Shenzhen Universiade places 2nd in Taiwan Straits Cup Regatta

by Dominic Huang, CCIR Media on 9 Jun 2010 Shenzhen Universiade Sailing Team, the on-water ambassador of the 26th Shenzhen Summer Universiade and the host city Shenzhen, made their debut in the second edition of Taiwan Straits Cup Regatta and scored second overall in Beneteau First 40.7 One Design Class.

The Regatta ran from May 29 to June 1 and attracted 21 boats from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan competing in Beneteau First 40.7, IRC and ARCH Class. This year, the regatta consisted of an inshore race in Keelung Port and a 220 nautical-mile passage race. The regatta featured more entries and longer course in the passage race over its first edition in last July.

“Shenzhen Universiade” was skippered by Terry Moreton from New Zealand, and the crew came from China and UK. In the round island race off the Keelung Port on 29 May, the team sailed into the front of the fleet off the start line but only finished up third due to a not-so-desirable manoeuvre of spinnaker.

But the team did catch up hard in the passage race and scored second overall in Beneteau First 40.7 One Design Class. On May 30, at 1030hrs, 19 boats set off from Keelung Port and sailed southwards along Taiwan Island to Penghu Islands, then turned to the western coast of Taiwan Straits and headed for Wuyuan Bay in Xiamen, Fujian Province. “Shenzhen Universiade” arrived at the final destination on May 31 at 1908hrs. Northeasterly wind remained at 15-20 knots most of the time along the way. While some strong winds and choppy tides caused some incidents such as broken rudder and some boats had to quit in the tough sea conditions for the sake of safety.

“Offshore race not only challenges the crew’s seamanship, but also a test of stamina, will power and teamwork. Sailing across Taiwan Straits is already a commendable effort that the team has made,” David Zhong, leader of the team said.
It is also noticeable that half of the entries are from Shenzhen who took the first three places in both Ben F40.7 OD class and ARCH class. Among them, Shenzhen Universiade Sailing Team has been an active participant in some domestic sailing competitions, and has always been on the podium.

Their strong performance manifests Shenzhen’s leading position in the sport of sailing in China. Hosted in Shenzhen, the fourth China Cup International Regatta is expecting a more international fleet this year. Next year, the 26th Shenzhen Summer Universiade will introduce sailing as one of the sport items - the first time ever in the history of Universaide. Such events are sure to boost the development of the sport of sailing in Shenzhen in the near future.

On the Podium:

Beneteau First 40.7 OD Class:
1st: Sea Wolf
2nd: Shenzhen Universiade
3rd :TT

IRC:
1st APT (Shenzhen) MUMM50
2nd Cutting Edge (RHKYC)
3rd Nine Dragon No.1

ARCH:
1st: Bailida
2nd: Sina
3rd: Sanlixing