Seoul Sailing: Korean Match Cup blog

The Korean Match Cup is the second stop on the world match racing tour, and recognised as one of the biggests events on the tour. Photo / Sub Zero Images

If the organisers of the Rugby World Cup are looking for some suggestions on creating the ultimate fan experience, they could do worse than visit the Korean Match Cup.

The Korean Match Cup is the third stop on the world match racing tour, and recognised as one of the biggests events on the tour.

All the big guns are here this week - Peter Gilmour, 2007 and 2008 World Champion Ian Williams, French star Mathieu Richard and Australian prodigy Torvar Mirsky as well as two promising young kiwis Phil Robertson and Rueben Corbett.

There is plenty of sailing action but what really makes the event stand out is the range of entertainment
options off the water.

There are so many choices the organisers have come up with some recommended agendas for visitors, depending on your demographic. There is the 'senior course' with the more sedate activities while the children's course features pedal cars, bumper boats and face painting. The family course has a leisure sports game, kayaking, clam digging on the foreshore and t-shirt making.

In a romantic touch, they also have a 'date course' that suggests hang gliding, sea world sailing and something called 'wish letters'.

Across from the sailing marina, the main entertainment stage offers an incredible amount of international options.

There was 'Apache' (described as an North American Indian band, in full feathered regalia, though all of the members looked suspiciously Korean) as well as 'Latinos', a group from Seoul that sang South American classics in perfect spanish.

There was also a Phillipine acrobatics troupe, and another group of dancers called 'Brosgang' that thankfully bore no relation to the terrible 1980s boy band from England. There is a Russian pop band called 'Natalie Pop Band', a Korean version of the Spice Girls as well as a dazzling solo violinist called Ruche.

There is no doubt that sailing remains the main event, but the overall fan experience is hard to top.

Michael Burgess is at the Korea Match Cup with the assistance of the World Match Racing Tour

- Herald on Sunday