It will be anchors away for Actually Gay Men’s Chorus (AGMC) tenor and international sailing official, Alan Baser at the end of October.
Alan is embarking on his most prestigious role to date, taking the helm as Chief Umpire at the ISAF Sailing World Cup final in Abu Dhabi, October 27 to November 1.
The final is the culmination of major sailing events that have taken place around the world over the past year, from Melbourne to Miami and will bring together the top 20 boats in each of the chosen categories for the 2016 Olympic competition, as well as an Open Kiteboarding event where the World Cup Champions will be crowned.
Alan 36 is no stranger to officiating at international events. As an ISAF International Umpire for 6 years and International Judge for 5 years he has been actively involved in all the major sailing events, World Match Racing Tour, London 2012, numerous World Championships and has recently returned from Rio where he has been a member of the International Jury for Rio International Sailing Regatta, a test event in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Hailing originally from Plymouth, Alan who has sung with Actually Gay Mens Chorus for 4 years and worked at the University of Brighton since 2003 is understandably very excited and proud about his role as international mainstay.
He said; “The Sailing World Cup and the Olympics are the pinnacle events for this discipline of sailing and to be asked to be chief umpire at the Sailing World Cup is a great honour and something that I’ve been working towards for a very long time. With the top 20 sailors for each Olympic discipline taking part there will be very tough competition, which for me, leading a group of 8 international umpires and having to deliver instant decisions on the water to the worlds best sailors, will be challenging but very exciting.”
Following the World Cup and with his feet back on dry land, although his sights will be firmly set on Rio 2016, Alan is also looking forward to changing tack to rehearse and perform with friends from AGMC for a very exciting tenth anniversary year.
You can follow Alan’s progress on Twitter @Alanbaser
To see some of Alan’s photographs from his time umpiring and upcoming events for the Chorus, click here:
