A Quick Trip round Hong Kong

by Lindsay Lyons on 15 Nov 2005 Kellett Island was unusually active for 0700hrs on a Sunday morning as 176 boats and 4 outriggers made their final preparations for Hong Kong’s biggest sailing event of the year– the 200nm Around The Island Race, supported this year by Fraser Watches and Intel.

A bright and breezy start gave way to an overcast morning, however the breeze obligingly held steady at a 16-20 knot Easterly for most of the course. First to start were the four outriggers, a new addition to the fleet, then from 0830 the staggered starts for the sailboats began.

Largest one-design fleet to start was the Hobie 16s, with gusts in the harbour leading to a couple of spectacular capsizes on the way to the start line. In ideal racing conditions and with the fleet racing each other not only on HKPN, but also in their classes, the starts had a competitive edge.

The quality of the conditions was confirmed when word came through at 1000hrs that Frank Pong’s Jelik had already rounded Cape D’Aguilar – it was going to be a short day! There was a brief moment of worry when Race Officer Jimmy Farquhar went to check on Green Island Mark and was faced with an American Naval vessel wanting to moor in the immediate vicinity. Nothing if not the international diplomat, crisis was averted and the mark was moved a short distance away.

By 1030, Jelik had reached Stanley Bay Gate, which was reporting winds of 14 knots, with the rest of the fleet hot on her heels. At this point, the race team was stunned to hear that the first outrigger was the nearest competitor challenging Jelik for line honours, followed by a less surprising challenger – Benoit Lesaffre’s catamaran, Atmosphere.

To add to the enjoyment of the spectators on shore, who normally see only starts and finishes, a virtual 3D tracking system had been developed by Intel and Sunday Communications to follow the progress of 50 of the entrants. The system used satellite technology, linked via an Intel processer, to plasma screens set up at Kellett Island, generating much interest and discussion in the bar afterwards.

Just before mid-day, a fraction outside Dennis Shum’s 1990 record of 2hrs 41min 57sec, Jelik claimed line honours, but not without having to negotiate her way through the latter half of the Harbour Day Parade. Just over five minutes later, the first outriggers made it home to great applause from spectators. Atmosphere crossed the line around 12 minutes later, missing out on line honours, but claiming the overall title on corrected time – from then on, throughout the afternoon, a steady stream of boats sailed through the Western Harbour to finish at RHKYC before the cut-off time of 1700hrs.

Results:
HKPN Overall
1 Atmosphere Benoit Lesaffre (Multihull)
2 Fa Sang Eva Leung (and Lady Godiva Trophy) (420)
3 Blue Fin 2 Hamish McNicol (Hobie Tiger)
4 Barnstormer Simon Wood (IRC Cruiser)

Class Results
Cruiser HKPN Authority Torben Christansen
Cruiser IRC Jelik Frank Pong
Dragon Fei Chi Karl Grebstad
Etchells Wanchai Belle Jamie McWilliam
Flying Fifteen Chaff Howard Williams
Impala Boss Hogg Francis Cheung
Sportsboats Shenanigans Adam Mowser
Pandora Panache Raymond Ng
Ruffian Victory 9 Li Fook Hing
Sonata Chopstix Alan Clover
Laser Stratos Andrew Houston-Floyd
470 Just Fast Cheung Ka Ho
Hobie 16 Cheeky Monkey Christian Wright
Dart 18 Lai Ka Yau
Hobie Tiger Blue Fin 2 Hamish McNicol
Multihull Atmosphere Benoit Lesaffre