THE street race is over but the race at sea is about to begin.
Yachts taking part in the gruelling 10-month round-the-world race will stop over at the One Degree 15 Marina Club on Sentosa from 22 Dec to 18 Jan.
It will be the first time the 35-year-old race visits South-east Asia.
The five-star Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa is among the island's hotels rolling out packages for those who plan to watch the race here.
Its sales and marketing director, Mr Eric Lim, said the 121-room hotel plans to set aside 30 to 35 per cent of its rooms for the race.
He said: 'We began getting enquiries early this year after Singapore was chosen as one of the stopovers.
'We're also marketing the hotel through travel agents overseas.'
Race promoter One15 Singapore Ocean Race expects 100,000 visitors to the event.
Not enough rooms
Its chief operating officer, Mr Rob Turnbull, said: 'We're looking to forge partnerships with several Sentosa hotels to accommodate visitors.'
The New Paper understands that the promoter has also contacted some hotels on the mainland as there may not be enough hotel rooms on Sentosa.
Amara's Mr Lim is optimistic the race will enable his hotel to enjoy occupancy of at least 70 per cent.
He said: 'After the Formula One last weekend, everyone's focus will be on the Volvo Ocean Race. So far, we have received tentative bookings from visitors from Europe and the Oceania region.'
The price increments, if any, will be reasonable, he said. 'It's unlikely that rates will reach the $1000++ nightly rate that hotels charged for the F1.'
Amara usually charges between $290++ and $3,000++ per night, depending on room type.
Guests will also get discounts at Amara's in-house restaurants and free transport to One Degree 15 Marina Club.
The four-star Siloso Beach Resort, which has 182 rooms and 12 villas, has also received bookings for the race period.
Its spokesman said 25 per cent of the rooms have been booked for the whole three weeks.
He said: 'Many of the guests here for the race will be staying for only a few days. We don't intend to increase our rates as the race coincides with the school holidays, which is the peak period.'
The hotel charges at least $230++ in December, up from the normal $180++, inclusive of breakfast.
It also provides free shuttle services to any part of Sentosa, including One Degree 15 Marina Club.
Rasa Sentosa and The Sentosa (formerly Beaufort Hotel) were tight-lipped about their plans for the race.
A spokesman for The Sentosa said: 'We have not firmed up our packages for the Volvo Ocean Race. But we're already marketing our rooms overseas.'
It charges from $500++ to $2,400++ per night. Rasa Sentosa charges about $400++ per night in December.
This year's Volvo Ocean Race involves eight yachts with 11 crew members on each.
The 70-foot yachts will set out from Alicante in Spain on 11 Oct and reach Sentosa on 22 Dec.
They will leave for Qingdao, China, three weeks later, before ending in St Petersburg, Russia, next June.
A 10-day sailing festival will be held at One Degree 15 Marina Club from 8 Jan to 18 Jan.
A 50,000sq m Race Village at the club will be the centre of the festivities.
Visitors will be able to ride on a Volvo Open 70 simulator and race snippets will be screened on a floor-to-ceiling screen I-Max theatre.
Spectators can also enjoy the in-port race and pro-am race, which will be held off East Coast Park on 10 Jan and 11 Jan, respectively.
Points scored during in-port racing will count towards the teams' overall performance.
Entry to the Race Village will be free, but Sentosa's usual entry fee of $2 per person will apply.
Mr Turnbull said: 'We really hope to give everyone a chance to be part of a premier sports event. It's the first time the race is coming to Singapore, the only stop in South-east Asia, so it's a great opportunity for Singaporeans to get involved in this amazing experience.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 4, 2008
