Volvo China Coast Race Week - Action starts Friday 13 October

by RHKYC on 11 Oct 2017 The 2017 Volvo China Coast Race Week (CCRW) comprises the Volvo China Coast Regatta 2017, sailed over three days in the waters south and east of Hong Kong Island, and the Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race 2017, an Offshore Category One race of 673 nautical miles from Hong Kong to Nha Trang, Vietnam.

34 boats will cross the start line to compete in what is anticipated to be three days of the most superb sailing conditions that Hong Kong has to offer. Race organisers, however, are keeping a close eye on a potential typhoon developing off Hong Kong. An emergency meeting was held last night at the Club to discuss contingency plans. The event faced a similar situation in 2016 when Tropical Cyclone Haima brought Hong Kong to a standstill the day before the regatta, however the storm came and went without affecting racing. There is yet another system off Vietnam, which is also being carefully monitored by race management.

The fleet for the 2017 Volvo China Coast Race Week is a very competitive one. RHKYC Sailing Manager Ailsa Angus commented “we have the usual suspects racing and we have a great IRC 0 division this year”. IRC 0 includes China’s Wang Bin with his Cookson 50 UBOX. Bin skippered the first Chinese yacht to complete a world circumnavigation, as well taking third in IRC Overall in the 2016 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Shawn Kang has moved from the Premier Cruising Division with his new KER 46+ Lighthorse Alphaplus, with Wade Morgan racing on board; previous team leader of Black Baza - IRC Overall winner of the Hong Kong to Vietnam race 2015 and boat captain of the Abu Dhabi team in 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race.

Five of the boats entered have recently changed hands including; Liu Yong Feng’s, Seawolf, which was previously named Black Baza; the KER 42 Custom won Asian Yachting Grand Prix Skipper and Yacht of the Year for 2016/17 under the ownership of Anthony Root and Steve Manning and took second IRC Overall in the China Coast Regatta 2016.

Looking to the Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club welcomes the first Italian, Russian and Philippines entries to compete in the Race; Mascalzone Latino, Mattteo Savelli’s Cookson 50, No Applause a First 40 CR owned by Alexander Vodovatov and regular participant in the Rolex China Sea Race, Philippines entry, Ernesto Echauz in his TP52 Standard Insurance Centennial.

For the first time in the event’s history the Club has introduced staggered starts; the smaller boats will head off on Tuesday 17 October, with the majority of the fleet setting off on Wednesday 18 October. This will allow the boats to converge as they head into the finish in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The sequence acting predominantly as a safety factor, with the bigger boats coming up behind the smaller fleet should they get into any trouble.

2015 IRC 0 winner, Phillip Turner’s Reichel / Pugh 66 Alive, is racing in her second Hong Kong - Vietnam Race. With a 2015 elapsed time of 49h 56m 21s being only, 7h 38m 57s behind Syd Fisher’s Ragamuffin 100’s current race record of 42h 17m 24s, all eyes will be on her to see how the race plays out in what is expected to be a fast race.

 

