Korea Match Cup

What a day! The fridge is full, there is a load of laundry hanging up to dry, and my lesson plans are all prepared, leaving me with seven solid hours to write and catch up on kung-fu movies while munching on home made Kimbop. Life is good.

Saturday morning was sunny and fair with just a delicate hint of wind. The day started much like that of any other weekend, with a crowded bus ride to Suwon Station. I rendezvoused with Matt at the terminal and we hopped on a bus towards Seoshin. Riding a long distance bus always seems like a gamble to me and though I have yet to get lost I rarely have confidence in a motor coach’s destination. Trains and subways offer clear, defined maps and station information in English. I never worry about whether or not the subway will get me to where I need to go. Buses on the other hand are far more confusing. To start, there are hundreds of different bus lines and numbers serving uncountable destinations. As far as I know there are no maps or itineraries made available to English speakers and I often catch a bus based solely on the whimsical recommendation of an acquaintance. We were on bus 400-1 for over an hour when I decided to approach a foreigner sitting several rows up from us.
“Excuse me,” I said, “are you heading to the yacht races?”
“Yes I am,” replied the stranger in a thick European accent.
“We don’t really know where we’re going,” I admitted, “do you mind if we follow you?”
“Ha!” he came back with a grin, “I was planning on following you.”
Fortunately for us the Italian national was pulling my chain and we spent the remainder of the trip exchanging the usual pleasantries. It turns out that he is an architect contracting for the U.S. military in Korea for the purpose of designing personnel housing. He was a very cool guy and even claimed to have had a hand in those huge, artificial islands that are being built in Dubai.

I am glad that I took a moment to approach the stranger because he knew of a necessary bus transfer that Matt and I would have otherwise over looked. While waiting for the transfer I couldn’t help noticing an old, steel bus wheel half buried in the asphalt. I realize that it is an irrelevant detail regarding the story at hand but it struck me as one of the laziest things I’ve ever seen. At some time in the past a road crew was constructing this particular street and instead of taking a moment to lift the wheel out of the way, they simply paved over it. Must be union workers.

Jeongok Marina was crowded with cheerful people joyously taking in the pleasant afternoon and as we made our way towards them I considered happy adjectives with which to describe the scene. We weeded in and around the throng, dodging tramcars, and inhaling the salty sea air enhanced by the flavorful splendor of deep-fried delights. It was impossible not to stop and enjoy several of what may be the best corn dogs ever before entering a large structure where enormous yachts I’ll probably never be able to afford were on display. They wouldn’t let us board the boats because we were clearly in no position to purchase one of them, but since I was looking for trouble I hastily climbed to the helm of this particular vessel for a quick snapshot.
As I jumped down I noticed unapproving grimaces from passer bys, but no one took it upon them selves to reprimand me. Are there no consequences in this country?

There was a huge stage area blasting techno and we passed several strangely dressed characters on the way to a long pier from which we could watch the races. I previously knew nothing about Match Racing and at the present the finer details continue to evade me. However, I was lucky enough to run into a Mr. Guy Norwell, who had a press pass from an online periodical, and he took some time to explain the basics to me. I’ll attempt to describe the event in my own words but for further reading feel free to consult Mr. Norwell’s website, Sail-World.com.

I understand that the Korea Match Cup is the largest, most profitable leg of a prestigious sailing tour that lasts through the year. The 12 crews are comprised of the most skilled sailors in the world. Two identical yachts sail at a time and are manufactured to the exact same specifications so that it is the skill of the crew which determines the winner rather than the performance of the boat. A barge sits at the starting line with numbered flags counting down the minutes while the two yachts play an elaborate game of cat and mouse, attempting to force the other crew into a penalty. A crew is disadvantaged by a penalty because they must complete a 360-degree turn before the end of the race or simply lose. I know what you may be thinking; what exactly constitutes a penalty? I asked Mr. Norwell the same question and he laughed before informing me that the list of such technicalities could fill a book, but common infractions include collisions and failing to yield to the starboard vessel. So after the numbered flags on the barge reach zero a horn is sounded and the two yachts take off on a set course, trailed by small, motorized boats carrying referees and photographers. The yachts are rather quick and the crews can be seen scrambling to handle their skiff. The sport is very high-society and after viewing five or six races I can see how it could become addicting.

During the races we couldn’t help but notice a beautiful island on the other side of the harbor that appeared to be connected to the shore by a barren land bridge. We had seen enough sailing and after purchasing some refreshing beverages we resolved to make our way out to it. It was a twenty-minute walk around the harbor to the thin stretch of muddy earth connecting the island to the shoreline.We proceeded out on the path but it was only moments before we realized that the bridge was submerged several hundred yards off in the distance. Still, it appeared shallow and I figured that we could wade easily enough across the expanse without getting too wet. I said that I was looking for trouble and I found it. We were knee deep when I realized that I had misjudged two very important things, the rate at which the tide came in and the actual distance to the island itself. I imagined that we were halfway out to the island but from our perspective it was difficult to tell and while safety became farther away the island didn’t really seem to get any closer. To add to our dilemma it was impossible to see where the path dropped off as it was completely submerged. It was only minutes until that recognizable whooo whoop of a law enforcement vehicle sounded behind us and as soon as we spun around a black and white hovercraft stenciled with “Police” could be seen closing in on our position. A sane person would be terrified at having been caught in such a scenario and drawing attention from the heat, but I couldn’t help tingling with the anticipation of a free hovercraft ride. Well we got to shore and I suppose the officials just wrote us off as dumb foreigners. One of them asked, “Didn’t you see the water?” in such a tone that he might as well have been saying, “What are you retarded?” They took our names down but didn’t even ask for ID. Then they told us to go have a good afternoon and stay out of trouble. It may have been pushing our luck but I needed a souvenir so I asked for a quick picture with our rescuers. Notice the hovercraft in the background.


Well, those were certainly the highlights of the weekend. We spent the evening wandering around Suwon but nothing really worth writing home about. Thanks again to everyone who reads and leaves feedback. It really makes this project that much more worth it.

Cool Thing About Korea #11: Online video games are huge here. Especially a MMORPG called Starcraft. There are even players who are so good that they receive corporate sponsor ship to play in competitions and there is a channel on TV that is basically ESPN for elite video gamers. 24/7 non-stop leveling up!