Breezy start for Rolex CSR 08. Pics by Guy Nowell

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 21 Mar 2008 For a moment it looked as if there was going to be bright sunshine for the start of the 2008 Rolex China Sea Race, but Hong Kong quickly reverted to its usual livery of March Grey and dirty air – but did provide plenty of breeze to get the fleet off the start line and away east up the harbour towards the Lei Yue Mun gap.

With a 14-16 knot easterly blowing, Hi Fi (Neil Pryde) hit the line too early and had to gybe round the pin and start again. Having played catch-up all the way up the harbour, he was right there with the pack of 50-footers going past Shau Kei Wan. Mandrake (Fred Kinmonth), FfreeFire 52 (Sam Chan), Strewth (Geoff Hill) and Hi Fi put on a show of classic close-quarters harbour racing, short tacking along the Hong Kong shore and into the gap below the Museum of Coastal Defence. It was a great spectacle, and Hi Fi will no doubt be collecting a few cases of San Mig from the other boats in due course – they were, indeed, first out of the harbour.

Depending on which weather information you believe, it is going to be either lots of breeze all the way, or the traditional serving of a big blow out of Hong Kong followed by a major slow-down.

The 0800 Friday poll of fleet positions on www.purplefinder.com, the race tracking system, shows FfreeFire 52 with a lead over Hi Fi, followed by Mandrake and Full Metal Jacket (Chris Meads), and Australian Maid (Dr John Wardill) leading the IRC B fleet.