Only the rough & tough get to stand on the podium...

17 Oct 10: The final day of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s flagship regatta, sponsored by Ocean Safety, offered a challenge to the fleets, with 25 to 27 knots and a ‘two Stugeron’ swell. The conditions deterred some competitors from starting and only 41 of the 47 entries made it across the start line for the first windward/leeward of the day.

Three laps were set for all fleets except IRC Cruising and HKPN, and a few shredded kites later, the winners consisted of the usual suspects, bar IRC Cruising, which saw Torben Kristensen’s Authority claim her first bullet, and in HKPN where Michael Delaney brought Bodicea’s only first for the regatta.

Evolution Racing and Red Kite II continued building their picket fences, while Blondie and Hakawati also claimed a single point to stay on top the class points table and proudly stand on top of the podium at the end of the day.

The heavy conditions took their toll, with five boats failing to record a finish, and several more announcing a return back to base, or a Po Toi lunch, as an alternative to the final islands race of the series. Plucky Elliott 770 Monsoon, helmed by Julie Mackenzie, decided enough was enough and announced a return to base, only to lose their keel bulb not ten minutes later. Spotting the capsized boat, the Authorities went immediately to her assistance, followed by the RHKYC photographer’s RIB and thankfully all crew were pulled out of the water unharmed.

Only 29 boats finished the final race of this tough series, but the spirit back at RHKYC’s Kellett Island clubhouse was of windburnt, sunburnt, happy exhaustion. A fabulous weekend for sailors, with something for everyone in a range of 12 to 25 knots.

After the poolside Ocean Safety Day Prizegiving, the overall prizegiving allowed sailors to show their appreciation for the success of their peers, then party until they dropped.

IRC Racing Division A
(Boat, Type of Boat, Owner, Points, Place)
Evolution Racing, TP52, Ray Roberts, 6, 1
Hi Fi, Welbourn 52 Custom, Neil Pryde, 17, 2
Jelik 3, Reichel Pugh 75, Frank Pong, 18, 3

IRC Racing Division B
(Boat, Type of Boat, Owner, Points, Place)
Blondie, Mills 40, Helmuth Hennig, 7, 1
Ambush, Mills 41, A Taylor / J Isler, 13, 2
EFG Bank Mandrake, Mills 40.5, Nick Burns / Fred Kinmonth, 15, 3

IRC Racing Division C
(Boat, Type of Boat, Owner, Points, Place)
Red Kite II, Archambault 35, Anthony Root, 6, 1
Dexter II, A35, Simon Wong / Lowell Chang, 14, 2
Whiskey Jack, J109, Nick Southward, 15, 3

J/80
(Boat, Owner, Points, Place)
Hakawati, Jim Johnstone / Dan Tullberg, 7, 1
J Chi, Jonathan Hodgson, 13, 2
Joss, Rob Tanner, 18, 3

IRC Cruiser
(Boat, Type of Boat, Owner, Points, Place)
Cave Canem, Beneteau First 42, Simon Boyde, 6, 1
Authority, Vanguard SC, Torben Kristensen, 8, 2
Clove Hitch, Bavaria 55, Alex C L Yu, 13, 3

HKPN
(Boat, Type of Boat, Owner, Points, Place)
Legs Eleven, Adams 11.9, Nik von der Luhe / Garry Smith, 6, 1
No One Else, J35, Wing Hung NG, 7, 2
GA, Dehler Optima 101, Arthur Ho, 13, 3

CCR 10 News Updates and Regatta Results at http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/chinacoastraceweek/results10.htm
Image credits to RHKYC / Guy Nowell
More news, photos and short video on RHKYC Facebook page

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