Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 – Hong Kong here we come

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World.com on 13 Apr 2016 The worst-kept secret in Asia came out of the closet today with the announcement that Hong Kong will be a stopover during the 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR), in February 2018.

This will be the first time that Hong Kong has been a stopover for the VOR, although race organisers have been looking at the city, with its spectacular harbour surrounded by skyscrapers, for quite a while. ‘Iconic’ is a much-overused word, but the thought of a fleet of VO65s racing in Victoria Harbour is nothing short of mouth-watering.

In a press conference today at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC), Volvo Ocean Race organisers announced a unique collaboration with the Hong Kong Sailing Federation to bring the race to Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. It will be the largest world-class sailing event ever staged in Hong Kong, and the relevant personnel and authorities within the Hong Kong Government, which will be underwriting the event, are to be congratulated on summoning a dose of vision and imagination in backing an event that will put Hong Kong squarely on the global map of international sailing.

Some particularly squally weather with heavy rain put paid to a plan for the VOR trophy to arrive at the RHKYC by water, but the spectacularly large piece of silverware was the centrepiece of the press conference.

The Volvo Race Village will be located adjacent to the old airport runway at Kai Tak, and introduce residents of Hong Kong to a wide range of race-related activities geared to educate as well as entertain both existing fans and newcomers to the race. An in-port race, will also be held in the port before the boats leave for the next leg, and the re-start out of Hong Kong is mooted to involve an ‘Around the Island’ leg before the boats continue on to the next race port – wherever that may be. The actual route of the race is expected to be confirmed by the middle of this year, but
Hong Kong brings the confirmed list of stopovers so far for the VOR 2017-18 edition to nine, which includes Alicante, Auckland, Cape Town, Cardiff, Newport, Rhode Island, U.S, Lisbon, Gothenburg and The Hague.

Anthony Day, Council Member of the Hong Kong Sailing Federation and Rear Commodore (Sailing) RHKYC, said: “This will go down in history as a milestone event for Hong Kong sailing, and will provide a wonderful platform for us to engage more Hongkongers in the sport of sailing.'

Antonio Bolaños Lopez, acting CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, added: “I am thrilled that the race is visiting one of the most beautiful ports in the world for the first time. We are delighted to welcome Hong Kong to the Volvo Ocean Race family and know that we will have a stopover that will be one of the highlights of the 2017-18 edition.

“I would like to pay special tribute to the Hong Kong Sailing Federation and the Hong Kong government for making our dreams of bringing the race here a reality.”