HK 29er team steal gold from ex World champion in Asian championships

by Florence de Changy on 28 Feb 2012 Hong Kong sailors and windsurfers won nine medals, including two Gold from 15th Asian sailing championships

Hong Kong was called nine times on the podium during the prize ceremony that drew to a close the 15th Asian sailing championships, on Saturday 25th February on the malaysian resort island Langkawi.

The event gathered 275 sailors from 19 countries and 60 technical officials (including international jury, measurement controlers and race officers).

Participating countries included China, India, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Korea.

Hong Kong entered the highest number of participants, 25 boats and 35 sailors, only second to the host country, Malaysia, which entered 32 boats. Hong Kong was present in all categories except match racing.

Most races took place in light conditions 5-12 knots of wind and scorching heat that young sailors fought by drinking gallons of water. Several races had to be called off after the wind dropped below racing conditions. Strong currents related to the tide complicated the conditions for sailors unfamiliar with these waters.

Commenting on the overall results of the Hong Kong team, team manager Warwick Downes said : 'We always expected the wind surfers to do well, considering how solid Hong Kong has become in this sport. The medal we got in Hobbie 16' was also sort of expected and Nagisa Sakai (laser radial) is a strong sailor. But the rest was a bit unknown. Cosmas and Nathan's category (29ers) is new to us, so it was great to see them win so comprehensively.'

Indeed, the biggest surprise came from Aberdeen boat Club (ABC) Sailors Cosmas Grelon, who turned 17 during the event and Nathan Bradley, 15, who created a sensation by winning gold in the two handed 29er class against one of the very best young sailor in the world, the former Optimist overall world champion 2010, the Thai national,
Noppakao Poonpat.

After a few days of racing, the struggle between the pink spinaker (THAI 1946) and the pale blue spinaker (HKG 1952) looked more and more like a match race. 'We started pretty bad' remembers crew Nathan Bradley with a smile.' First we did the wrong course on Race 1 and though we finished first at the last bouy, we missed the finish line. During race 2, we had gear failures, the tackline of our spinnaker came loose. So we sailed without a
spinnaker...' But things started looking up for the two former Optimist sailors after the third race, when it became clear that two teams, namely Thailand and Hong Kong, were the strongest contenders for gold.

Hong Kong started second behind Thailand with India close on their heels. They became first on the second day by one point. Then Thailand secured two wins on Day 3 and took the lead by one point.

After eight races, a single point was still separating the two best teams, with Hong Kong first. HKG1952 then secured four consecutive bullets (first) that created an almost unassailable lead. Malaysia won the 12th and last race while HKG1952 concentrated on covering its main contender, THAI 1946, and finished second, two places ahead of Thailand. Hong Kong won overall, six points ahead of Thailand.

'We kept our cool throughout the regatta and worked closely together during the whole time' said helmsman Cosmas Grelon, 17, who won the world championship for Hong Kong as junior in RS 500 in Weymouth (UK)
in August 2011.

'Our sailors were good, they improved over the week and their consistency paid off' said race coach Rory Godman, at Aberdeen Boat Club (ABC).

'The competition was of high level and their result is all the more impressive that we've only had our boats two
months before this regatta' added Godman.

The Indian team entered two boats in the race and its crews trained full time in Australia during the southern hemisphere summer.

The predominating light conditions made it harder for the heavier ABC 29er team Peter Simpson and Louis Bond-Smith who finished sixth overall.

Both Hong Kong 29ers teams were selected after a qualifications regatta took place in Hong Kong in extreme conditions early December 2011 with wind gusting at 30 knots and boats capsizing several times during most races.

'A bright future, funding permitted.'

Looking to the future, Hong Kong 29er team is hoping to enter the Youth World championships, which will take place in July 2012, in Dublin (Ireland), and then hit the World championships in Germany, funding permitting. Unlike windsurfing, sailing gets little government support and most events abroad have to be financed privately or with the help of sponsors. On this occasion, the ABC 29ers were shipped to Langkawi thanks to the generous support of OOCL shipping and Hellman Logistics.

'29ers : an exciting newcomer to Asia'

29er is an exciting dinghy class that the Asian championships welcome for the first time this year though it is widely spread in Europe and Australia. Currently in Hong Kong only ABC, Sea School and RHKYC have included
this type of boats in their flotilla but other clubs are considering acquiring some too.

'They are very fast, very unstable and very spectacular sailing machines that offer a new experience to young sailors who have grown out of the Optimist class' commented ABC race coach Rory Godman.

'After several years of sailing optimist, it's completely different. The size, the speed, the sails... The tactics are also less detailed in 29ers. Now, we want to minimize tacking whereas in Optimist you don't loose as much speed when you tack. Angles are also very different, especially on the downwind...' commented Cosmas Grelon,
skipper of the winning 29er and former Opti sailor.

All junior sailors had to take time off school to be able to represent Hong Kong at this international event.