2017 Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race - it's a wrap

by RHKYC Media on 22 Oct 2017 Michael Lunn’s Azuree 40 Lion Rock was the last boat to sail into Nha Trang, Vietnam, this afternoon at 13h 45m 45s, putting her in fourth place in IRC Racer 1 division.

Duncan Hine, skipper of Line Honours winner, Alive, an RP66 which arrived on Friday afternoon at 15h 31m 36s with an elapsed time of 50h 11m 56s summed up their race, “It was a lot of fun; we had a good time. There wasn't quite enough breeze to surf all the way, but it was enough to blow out our A3/4 which meant that we didn't VMG run as well as we would have liked, to so we had to change our race route - we did a few extra miles. No real lows in the race; we didn't wipe out or anything. It was wet, but it was wonderful. I told the crew, don’t bring your pants with you; a light jacket is all you need, and that was definitely the case this time. A lot of the fellas didn't even put on a jacket. There were too many highs to mention. This race is the best - this is our second time, and I'm sure we'll be back!”

Second in IRC Overall and winners of IRC Racer 1, Joachim Isler, who co-owns Mills 41 Ambush with Drew Taylor - and who is also the Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race Chairman - said, “It was a fantastic ride on Ambush; we had boat speeds averaging around 15 to 18kts and sometimes exceeding 20kts. Great crew work and a lot of enjoyment on a very fast boat. We are very happy with our result, and very happy with the Race. We had great results with the IRC Racer 2 division starting a day early; I think the staggered start concept will hopefully bring more interest from the smaller boats. The Race is bit of a hidden gem in the offshore racing world. I hope that it gets more positive exposure, and we see more entries in the future. Judging from the big smiles we see from our fellow competitors in Nha Trang, I hope that the word of mouth will bring in more boats for the next edition. Stand by for 2019!”

Ambush co-owner Drew Taylor, who has only missed one Hong Kong to Vietnam Race since its establishment in 1996, added, “It was another brilliant race down here. It's obviously one of the best ocean races there is to do around the world. We had a great run sitting on high teens and 20kts for a long time. The format is also fantastic, its great having the smaller boats arrive around the same time, and hopefully that will encourage more boats in the future. It is as I said, just a great race!”

The provisional start date for the next Hong Kong to Vietnam Race is set for 16 October 2019 with the China Coast Regatta being held in the lead up to the event.