China Coast 2006 - it's a wrap!

by Guy Nowell / Sail World Asia on 26 Oct 2006 Once again the China Coast Regatta, the flagship race series of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, was a ‘cracking’ event. Breeze over the three days of the event, and a quality fleet of boats made for a great regatta – the first part of China Coast Race Week that also includes the bi-annual Hong Kong-Vietnam Race

RHKYC welcomed on board a new sponsor, Total Lubmarine Asia Pacific, and the regatta began with opening cocktails that set the tone for the rest of the event.

Anyone watching the combined IRC A and Premier Cruising fleets crossing the start line would have been excused for thinking that this was something rather more than a ‘club’ regatta. Boats ranged from Jelik (Reichel-Pugh 75, Frank Pong) down to Siren (Sayer 13, Ant Day), and included two TP52s (Sam Chan’s Ffree Fire 52 and Paul Winkelmann’s Island Fling), a DK46 (Drumstick, Robbie Knight) and the Mills 51 Mandrake (Burns/Kinmonth).

An impressive start line by anyone’s reckoning. Add in the Premier Cruising division with the two Moonblues, Hocux Pocux 2 and Geoff Hill’s Strewth and that probably the best line-up seen at any Asian regatta in the last 10 years.

Friday morning didn’t look to promising from the shelter of the RHKYC Middle Island clubhouse, but there was a steady 8-10 kts of breeze just round the corner, and RO Jimmy Farquhar was happy to send the fleets away up towards Waglan and TCS1 on the opening ‘islands’ race of the series.

The fleets headed north-east around Po Toi and Waglan to the ‘top’ of the course at TCS1, and then back downwind past Cape d’Aguilar to a finish line off Round Island. Ffree Fire 52, Sam Chan’s newly-acquired TP52 (formerly Flash) was feeling her way a bit as the boat was really race-ready only days before the event, but she was snapping at the heels of Island Fling all the way round the course.

Moonblue 1 (Andrew Rickards) surprised everyone by coming home in front of Peter Churchouse’s much bigger Moonblue 2. It was a good day on the water, and Neil Pryde – keen to ‘follow on’ and defend the title he won last year – was indeed the winner of the first race. Hi Fi finished only seven minutes behind Jelik in a three-hour race, which was more than enough to put her at the top of the fleet. A rather rueful Fred Linmonth (Mandrake) said, ‘crossing from Waglan to TC1 we watched Prydey getting lifted in front of us, but it just never happened for us. They were sailing the boat so well, there was no way we could hold on to them.’

16 boats in the IRC B division were headed by Raphael Blot’s Centurion 45 Maina and Paul Bankowski’s Jaywalker (Ker 11.3). ‘We were almost going to be scratch boat for the fleet, said Bankowski. ‘Heck, that meant I was going to have to read the course book!’ Lowell Chang (Dexter, X-99) opened the batting on the results sheet with a first place that showed that he was going to be just as dangerous as he was last year. Paul Murphy’s B-32 Wild Hi Fi had a rather inauspicious start to proceedings. ‘First time I get to be a real grown-up tactician,’ said Tiger Mok, ‘and we are OCS in the first race. Oh dear.’

Friday evening saw plenty of sailors’ tales being swapped on the Middle Island hardstanding, but there was no party on the programme – a nod to recovery from Thursday night, and a breather before Saturday!

Three windward-leeward courses for all the IRC fleets, and a windward-leeward followed by another trip round the islands were on the race card for Saturday. Breeze was up around 10-12 knots for the first start, way out on the Lamma Patch, well south of the shipping lanes. And it was HAZY (no surprise there).

After a bad start (last place) on the first day, Jelik redeemed herself with a Line Honours-1st place double, and followed up with a 2nd and another first as the wind got all the way up to 16 knots across remarkably flat water. Island Fling also recorded a 1 and a 2, which helped her up the list. At the front of the B division Maina distinguished herself with a win in the first race – and then followed it with a nasty 13th in the second. Jaywalker also recorded a win, and quite clearly it was ‘game on’ between those two, Dexter and Helmuth Hennig’s Mistress Margerita (Corby 29).

Just a little behind them in the rankings was the only overseas entry in the regatta, Jesus Avecilla’s Selma Star (Beneteau First 36.7). ‘I must say, I have never had to work so hard during a regatta – I am not used to three windward-leeward courses in one day!’ Avecilla said afterwards. ‘I think we have a slightly more relaxed style of racing in the Philippines.’

‘Scratch a sailor, and he’ll leak rum’ they say, so who needs an excuse for a rum party? Never mind, this seems to have become something of a tradition at the China Coast, and this year everyone was delighted to welcome back those infamous Little Red Hats. There was some Hawaiian theme to the party on the beach, but that was quickly forgotten at the Mount Gay worked its magic, and the teapots went round and round. Nuff said.

If anyone was feeling under the weather on Sunday morning, they weren’t admitting it. And anyway, the weather was great (except for the haze) starting with an energetic 15 knots that faded to 10 kts by the start of the first race.

The programme listed one w/l and one islands course for divisions. Island Fling got quickly into her stride with a win in the first race, and the leaderboard started to look very interesting. After taking discards into consideration, Island Fling, Jelik and Hi Fi were all sitting on 8 points going into the last race of the regatta.

The islands course was another visit to TCS1, and two boats were OCS – Siren and Ffree Fire 52.

They both went back (and so did Fling, just make sure) but Ffree Fire failed to clear back across the line completely. She then sailed her best race of the regatta and beat Fling on the water – but got no toot on the finish line.

Mandrake also sailed her best race, and came in first, but with Ffree Fire out of the frame there weren’t enough places between her and Fling to get onto the podium. Hi Fi took the series by one point, with Island Fling one point back and Jelik one more again.

In spite of three firsts from six races, Moonblue 2 had to settle for 2nd place in the Premier Cruising division behind Geoff Hill’s Strewth who had recorded a string of four 2nd places, and finished off with a 3 (discarded) and a 1 on the last day. ‘Altogether more twos than a two-step,’ said Hill. ‘But we broke the sequence when we really needed to.’

Going in to the last race it was tight at the top of the B division as well. Mistress Margerita was leading with 9 points, followed by Maina and Dexter on 10 each – but the Mistress failed to pick up her skirts around the islands and scored 10th in race 6, and Dexter and Maina jumped in 1-2 to seal the final order.

In the HKPN division, Sex Drive under new ownership (Deborah Fu) scored a near perfect 2-1-1-1 to deny Martin Wong’s Xanadu II (1-2-2-1) yet another HKPN title. Close results all round indeed.

So then it was back to Middle Island for more of those sailors’ tall tales, and a hugely enjoyable prizegiving party MC’d by Regatta Chairman Warwick Downes, with the trophies graciously presented by sponsor Total Lubmarine Asia Pacific’s General Manager, Caroline Huot. ‘We’ll be back,’ she said, to rousing cheers and applause. Right now, after an enormously successful and enjoyable regatta it looks like a case of ‘follow that.’ The racing was good, the race management exemplary (thank you, RO Jimmmy Farquhar) and a very good time was had by all.

All that could be asked for a better China Coast Regatta would be more boats – oh, and a LOT less haze!

Full results can be found at www.chinacoastregatta.com If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/28396