Audi China Coast Regatta – Supermaxi Ragamuffin in and out on Day 1

by RHKYC Media on 10 Oct 2015 A new-look Audi China Coast Regatta got underway near the Ninepins island group this morning, with 40 boats on the entry list for Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s flagship Big Boat regatta.

Race Officer Sofia Mascia was out early to scope for wind and to decide where to lay her marks. Finding eight to 11 knots of northerly breeze for the first windward / leeward race of the day, Mascia set a 2.2nm windward leg for IRC Racer 0, IRC Racer one and IRC Premier, while the smaller boats of Racer two, three and HKPN were given a 1.6nm leg.

The imposing sight and speed of Syd Fischer’s Team Ragamuffin was something to behold, prompting the RO to lengthen the start line, however technical problems on the first windward leg forced the 100 foot maxi to retire, recifying the problem for the second race of the day. Jelik took advantage of their absence, finishing first on the water, with Ray Roberts’ Millenium Racing coming out first on corrected time.

In IRC Racer one, Marcel Liedts’ new Ker 46, Zannekin, stole the show, pushing EFG Mandrake into second and the new Ker 42 Back Baza into third, while in IRC Racer two, the largest division in the regatta with 11 boats, William Liu’s Seawolf pipped Sydney 38 Stella and J109 Whiskey Jack to take both gunsmoke and line honours.

IRC Racer three resembled a one-design division, being made up of three Beneteau First 34.7’s, and in this instance J.C Broyelle successfully held off Calamansi to claim line honours and first place, while in Premier, Xena claimed line honours with Lighthorse claiming first under IRC. The final division to finish was HKPN, with Darling claiming a first on handicap.

With IRC Racer two and HKPN still finishing in a softening breeze, Mascia made the decision to limit the day’s racing to two races and elected to get IRC Racer one off on an Islands course, taking them around the picturesque rockscapes of Ninepins and Bluff via Club marks, before returning to Tung Lung Chau for a finish. IRC Racer 0 followed the same course, with Syd Fischer’s Team Ragamuffin scorching the course in just over two hours to take the gun.

Meanwhile the other Divisions fared less well in the dying breeze, requiring their course to be shortened at Steep Island and leaving Ymir and Clove Hitch still on course at the cut off and several HKPN boats scored DNF. Tomorrow’s racing will get underway east of Tung Lung Chau with the first warning signal sounding at 1025hrs.

Results