2018 Tomes Cup to be held on Saturday 21st April

Tomes Cup trophy © RHKYC

First awarded (as the Sugar Refiner's Cup) on 1 April 1880 to the yacht Naomi owned by William Howell Forbes, the trophy was gifted back to the Club by the Tomes family in the 1960s and renamed the Tomes Cup. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful trophies the Club has collected over its long history of sailing in Hong Kong since the mid-1800s.

The Tomes Cup is a pursuit race, which is different to normal yacht racing. Competitors are given staggered start times under RHKATI handicap, ie. the slowest boats start first and then the faster boats set off in pursuit. If all boats are sailed equally well, they should (in theory) all finish at the same time.

The race is held in the eastern area of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour, taking in Shau Kei Wan, Tai Koo Shing, Kowloon Bay and Hung Hom and is expected to attract around 60 competitors from Hong Kong s one-design fleets and Big Boat classes.

The regatta is the fourth and final constituent event of the Top Dog Trophy Series which is designed to identify the most successful boat over a variety of pursuit race courses and conditions.

The current series includes the results for the Around the Island Race (12 November 2017), the Lipton Trophy (18 November 2017), the HKRNVR Memorial Vase (10 February 2018) and of course the Tomes Cup.

Currently, the top 10 in the Top Dog Series are:

Full details of the Top Dog Trophy Series can be found on the RHKYC website at www.rhkyc.org.hk/topdogtrophy.aspx