Four Peaks Race- Reach for the sky!

by Event Media on 27 Jan 2015 Next weekend Asia’s No 1 sailing adventure race celebrates 31 years of running the hills of Hong Kong. And sailing to get there in the first place! Every year in January, yachtsmen and runners come together for one of Asia’s toughest sporting challenges, the Aberdeen Boat Club’s Four Peaks Race, in Hong Kong. Held in cold, bracing conditions, the race demands sweat and tears from the competitors and the varied courses have led to plenty of spills and thrills.

Beneteau has always been well-represented on the starting line and, as the exclusive dealer of Beneteau in Southeast Asia, Simpson Marine has had a special interest in the event. In fact, founder and Managing Director of Simpson Marine, Mike Simpson, took part in the second Four Peaks Race in his Beneteau First 345 in 1986, scoring a second place finish.

It is thus fitting that Simpson Marine has signed a three-year title sponsorship agreement with the organiser, Aberdeen Boat Club, starting with this year’s 31st edition being held on the 31st of January and first of February 2015.

Each racing team consists of both sailors and runners. Yachts criss-cross Hong Kong waters to stop in designated areas where runners paddle ashore in kayaks or dinghies and then climb to the top of one of Hong Kong’s many mountain peaks. When the runners return to the boat, it’s off to the next peak.

The event, founded by sailor and Chinese maritime historian Dr Stephen Davies, is modelled on the Three Peaks race in the UK, during which yachts visit the highest mountains in Wales, England and Scotland - Mount Snowden, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. In Hong Kong, the race takes runners to Violet Hill, Lantau Peak, Mt Stenhouse and either Peak 300 Cape d’Aguilar or Ma On Shan, depending on the racing division.

'Hong Kong is the perfect place in the world for a race like this because it is compact, it has fantastic mountains, you’re going from sea level to almost 1,000 meters in less than two horizontal miles, and you can do it all in a weekend,' said Dr Davies, who still races aboard his J80, FG3. 'You’re sailing from Tai Tam Bay, up into Port Shelter and trying to get there as quickly as possible, as one of the features of Port Shelter is that the wind disappears towards evening.'

The race demands a mix of good seamanship, teamwork, preparation, endurance and strong running, making it hard to get everything right. Davies knows well the challenges the race can bring - in 1986 he was dismasted, forcing him to retire.
'One of the most important challenges is to keep going whatever happens and not give up because the boat has barely moved in 4 or 5 hours, you are being drenched by cold rain, and you’ve lost a spot or two because of a tactical error,' Dr Davies said. 'Keep going whatever happens.'

The Four Peaks Race attracts people of all ages. The youngest sailor in race history was 8-year old Timothy Metz aboard 'Koala' in 2007, and he then became the youngest runner at 13 in 2011. The oldest crew on record was 75-year old Graham Cooper aboard 'Rhumb Punch' in 2011. Yacht 'The Farr Side' holds the record for most repeat performances, having competed in every edition in the past 10 years.

'You have to balance your crew, whether you have runners as sailors and if there’s a bit of overlap between the two, the ship-to-shore transfers, the conditions, it’s the middle of winter, which in Hong Kong can be pretty cold, getting ashore, falling in the water; it has a bit of everything in it. It’s an adventure,' said Tristan Stewart, skipper of 'Wicked', a Mumm 36.

Over the years Vittorio De Angelis, skipper of the Beneteau First 45 'Brizo', has learned that the most important factors are landing the runners quickly and finding runners that know the peaks they will be running. The running aspect of the race has become much more competitive over the years, driving teams to search out Hong Kong’s fastest mountain men, regardless of their sailing experience.

'My best memories of the race over the years include running up Violet Hill with my two sons and night sailing in the Lamma Channel at 9 knots with our wake glowing with phosphorescence,' said De Angelis.

The race takes about 24 hours, so it’s important that crew get along. 'One of my top tips is to have only good friends on board to make sure you can enjoy every minute of this fantastic race together,' said Francois Najean, a repeat competitor in his Beneteau First 31.7 'White Crane'.

The Four Peaks Race in numbers:

• The race has had more than 4,000 participants in its history
• The 30th anniversary race in 2014 set a record with 250 participants and 35 teams
• 85% of the participants are not members of the host Club
• The race course varies from 55 to 90 nautical miles, depending on the racing division
• The minimum crew is 5 people, with a minimum of two runners climbing each peak

Record Running Times:

Ma On Shan
Boat - 'Sky Song'
Year - 1996
Time : 1:23:00

Violet Hill
Boat - 'Wizard'
Year - 2001
Time : 00:37:00

Lantau Peak
Boat - 'X-Calibur'
Year - 1997
Time : 1:09:05

Mt. Stenhouse
Boat - 'Koala'
Year - 1999
Time - 38:44

Peak 300
Boat - 'Wicked'
Year - 2011
Time - 41:39

For more information on rules and entry requirements for The 4 Peaks Race, please visit the official website: http://www.abclubhk.com/Four_Peaks_Race_2015.aspx