10 race, Singapore is proud to be represented by one of ten identical 68-foot racing yachts, "Uniquely Singapore", sponsored by Keppel Corporation and racing partners the Singapore Tourism Board. The 30-ton yacht is crewed by an 18-man team and will spend ten months sailing around the world. During the race, the yachts will arrive at Singapore in January, and as with previous years, it will truly be a momentous event seeing the Singapore team return to a hero’s welcome complete with a celebrated prize presentation ceremony!

We will be competing in the trans-pacific leg 5, undoubtedly the toughest, between February and April 2010, as sailors and sailing medics onboard the "Uniquely Singapore Yacht". So please support us and your fellow Singaporeans! :)

Yours sincerely,

Jiang Lei and Yee Onn

Training to Sail

What We Need:

Our current Sponsors

About Club Rainbow

http://www.clubrainbow.org/Web/main.aspx?ID=,ff5b5272-18ab-4937-87ca-2acf8e72b0a6

Club Rainbow Singapore was established in 1992. A Rotaract Club special camp for children with various chronic and life-threatening illnesses first identified a pressing need to provide emotional, informational, educational, social and financial support to the families and children. It was realised that, at that time, Singapore did not yet have a niche charity providing these comprehensive and sustained support services.

Today, the Club Rainbow Singapore helps more than 460 families and offers a vibrant array of free services including personalised counselling, group sharing sessions, social activities, tuition and financial assistance when necessary. It needs more than one million dollars a year to sustain and continue these essential services.

It has the Rainbow Family Care Centre at Upper Cross Street. This serves as the focal point of many of their services and activities. It also has two other branches located in the KK Women's and Children's Hospital and in the National University Hospital.

Jiang Lei and I like children alot (in fact, Paediatrics is one of my considerations). They are one of most vulnerable in society and have a bright future and lots of untapped potential, especially if we can help with our hearts and donations!

We are helping Club Rainbow because we identify alot with their cause of helping the less fortunate children that are medically ill, especially since we are medical students.

If you are interested in volunteering your services, please check out http://www.clubrainbow.org/Web/main.aspx?ID=3601af19-c86d-4d3c-bac4-c0ad70d5e775,

Yours sincerely,

Jiang Lei and Yee Onn

How to Help?

Club Rainbow helps the less fortunate children with illnesses, which is a thoroughly meaningful cause as children are one of the most vulnerable in society and also the segment in our society with bright futures and untapped potential. All they need is a little help from our hearts!

All public donations we receive will go directly to them and we will be thoroughly transparent and accountable by acknowledging donors on our Fund-o-meter (unless you wish to remain anonymous)!

We hope to symbolically raise at least S$250 000, which is 50 dollars for each of the harsh nautical mile we will be sailing. We are sailing a total of 10, 000 miles, 5000 nautical miles each (trans-pacific from Qingdao, China to California, USA), of braving -20 degrees celsius chills, 20 foot waves, 3 to 4 hours of shift work and broken sleep for 5 weeks (!!!). It definitely doesn't rank below doing tiring night calls as house officers!

Yes, we will do the symbolic hard work; all you have to do is identify with ours and Club Rainbow Singapore's cause and donate!

The donations are very important, especially in the current economic climate, where it will really go a long way for Club Rainbow. A more official website done with Club Rainbow will be coming up later as well, where you may easily donate via online bank transfer. Meanwhile,

To donate, you may choose one of the several methods:

1. Mail a cheque to

Name:KOK YEE ONN

Address: BLK 620 YISHUN RING ROAD, #07-3206, S760620

At the back, please write sailforsmiles-club rainbow

2. Bank Transfer

to my bank account no. 109-49595-6 (POSB) (Kok Yee Onn)

Please email me at kokyeeonn@gmail.com to let me know who donated so that we may acknowledge you.

3. Online Credit card (Paypal)

You may donate by credit card to our secured and reliable Paypal account as well below. (You will need a Paypal account to do that. It is free to sign up for a Paypal account!)

Option 1 $50.00Option 2 $200.00Option 3 $300.00Option 4 $400.00Option 5 $500.00

We will collect and collate the money before finally handing it over to Club Rainbow. As a principle of transparency and accountability, we will feature names of donors on our Fund-o-meter so that you know your donation has been acknowledged (and not embezzled!). If you wish to remain anonymous, we will still state your amount but signed off with "anonymous".

If you think it is a good idea for us to go to your workplace or school to canvas for donations and pass donation boxes around, please contact us at kokyeeonn@gmail.com or megabyte_sg@hotmail.com!

If you wish for part of your sum to go towards our historical sailing endeavour as well, please just drop a message or note it down in the mail. We will acknowledge you if you wish on our sponsor banner, on our home page. That is where we also acknowledge our corporate sponsors who have made this costly endeavour possible (Thank you sponsors!)!

