Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

An interview with Ailsa Angus about the 2018 Hong Kong to Hainan Race

by David Schmidt 15 Oct 2018 08:00 PDT October 18-20, 2018
Teams prepare to start the Hong Kong to Hainan Race 2016 © RHKYC / Guy Nowell

Let’s face it: Sailing off the breeze is a heck of a lot more fun than pounding into big seas, especially on a distance race. Enter the biennial Hong Kong to Hainan Race, an Offshore Category One race that’s a recognized qualifying event for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, and whose brochure describes it as a “classic, 390-mile downwind passage”. This event, which starts on October 18, 2018, takes crews to the city of Sanya, on the island of Hainan in Southern China, and-if all goes according to plan-features plenty of spinnaker work and reasonably level decks.

Seng Huang Lee's 100-foot super maxi Scallywag set the current course record of 23 hours 31 minutes and 52 seconds in 2016, giving all 2018 entrants new targets boatspeeds to sail if they want to claim this crown.

And while the big Scallywag isn’t racing this year (at least as of this writing), there are two fast multi-hulls in the eight-strong fleet that could prove a threat to her spot in the history books, namely Karl Kwok’s VPLP-designed MOD 70 MOD Beau Geste and Seng Huang Lee and Meitatsu Fukumoto’s SHK Scallywag Fuku.

Additionally, there are some quick smaller monohulls, including Sam Chan’s TP52 FreeFire, Joachim Isler’s Mills 41 Ambush, and Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns' Sydney 43 GTS Mandrake III, that could be poised to clean-up amongst the monos at the event’s prize-giving ceremonies, of which there are two, one at the Serenity Marina in Sanya, Hainan, on Saturday, October 20, the other at the RHKYC’s Chartroom on Wednesday, October 31.

I checked in with Ailsa Angus, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s sailing manager, via email, about the 2018 Hong Kong to Hainan Race.

Can you give us your 30-second elevator pitch for the Hong Kong to Hainan Race?

The Hong Kong to Hainan Race is an exhilarating kite-up-downhill-surf over large rolling waves and ending in the “Hawaii of China”.

You’ll get top speeds out of your boat, and it’s a qualifier for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

What are the race’s biggest tactical challenges? What about its greatest rewards?

The biggest tactical challenge is to avoid the swathes of fishing nets off the coast. For the two trimarans, there will be no chance to get into a watch system as they expect to make the crossing in about 12 hours.

With boats going at top speeds, hopefully, the entire time, crews will be giving all of their attention to the race at hand. The greatest reward is the journey itself but, of course, completing it and having that cold beer on the dock afterwards [is also great].

How many boats, total, do you expect on the starting line?

Eight.

Have you ever had a boat as big or fast as MOD Beau Geste on the starting line? Also, if they break Scallywag’s record, will they get classified as the fastest multihull (e.g., an asterisk next to their name), or will they be the new outright record holder?

Not only do we have MOD Beau Geste, but we also have a second trimaran, which is going to make things incredibly exciting. Seng Huang Lee and Meitatsu Fukumoto have entered their latest machine, SHK Scallywag Fuku.

Undoubtedly, one of the trimarans will nab line honors, but the monohull record, currently held by Scallywag will still stand.

If Scallywag is able to take the record, we believe they could be the first owners in history to hold a category 1 offshore record in both in monohull and multihull at the same time.

What is the ideal forecast for this race? Also, what about the worst-case forecast? Also, what makes these forecasts positive/negative for the sailors?

The absolute ideal forecast for this race is to have a 25 to 30 knots northeasterly breeze. No wind or a typhoon would be a negative.

We certainly heard a lot about the fishing fleets off of Hong Kong during the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet last winter…will the Hong Kong to Hainan fleet have to deal with these same fishing boats? If so, what will be done to keep both the racers and the fishermen safe? Or, is this an impossible situation to manage? Can you please explain?

All of our entries have experienced offshore crew and in particular experience in sailing across the China Sea.

Even so, race organizers have brought the start forward by two hours to ensure that boats get offshore in daylight hours.

