Another one bites the dust (actually, two)
by Guy Nowell 24 Apr 2020 00:48 PDT
Hong Kong during the RHKYC Nations' Cup © RHKYC / Guy Nowell
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If you did a word search of everything published on Sail-World in the last three months there’s a good chance that ‘cancelled’ would be at the top of the list. We are relatively lucky here in Hong Kong, as we can actually go sailing, unlike many places where it’s just not allowed. Still, we have lost – temporarily, it is to be hoped – two events for the forthcoming weekend: the Tomes Cup, which is a pursuit race and the last event in the RHKYC’s Top Dog Trophy series, and the Nations’ Cup, arguably the best and most enjoyable bit of annual water-borne tomfoolery on offer. This is when ‘national teams’ (the qualifying definitions are pretty loose) vie for the bragging rights of hoisting their national flag in the Club’s Main Bar for the next 12 months. It also involves some imaginative dressing up. Past competitors have included Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, numerous Chinese coolies, miscellaneous superheroes, and more. If something is needed to raise the spirits when we are all released from LaLaLockdown, it’s the Nations’ Cup! But not this weekend, Josephine…
In an attempt to make up ever so slightly for the empty weekend, Guy Nowell Photography is offering all prints and digital downloads from previous Tomes Cup and Nations’ Cup events at 50% off. Go to www.guynowell.com and do a little surfing!
There has been an ongoing debate about falling numbers in sailing for many years now. The usual topics covered include lack of time and increased expense, and a whole raft of other items from World Sailing to over-onerous demands in the safety department. Craig Leweck, Editor over at Scuttlebutt, and otherwise known as The Curmudgeon, has written a very considered story on the subject that all sailors should read. He suggests that we should be beware of “replacing skill with credit cards – that is not a growth formula,” and goes on to point out that:
• When the cost in time and money to participate exceeds the pleasurable benefit, people seek alternative activities.
• Better isn’t always best, as the natural inclination for improvement slowly eliminates those that choose not to chase the rising bar.
• We are capable of evolving toward extinction.
To read the whole story, go to https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/04/16/the-state-of-the-sport-in-2020/
Rumour has it that we may be able to go racing before too long in Hong Kong. First we have to get the Government’s civil servants back in the office after their extended holidays, and second we have to figure out a way to avoid a nasty flare-up in infections as happened in Singapore. Health-wise, we are presently sitting pretty. In a population of 7,451,000 Hong Kong has recorded just 1,036 cases of Covid-19 (0.013%) and only four deaths (0.0000536%). Along with the health care system and its professionals, that is something to be proud of.
Standing by on 72.
Guy Nowell,
Editor, Sail-World Asia