Volvo China Coast Regatta 2023 Preview
by Guy Nowell 11 Oct 2023 13:23 AEDT
13-15 October 2023
China Coast Regatta 2022 © RHKYC / Guy Nowell
After last weekend's rain of biblical proportions, and rumours that Noah has signed up an entry in Premier Cruising, Hong Kong sailors are hoping for less of a downpour for next weekend's Volvo China Coast Regatta 2023.
Those who remember way back when - it's 30 years this year - will recall that the regatta was created following the demise of the China Sea Series, which had become just one standalone race. Neil Pryde and Steve Ellis were the people who kicked some international butt and got the entries on the board. In those days full-week regattas were the thing, and the inaugural China Coast Cup based out of Clearwater Bay Marina and sailed all over the patch between Steep Island, the Ninepins, and Po Toi, was an absolute blast. October was judged to provide the best sailing conditions of the year in Hong Kong, and the event has been a fixture in the calendar ever since.
These days, the event is based out of Middle Island, with cans racing on the Worlds Course, aka the Lamma Patch, which seems to shrink every year, and some islands courses up beyond Po Toi to Waglan and occasionally the Ninepins. The IRC boats race three days, and the PHS fleet joins in for the weekend.
'Regatta recovery' across the region has not been as rapid as some of us anticipated - the Top of the Gulf Regatta has disappeared from the hymn sheet, and so has Phuket Raceweek. Last year's Phuket King's Cup opened with 19 boats when 80-plus had previously been the usual order of the day. What used to be a year-round calendar of events has been seriously impaired, but the Hong Kong racing fleet must have been gestating during the covid shutdown years.
Friday's opening strokes will feature five TP52s in the Racer 0 division (Phoenix, Free Fire, Standard Insurance Centennial, Happy Go, Rampage 88), and the Racer 1 line up includes six versions of fast 40+ speed machines - two Ker 46s and a 42, a pair of Neos and a Carkeek 40. This regatta fleet has strength in depth: IRC 2 has attracted all the usual culprits, and now boasts three Cape 31. (There's a fourth in Hong Kong, but the crew must be busy sailing on something bigger). IRC 3 features six seasoned campaigners, including Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack (J/109, 1.014) still basking in the glory of a China Sea Race win, and once again up against Andy Pidden's J/99, Juice (1.016). As a friend outside Hong Kong pointed out, "who needs to travel the regatta circuit when all the best competition is at home?"
China Coast Raceweek consists of the Volvo China Coast Regatta (13-15 October) and the Volvo Hong Kong to Vietnam Race (starts 24 October) and is organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
www.chinacoastraceweek.com