Hong Kong or Qingdao?

by Guy Nowell, Sail World Asia on 15 Sep 2007 It was an inauspicious start to the RHKYC's sailing season yesterday as any vestige of breeze abandoned Victoria Harbour and left the area blanketed by dense 'haze' - the HK government’s official term for pollution.

There was enough breeze to start the first race of the Long Beach Autumn Regatta, and even though visibility was very poor, the combined fleet of some 75 boats set off on a variety of traditional harbour courses from Hung Hom to Tai Koo Shing, Shau Kei Wan and around Kowloon Bay.

But by the time the leaders had come round to the leeward end of the course for the first time the breeze had dropped to zero and boats were left wallowing in an outgoing tide.

RO Warwick Downes, RHKYC Rear Commodore (Sailing) kept proceedings going as long as feasible, hoping that something would fill in, but it was not to be.

Three guns and N over A for all divisions except the IRC and HKPN cruisers – and only two of them finished.

The combination of (bad) visibility, (adverse) tide and (lack of) wind probably made most of the competitors think they were sailing in Qingdao.