| The latest sailing news from Asia and the world. |
10 Nov 2017 |
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  230-strong fleet for Turkish Airlines Around the Island Race 2017
It's the biggest sailing event in Asia. Really. This year 230 boats have signed up for the RHKYC's Turkish Airlines Around the Island Race. With the exception of the annual marathon, this is Hong Kong's biggest participation sports event of the year, attracting entries from single-handed dinghies all the way up to the big flat-out offshore race boats. The serious racers will be hoping for plenty of breeze and a crack at the ATIR record (currently 2h 13m 11s set by Nick Moloney on an Extreme 40 in 2013) or the monohull best time of 2h 29m 29s (Jelik, Frank Pong). It's often a race that favours the small boats on ATI handicap – Calum Gregor has won the last three races on a 420 (2014) and a 29er (2015, 2016). For some of the more cruising-inclined, it may be the only race they enter in a year – absolutely everyone welcome.
Back in Hong Kong for the big race will be Tiger Mok, recently ‘relieved of duties' on the VOR front by Team SHK/Scallywag. That's right; the token HK/Asian face has been fired, and the last tenuous whiff of Scallywag's claimed legitimacy as a Hong Kong team has gone with the wind. (Credibility departed a long time ago, having been overwhelmed by the ‘social experiment', the ‘trenchers', and the long shadow of the San Fernando Race from back in April this year). Go, Dongfeng!
Is there such a thing as too much news? As in; too much information? The start of the Volvo Ocean Race leg out of Lisbon was pretty spunky, and made for brilliant video footage. The next three days were even more so, with the deluge of incoming reports matched only by the deluge of water over the decks of the race boats. Much was made of this edition of the VOR sending ‘raw' info straight from the boats, without the On Board Reporting being filtered through the event PR machine. But does someone vomiting, or pouring urine into the cockpit, really make for engaging coverage? I have my doubts.
Here in Hong Kong it's been a packed programme of late: it's that time of year. There was the Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship, the Volvo China Coast Regatta and Volvo HK to Vietnam Race, a flurry of Class Championships (Flying 15s, J/80s, Etchells). Just around the corner in Daya Bay there was the China Cup International Regatta which this year incorporated the final of the World Match Racing Tour – congratulations to Torvar Mirsky, a new name on the trophy. Listening to the background noise, there were a lot of questions being asked about even-handedness (or lack of) at CCIR, and not for the first time. For all its noise and glitz, it remains a strangely unique regatta. One visitor, a seasoned media professional, remarked, “There's obviously plenty of money here, but it isn't being spent on running the regatta!”
Standing by on 72.
Guy Nowell, Asia Editor
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