Provisional Entry List – Volvo China Coast Regatta

BOAT	SAIL #	DIVISION	OWNER	TYPE	RATING
OTONOMOS MANDRAKE	HKG 2163	IRC RACER 1	FRED KINMONTH / NICK BURNS	SYDNEY GTS 43	1.186
SELL SIDE DREAM	HKG 2298	IRC RACER 2	SIMON POWELL	A40RC	1.09
HERO RACING TEAM	SIN 6886	IRC RACER 1	TIFFANY KOO	KING MILLS 40	TBA
STANDARD INSURANCE CENTENNIAL	PHI 2286	IRC RACER 0	ERNESTO ECHAUZ	TP52	1.351
JELIK	HKG 600	IRC RACER 0	FRANK PONG	CUSTOM	1.535
AMBUSH	HKG 2388	IRC RACER 1	JOACHIM ISLER / DREW TAYLOR	MILLS 41	1.236
WHISKEY JACK	HKG 2101	IRC RACER 3	NICK SOUTHWARD	J-109	1.026
VINETA	HKG 2285	IRC RACER 1	HELMUTH HENNIG	MARTEN 49	1.251
CLOVE HITCH	HKG 2211	IRC PREMIER CRUISER	ALEX YU	BAVARIA 55	1.102
FREEFIRE	HKG 2283	IRC RACER 0	SAM CHAN	TP52	1.367
LISA ELAINE	HKG 2214	HKPN	CARL WILKINSON	BAVARIA 56	1166
SIMPLICITY	HKG 1268	HKPN	SUNNY CHAI	BAVARIA CRUISER 40	1211
LADY BUTTERFLY	HKG 2234	IRC RACER 3	JC BROYELLE	FIRST 34.7	0.993
RED RUM	HKG 2183	IRC RACER 2	MANNING/O'MALLEY	A40	1.092
ZANNEKIN	HKG 2290	IRC RACER 0	MARCEL LIEDTS	KER 46	1.295
MOONBLUE 2	CAY 8888	IRC PREMIER CRUISER	PETER CHURCHOUSE	WARWICK CUSTOM	1.206
KINGSMAN	HKG 2138	IRC RACER 2	GORDON LIU	SYDNEY 38	1.098
ANDIAMO	HKG 2119	IRC RACER 3	JOHN WOO / CYNTHIA LI	A35	1.029
LIGHTHORSE ALPHAPLUS	HKG 2501	IRC RACER 0	SHAWN KANG	KER 46+	1.317
KIASU	HKG 2136	IRC RACER 2	CHRIS LI	FT10	1.114
SEAWOLF	HKG 2296	IRC RACER 1	LIU YONG FENG	KER42 CUSTOM	1.234
MINNIE	HKG 201	IRC RACER 1	NIGEL SNELL	KER 11.3	1.153
DING DONG	HKG 2293	IRC RACER 3	THOMAS WONG	SUNFAST 3600	1.037
UBOX	CHN 10007	IRC RACER 0	WANG BIN	COOKSON 50	TBA
ARCTURUS	HKG 2273	IRC RACER 3	DENNIS CHIEN	SUNFAST 3600	1.04
JUGGERKNOT	HKG 1281	IRC RACER 2	RICHARD VAN DEN BERG	J111	1.098
DARLING	HKG 2187	HKPN	DEAN CHISHOLM	HANSE 400	1037
BLACKJACK	HKG 2121	IRC RACER 2	GLENN SMITH	GRAND SOLEIL 45	1.101
YMIR	HKG 2207	IRC RACER 3	KJARTAN FURSET	SUNFAST 3600	1.04
BLEU	HKG 2124	HKPN	ALAN CHEUNG	OCEANIS 34	1181
PHOENIX	HKG 2282	IRC RACER 1	VICTOR KUK	MILLS 40 CUSTOM	1.15
RAMPAGE II	HKG 2248	IRC RACER 1	NOEL CHAN / DENIS MA	HH42	1.222
CRYSTAL	HKG 2118	IRC RACER	ALBERT CHEUNG	FIRST 44.7	TBA
AVANTE GARDE	HKG 2047	IRC RACER 2	JOSHUA COLE	A40RC	TBA

 Provisional Entry List – Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race

BOAT 2017	SAIL #	DIVISION	OWNER	TYPE	RATING
AMBUSH	HKG 2388	IRC RACER 1	JOACHIM ISLER / ANDREW TAYLOR	MILLS 41	1.236
ANTIPODES	GBRL 2888	IRC RACER 0	GEOFFREY HILL	SANTA CRUZ 72	1.390
FREEFIRE	HKG 2283	IRC RACER 0	SAM CHAN	TP52	1.368
MASCALZONE LATINO	ITA 14909	IRC RACER 0	MATTEO SAVELLI	COOKSON 50	TBA
NO APPLAUSE	RUS 3481	IRC RACER 2	ALEXANDER VODOVATOV	FIRST 40 CR	TBA
ZANZIBAR	SIN 4321	IRC RACER 1	JONATHAN MAHONY	HYD 42	1.210
UBOX	CHN 10007	IRC RACER 0	WANG BIN	COOKSON 50	TBA
SALALAH	HKG 2122	IRC RACER 2	JACKIE SIU / LIN GUANGMU	SENSE 50	1.066
ALIVE	AUS 52566	IRC RACER 0	PHILLIP TURNER	REICHEL/PUGH 66	1.581
WHISKEY JACK	HKG 2102	IRC RACER 2	NICK SOUTHWARD	J-109	1.026
LION ROCK	HKG 2361	IRC RACER 1	MICHAEL LUNN	AZUREE 40	1.104
OTONOMOS MANDRAKE	HKG 2163	IRC RACER 1	FRED KINMONTH / NICK BURNS	SYDNEY GTS 43	1.186
SURF DUDE	HKG 1345	IRC RACER 1	STEVE HO	FELCI 45	1.202