sail-world.com -- Inaugural RHKYC Around Middle Island Race
Inaugural RHKYC Around Middle Island Race
Tue, 13 Nov 2012
Youth sailors have navigated around Middle Island many times before, but now they got the opportunity to do it as part of a formal race! The Inaugural Around Middle Island Race attracted 20 Optimist sailors from the RHKYC and ABC racing teams.
With only a light breeze forecast race officer Sofia Mascia was keeping in mind that it may call for a shortened course, although the goal was for the sailors to get 'all the way around'! It shouldn't have been surprising that the same considerations also had to be made for the bigger Around The [Hong Kong] Island Race (ATIR) that took place the following day!
The competition for line honours was fierce. Sophie Tulloch led the fleet out of the channel into Repulse Bay and seemed to be stretching out a comfortable lead. However it was only a matter of time until they hit the familiar wind shadow to the south of Middle Island as the passed Ocean Park (for ATIR sailors read 'Pokfulam hole'). On this occasion it was more than a hole, the breeze completely switched off and the fleet bunched much like it did for the ATIR between Tai Tam and Stanley the following day!
During the lull in the wind there were several place changes in the fleet except for the top two as Sophie Tulloch rounded the second rounding mark seconds ahead of Calum Gregor for the final beat to the finish. The breeze was once again funneling though the gap from Repulse Bay and this made for close racing all the way to the finish line.
After numerous covering tacks Sophie successfully defended her lead and crossed the finish line in just over 50 minutes. After returning to shore the sailors gathered for a prize giving to collect their race souvenir and prizes for the top four sailors presented by RHKYC General Manager, Mark Bovaird.
Special thanks to the volunteers and sailors for taking part in the Inaugural Around Middle Island Race, especially as many were doing the 'double' with the ATIR the following day, albeit on different boats, making for a long weekend! The light conditions for this inaugural race has no doubt made it very appealing for records to be broken next year!
Results
1 Sophie Tulloch RHKYC 2 Calum Gregor RHKYC 3 Ferdinand Heldman RHKYC 4 Julian Fung RHKYC 5 Enzo Cremers RHKYC 6 Harriette Edmonds ABC 7 Duncan Gregor RHKYC 8 Max Manley RHKYC 9 Alex Morgan ABC 10 Anatole Martin ABC 11 Emma Fung RHKYC 12 Taylor Young ABC 13 Amy Hopkins RHKYC 14 Malik Hood RHKYC 15 Russell Aylsworth ABC 16 George Burkett ABC 17 Charlie Stewart ABC 18 Sam Hopkins RHKYC 19 Imogen Salmon RHKYC 20 Ines Gillard RHKYC
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