And now for something completely different. Penghu Regatta 2014

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 25 Jun 2014 Imagine an island 370 by 120km with a well educated and largely affluent population of 22 million that has historically been denied access to its 900 km coastline for security and military reasons. Imagine a boat building industry that has in the last couple of decades continuously produced world-quality boats from superyachts to ski boats, all for the export market. Imagine a relaxation of the security policy that suddenly opens up that coastline, and a boat show that attracted 60,000 visitors, many of whom queued for hours just for a chance to stand on a boat. Imagine that this island has – until now – no regatta to be enjoyed in a tropical climate, on clean water and in reliable fresh breeze.

Ladies and gents, sailors all, welcome to Taiwan. And on this particular occasion, welcome to the second Penghu Regatta, sailing from Magong Harbour in the Penghu Islands. If there is any Asian country that is likely to head into a major Boating Boom anytime soon, we’re putting our money on Taiwan.

The Penghu Islands were known by Portuguese colonists as the Pescadores, and the Penghu archipelago consists of 64 small islands just 50 km off the west coast in the Taiwan Strait, and 130 km and a 45-minute flight by twin turboprop from Kaohsiung.

In the winter months, when the northeast monsoon is pumping, the Penghus are a mecca for windsurfers, who come here to enjoy days and days of 50kt-blows. But it’s summer now, and the breeze has moderated into the southwest and the air and water are warm – just right for some first class sailing.

Last year Simpson Marine inaugurated the Penghu Regatta with a 9-day event that included two weekends of sailing with some island cruising sandwiched in the middle. This is prime cruising ground, and Simpson’s man on the spot, Julian Jesson, should know – he is the holder of Taiwan Cruising Permit 001, issued way back in 2002. Last weekend saw 16 boats racing over two days (last year: 9 boats), and there will be more racing next weekend too.

After a skipper’s briefing presented by the very familiar Mr Ting Kuo on Friday evening, followed by a seafood dinner of gargantuan proportions, day 1 (Saturday) dawned bright and breezy and with the forecast threatening a 20-knot blow. The opening ceremony took place down on the docks, with the Director of Penghu Tourism, Mr Chang Lung-Cheng, present, and a representative of sponsor Audi Taiwan. A quick and cooling rain shower sprinkled some good fortune over the boats, and then it was out to the approaches to Magong Harbour for some racing. With the fleet split into IRC (9 entries) and Open (non-IRC) at 7 boats, the RO provided three races for those with certificates and two for those without. Uncharacteristically, the first race produced no more than 10 kts of breeze throughout, and a flat patch in the middle as another rain squall swept through from the south and gave everyone a good soaking, and then the sun came out again.

Wherever you sail in the Penghus, you are ‘between the islands’, and that means currents to add an extra tactical dimension to racing. Some of the boats were better at getting around the corners than others, and some displayed some unusual spinnaker-handling techniques which no doubt contributed to their decision making. Ben Lin’s Corum 410, High Castle, was on the button most of the time, and collected three firsts from three races. Tony Chen’s Beneteau First 45, had to settle for a trio of second places, and the three thirds went to Marc-Andre Lefebvre’s Mumm 36, Rewind. 'Not as good as last year,' said Lefebvre, 'need more practice, especially the crew work'… but still good enough to put them on the podium.

Repeating scores were also the order of the day in the Open division, with Chris Carney’s Yamaha 31S recording 1,1, Jyh-Yeuan Lo’s Bavaria 33 clocking out with 2,2 on the scorecard, and Justin Wang’s brand-new-straight-out-of-the-box-delivered-from-Hong Hong Beneteau Oceanis 37 filling in with 3,3.

Saturday evening provided the major party of the weekend – a fabulous and substantial feast accompanied by entertainment. The last we saw as we headed (replete) for the door, was the waiters bringing out still more platters, so no excuse for any crews being too light on Sunday.

Once again the forecast promised (or threatened?) 20 kts, and once again there were probably a few boats happy that it did not come to pass. Instead, after a start in blazing sunshine and 8-10 kts of warm breeze, the boats were away on the Penghu Around the Island Race – in this case a 12-miler around a nearby island not actually named in the SIs (but what the heck, we could all see it). Current definitely played a part in the early and the closing stages of the race, with boats crossing major tidal flow lines near the start and finish. Anyone got a tidal atlas for the Penghu Islands? – it would probably be very complicated – and very useful!

There were patches of good breeze, particularly in the latter stages of the race, but overall the description had to be ‘soft’. Good enough for Tony Chen’s Rosy Sky to nip smartly round the course in 2h 20m for a handicap time of 2h 34m, just two corrected minutes in front of Rewind and five minutes ahead of High Castle, keeping the same three boats on the podium as yesterday. For some it was a long hot day to no avail: five boats ran out of time, but were still ready and waiting back at the dock in good time to cheer the winners at the late afternoon prizegiving. Once again Yo Yo took the Open prize, giving Chris Carney and crew a clean sweep for the two days’ racing.

Think of this event as a start-up. Second time round, and the Penghu Regatta has 16 entries and all the potential in the world to grow. Magong, the capital of Penghu, is a very pleasant place to visit. It’s easy to get to, the scenery is delightful and the welcome is expansive. It would not be unreasonable for a Hong Kong boat to sail across the Taiwan Strait to attend – it’s only 300nm, which is a good deal closer than the next closest regatta, the Commodore’s Cup in Subic Bay, Philippines. There are no restrictions on visiting boats, and a boat registered outside Taiwan can ‘visit’ indefinitely.

Refreshingly, this regatta makes no claims to Instant Excellence and World Beating Status. There is no big money hoop-la, but there is a lot of fun. It is grass-roots sailing in a country that is just getting to grips with boating, and is an event that deserves support. It organised by sailors, for sailors – not by a commercial outfit with plans to make money out of sponsorship dollars. The potential for making the Penghu Islands a racing and cruising destination is huge, and we hope to be here again before long.

And do please tell me – what’s around the other side of that next island?