Can you tell us about any steps that you and there regatta organizers have recently taken to reduce the race’s environmental footprint? (Perhaps a ban on single-use plastic cups/straws or a partnership with Sailors for the Sea, etc?)

In 2016, to coincide with World Oceans Day, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club stopped providing single-use plastic bottles, bags and straws. The Club is committed to reducing its impact on the environment.

The [Royal Hong Kong Yacht] Club partners with Sailors for the Sea and both Hong Kong Race Week and the 29er World Championships, [and has] attained Gold Status Clean Regatta.

Related Articles

Puget Sound sailing, Etchells, J/70s, Cup news
Seeking Goldilocks conditions on Puget Sound, Etchells NAs, J/70 U.S. Nationals, AC38 news As the saying goes, 'you don't know unless you go'. While I've mostly heard this phrase applied to climbing, skiing, and mountaineering, four late-winter and springtime races on Puget Sound this year exemplified the fact that this line. Posted on 20 May
The appeal of offshore
Is there still appeal? Have we made it too onerous? Why would someone take it up now? I had been pondering. Yes. Marquee events have no issue attracting entrants. Middle Sea, Transpac, Cape to Rio, Fastnet, and Hobart all spring to mind instantly, but what of the ‘lesser' races? Lots of boats in pens (slips) a lot of the time Posted on 18 May
Banger Racing, Back Racing and No Racing
Racing on the cheap, a return to racing for young Aussies, and ILCA struggles We start with racing on the cheap at the Colander Cup, then focus on a return to racing for the Aussies at the Youth Worlds, moving on to a complete lack of racing at the ILCA Worlds, and then looking at how SailGP should be back out on the water. Posted on 14 May
Exposure Marine Fastnet Race Kit Video Review
A set of 3 torches specifically designed for offshore racing crews It's a huge year for offshore sailing, and arguably the biggest event of the summer is the Rolex Fastnet Race. Within an hour of entries opening the Royal Ocean Racing Club had received a record 435 yacht registrations. Posted on 14 May
Touching base with Francesca Clapcich
Francesca Clapcich on her 2028-2029 Vendee Globe campaign In late March, Italian-American sailor Francesca “Frankie” Clapcich announced that her Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing will campaign for the 2028-2029 edition of the Vendee Globe race. Posted on 13 May
How Seldén Carbon Masts are made
I took a look around the Seldén Mast factory with Richard Thoroughgood to find out more I took a look around the Seldén Mast factory with Richard Thoroughgood from Seldén to find out a bit more about how the carbon tow reels become the masts that we use when out sailing. Posted on 12 May
SAY it with intent! SAY it in carbon…
You know, you might also have to SAY it in epoxy. You know, you might also have to SAY it in epoxy. Get all that, and you are certainly someone who needs to know about SAY Carbon Yachts. It's all about efficiency, acceleration, pace, and the amount of horsepower required to get there. Posted on 8 May
Night sailing, Transat Paprec, Congressional Cup
Night sailing, encountering light airs in the Transat Paprec, Congressional Cup We bundled up as the last of the rays sunlight dipped below the Olympic Mountains and night quietly fell on Puget Sound. We'd been racing for about twelve hours in the Seattle Yacht Club's Protection Island Race (April 26), and we were getting tired. Posted on 6 May
For the love of slightly larger, even faster boats
Bring it on. No chicken chutes allowed. Celestial, the newest Cape 31 in Oz is up and racing Thank you. You have let For the love of small, fast boats run before the breeze like a superlight planning hull under way too big a kite, with immense sheep in the paddock, and the Sailing Master grasping the flare gun in his pocket... No chicken chutes. Posted on 4 May
Touching base with Erden Eruç
Erden Eruç on his 2026 Golden Globe Race campaign Adventures come in all sizes, scales, speeds, and price tags. My longtime friend and sometimes shipmate Erden Eruç was the first person to complete a human-powered solo circumnavigation. He's now turning his attention to the 2026 Golden Globe Race. Posted on 1 May
Maritimo 2023 S600 FOOTERSea Sure 2025PredictWind - Offshore App 728x90 BOTTOM