If you think you or your organisation is interested to work with us regarding funding our sailing or in raising more for charity, please contact us at kokyeeonn@gmail.com or megabyte_sg@hotmail.com also!

Thank you!

Yours sincerely,

Jiang Lei and Yee Onn

P.S: a big THANK YOU to our current sponsors, supporters and donors so far! You have really made our day as well as the Club Rainbow childrens' day!

Who are We?

Who are We?

We are year 3 medical students (22 years old when we race) at National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM). Before that, we studied at Raffles Junior College, Raffles Institution, Taonan Primary and Rosyth School.

Jiang Lei:

Passion permeates all aspects of my life, to the passion I show in caring for my patients as a medical student, to the natural enthusiasm I feel when meeting new people. After graduating from Raffles Junior College and Raffles Institution, I found medicine to be my calling, not only because of my passion for serving and healing ill patients, but also because it was a mentally and physically challenging field. I am always keen to take up challenges, for I believe it is through such demanding tests that true character is built.

I have always fared well in academics due to my inquisitive nature and willingness to learn. However, I have always felt there was more to life beyond the books, which is why I was actively involved in co-curricular activities such as Judo. I also represented my college in fencing, and was previously a member of the Singapore Scouts due to my love for adventure.

I was also involved in volunteer work since my days as a scout, spending a week in Thailand to assist in the renovation of a local primary school, to teaching tuition to needy students in Ghim Moh Primary School. Most recently, I was part of a Medicine project where we organized a tandem cycling trip for visually-handicapped individuals.

I enjoy making friends and possess an out-going personality. Friends who know me describe me as someone who would go the extra mile to help others in need. I am also a team-player who can adapt to the toughest of environments, and it is these qualities which I feel would put me well at ease with the rest of the crew.

Why do I want to join the race?

Since I was young, I have always yearned to be part of an adventure, to travel to the furthest reaches of the world, to conquer the most dangerous oceans. Joining this race is about fulfilling my lifelong passion for adventure.

As a medical student, I will be competing during my electives period, where most others would travel to other countries to broaden their perspectives and learn more about the practice of medicine. As the one of the more qualified medical personnel on the team, I would be required to take a First Aid Proficiency course and serve as the boat medic. The yacht sees its fair share of cases, from minor cuts and rope burns, to life-threatening acute appendicitis and painful fracture. One of the races even saw the boat medic setting up an intravenous drip for a crew member with the yacht tilted at a 45 degree angle. Serving as the boat medic will build up my confidence as a doctor and train me to deal with emergency situations in the most difficult of conditions.

Most importantly, I see the race as a great opportunity for me to represent Singapore in an international sporting event. Although the yacht is sponsored by Singapore, the team in past years has found difficulty in finding Singaporeans willing to sacrifice time and effort to represent their nation. I hope to change that, and believe my can-do spirit would be a useful addition to the team.

Yee Onn:

I would describe myself as friendly, easy-going, caring, responsible and dependable. I like to meet and interact with people as well. I also believe firmly in being a team player, in adapting, persevering and pushing limits when the going gets tough.

Just to add on to what Jiang Lei said, which I agree very much with,

Two key ideas I believe and like to share are

1. concept of noblesse oblige
2. having a great passion for life and engaging its challenges.

Noblesse oblige is the notion that to whom much is given (and fortunate to have received), much is expected and we should give back much. That is why I especially love Medicine and like to do community work (Interact Club, camps, mentoring, hospice care, medical cip (please google Project Lokun when you have time!))

I absolutely agree about leading life with zest and setting an example for others to follow in leading an active life. I like to play soccer with my former schoolmates in RI every week, sometimes tennis, swim and run regularly (I've done a marathon and lots of other runs!). I especially like seas sports alot, like kayaking extensively, windsurfing and cable ski. I especially love going on outdoor expeditions like mountain-climbing and hiking. I also like learning stuff like music, astronomy and languages like Japanese, French. Currently, I also like doing publications like journalism and editing. Ok..it can go on and on...I guess that's enough for you..

Most importantly, we now hope to help Club Rainbow Singapore! So please check out their website at http://www.clubrainbow.org and donate or volunteer your services!

As an aside, we would describe ourselves as being very fortunate to have a smooth-sailing life thus far; that is also what led us to enter the sailing race, for it is our wish to challenge ourselves, meet new people, promote the Singaporean spirit, culture and as well as funds for charity.

If you identify with what we have mentioned and are interested to help in anyway (financially, fund-raising campaign for Club Rainbow, sailing, charity work etc.) please get in touch with us at kokyeeonn@gmail.com or megabyte_sg@hotmail.com!