Please select your home edition
Edition
KZRaceFurlers

SHK Scallywag shoots for GROUPAMA Race double

by Lisa Ratcliff / OCC 5 Mar 2020 22:06 PST From 21 June 2020
SHK Scallywag Orma 60 © SHK Scallywag

The current monohull record holders for the GROUPAMA Race around New Caledonia will return in 2020 with a Hong Kong team hungry to also claim the multihull record for the biennial South Pacific race starting June 21.

"This time the team will take the Sun Hung Kai FUKU Scallywag trimaran sporting all its new modifications," said skipper David Witt.

As well as a spiffy new paint job and set of North Sails, structural changes include new front foils with a rake system, new T rudders to allow the boat to fully foil, plus new hydraulic, PLC and electrical systems.

"Basically everything on the boat has been renovated or replaced to make it like new, and at the frontline of foiling technology for an offshore racing boat," Witt commented. "We are expecting an increase of boat speed reaching and running of approximately 20 - 30%."

He recalls from the 2016 race with the 100-foot supermaxi: "The start of the race was well supported with hundreds of boats on the water and thousands of people on the shoreline, which was very impressive. Sailing around the atoll with clear, flat, blue water, breeze and high cliffs was one of the best sailing experiences the team has had."

SHK Scallywag 100 set a time of 2 days 13 hours 19 minutes and 55 seconds. Rather than return with the same boat, the ORMA 60 trimaran from owner Seng Huang Lee's Hong Kong stable is going to have a crack at the multihull record of 2 days, 00h 33min 12s. The fastest course time was also set in 2016, by another ORMA 60 - Frank Racing/Team Vodafone skippered by Simon Hull from New Zealand.

"Scallywag 100 holds the monohull record and we'd like to break the multihull record, and hold both the Groupama and the Hong Kong to Vietnam Race," Witt added.

For owners considering adding their names to the growing entry list, the Australian international yachtsman says: "It will be well worth the trip!"

The unique New Caledonia Groupama Race is a demanding South Pacific adventure of 654 nautical miles, timed to follow on from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's PONANT Sydney Noumea Yacht Race.

A number of Sydney owners have signed up for the double including Ian Edwards' Wings, a Dehler 46 and 2018 entrant making a return to the French paradise, and Stephen Dadour's Solutions, a smaller Dehler 41.

Discounted marina rates at Port Moselle are available to competitors entered in both the PONANT Sydney Noumea and GROUPAMA races. Right beside the marketplace is where the race village will be set up for daily live briefings, live entertainment and fun activities, and where newly arrived crews will talk on stage each evening about the highs and lows of the 654 nautical mile challenge.

As well as fully crewed (minimum of 3 crew) monohull and multihull categories, organising club Cercle Nautique Calédonien is, for the first time since the debut GROUPAMA Race in 2008, offering a shorthanded division (minimum of 2) plus a cruising division.

Enter here by Wednesday May 20.

For more about Groupama Race visit:

Website: www.groupamarace.nc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groupamaracenc
Instagram: Groupamarace
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/groupamaracenc

Related Articles

British Classic Week Day 1
Northerly winds gusting 22 knots make for a brisk start Day one at British Classic Week in Cowes saw fast-paced racing around the cans sponsored by Spirit Yachts for over 50 classic and modern classic yachts. Posted today at 7:05 pm
International Moth Worlds Opening Ceremony
137 sailors from 25 nations have gathered, featuring some of the biggest names in sailing After weeks of preparation and an intense lead-up, the 2025 Moth World Championship is ready to get under way. Official racing begins tomorrow, 8 July, on the waters of Lake Garda, with the event hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine. Posted today at 6:33 pm
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 2
No racing, but spirits stay high in Aarhus Day 2 of the iQFOiL World Championship in Aarhus tested the patience of sailors, coaches, and the Race Committee alike, as the wind refused to settle across the bay. Posted today at 5:07 pm
Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. Posted today at 3:45 pm
Protect Your Skin, Stay Out Longer
Rooster know that long days on the water are what summer is all about At Rooster, we know that long days on the water are what summer is all about. But with the sun high and strong, protecting your skin is just as important as protecting your kit. Posted today at 11:00 am
GWA Youth Wingfoil World Championship overall
The Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom action rwaps up in Costa Brava The Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom action at the the GWA 2025 Youth Worlds wrapped up after a week of intense action at San Pere Pescador, Spain, with the teenage champions chosen in the U14, U16 and U19 age groups. Posted today at 7:24 am
A dream realised for Litchfield's Hound
The Nielsen 59 Hound finished the Transatlantic Race 2025 on July 5 Dan Litchfield's classic Nielsen 59 Hound, co-skippered by Tom Stark, finished the Transatlantic Race 2025 on July 5 in an elapsed time of 16 Days, 08 Hours, 49 Mins and 22 Secs. Posted today at 7:08 am
Marblehead to Halifax Race Update
JV 66 Temptation/Oakcliff leads after 100 nautical miles After 100 nautical miles, Temptation/Oakcliff a JV 66 from Oakcliff Sailing Club out of Oyster Bay New York was in the lead closely followed by the other 66 footer in the race Boudicca, a King Marine Rachel Pugh 66 skippered by Rich Moody. Posted today at 3:10 am
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 2
Philip Köster triumphs again in Pozo Izquierdo Köster survives a late scare to earn an eighth Pozo event title, and first 5-star victory since 2022, in even windier conditions than Saturday. Posted on 6 Jul
A perfect start to the 5th annual AEGEAN 600
Cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind At the very southern end of the Greek mainland at Cape Sounion in Attica, today's start to the 5th edition of the AEGEAN 600 was perfect: cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind. Posted on 6 Jul
V-DRY-XHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeAllen Dynamic 40 Footer