Sail Around the Island preview - New title sponsor announced

by RHKYC Media on 30 Oct 2015 It's back! Hong Kong's largest and most inclusive sailing event, this year welcoming Marriott International’s loyalty programme, Marriott Rewards, as Title Sponsor, will feature more than 200 sailing boats, together with outrigger canoes and coastal rowing boats, battling it out over the 26nm course, wind permitting.

Introduced as an annual event in 1983 with 258 boats, the largest recorded entry for the modern-day 26nm circumnavigation, the Club has already received over 100 entries for the 2015 edition and Hong Kong’s world-renowned Victoria Harbour is sure to be filled with a celebration of sail and paddle. The rowing and paddling race is a truly international affair. In addition to a jam-packed field of Hong Kong’s finest outrigger paddlers and coastal rowers, among this year’s entries are crews from China, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the USA.

On Race Day there will be two start lines immediately in front of the Kellett Island Clubhouse in Causeway Bay featuring up to 20 separate starts for sailboats, whilst over 30 local and international crews on outrigger canoes and coastal rowing boats will start and finish in the calmer surroundings of the RHKYC Middle Island sailing and rowing centre.

The race course features a 26nm circumnavigation of Hong Kong Island to starboard, which has been sanctioned by Hong Kong Marine Department since 2003. If the breeze is sufficient, boats will finish back where they started, at RHKYC’s Kellett Island clubhouse, however if winds are light, the Race Officer may decide to finish the fleet at Green Island, Cyberport or Stanley.

The Online Entry Form, Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions for the sailboat event can be found at the event website. The official entry deadline is 1800hrs on Monday 9 November, with late entries accepted up until 1800hrs on Thursday 12 November.

Marriott Rewards is an award winning loyalty programme and a recognised leader in the industry. These accolades make this programme an ideal partner for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and the Around the Island Race, which boasts one of the largest race fleets of any event in the region – if not the largest!

“Marriott Rewards is bringing one-of-a-kind events to our elite members in their home towns,” said Anka Twum-Baah, Vice President, Customer Loyalty and Content, Asia Pacific at Marriott International. “This is part of our global initiative to create new experiences for our guests and to add value to our award-winning Marriott Rewards programme. We are extremely delighted to have the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club as a partner here in Hong Kong. Hosting a members-only event at the prestigious Around The Island Race is our special way of thanking our Elite Members for their business.”