Anticipation builds for Rolex China Sea Race start on 4th March

Rolex China Sea Race 2024 © Rolex / Andrea Francolini

Anticipation is building as the Rolex China Sea Race, Asia's premier offshore yacht race, prepares to get under way on Wednesday 4 March. Organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC), the biennial event will see an international fleet tackle the demanding 565 nautical mile course from Hong Kong, China, across the South China Sea to Subic Bay in the Philippines.

Title Sponsor since 2008, Rolex enjoys an equally longstanding partnership with RHKYC, one of the oldest and most prestigious yacht clubs in the world. These relationships are foundation stones within a near 70-year association with yachting.

This year's edition is expected to attract a competitive fleet of IRC, PHS, and Double Handed entries, and - for the first time - a Single Handed entry, featuring both seasoned offshore campaigners and ambitious newcomers.

Twenty two boats are entered for the 2026 Rolex China Sea Race, with five international teams travelling to Hong Kong. Overseas entries include Australian (Team Alive-Rampage), Chinese Mainland (Seawolf), and three boats from the Philippines - Standard Insurance Centennial V, Centennial VII and Hurricane Hunter.

IRC Racer

The IRC Racer class forms the largest and most competitive fleet in the race, showcasing premier racing yachts from across Asia.

Returning to the start line as defending Line Honours and IRC Overall Winners from 2024 is Nie Hua's Happy Go.

Other Line Honours favourites include Phillip Turner's Reichel/Pugh 66 Team Alive-Rampage. A two-time winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the team arrives fresh from securing both Line Honours and IRC Overall victory in the 2025 Hong Kong to Vietnam Race, Team Alive-Rampage returns as a leading contender with Noel Chan's Rampage team on board, with eyes firmly on the race record - currently held by Alive since 2016.

Also returning is 2023 Line Honours winner Ernesto Echauz's Reichel/Pugh 75 Standard Insurance Centennial V, the first Philippine flagged yacht to ever claim Line Honours in the Rolex China Sea Race.

A competitive battle is expected among the Philippine entries, with Standard Insurance Centennial VII set to race head to head against Albert Altura's Beneteau First 40 CR Hurricane Hunter. They will face strong international opposition from Chinese Mainland entry William Liu's Ker 42 Custom Seawolf, which finished 2nd IRC Overall in both 2018 and 2024 and is now targeting its first overall title.

Local competition will also be fierce. Hugues de Saint Germain's A40RC Ocean's Five, second overall in the 2025 Hong Kong to Hainan Race will line up against Stefan Filip's Neo 400+ Neo One, runner up in IRC Division 1 at the 2024 Rolex China Sea Race.

Johnson Yuen returns aboard Summit 40 Zoe's Guard, while Olivier Decamps's Swan 45 Mazu and Glenn Smith's Grand Soleil Wildcard will make their debut appearances in the Rolex China Sea Race.

Short-handed racing

Short handed competition continues to grow in prominence. Philippe Grelon returns for his fourth Rolex China Sea Race as a double handed entry aboard Sun Odyssey 47 Tuatahi racing against Andrew Pidden's J99 Juice.

Henning Müller's Sun Fast 3600 Zesst—runner up in IRC Division 3 at the 2024 Rolex China Sea Race and IRC Overall winner of the inaugural Eastern Asia Offshore Race—will go head to head with fellow Sun Fast 3600 contender 2Easy. Volvo Ocean Race sailor Tiger Mok will take on the challenge single handed, marking the first solo entry in the history of the Rolex China Sea Race.

IRC Premier

The IRC Premier division features five seasoned yachts. Franco Cutrupia's Solaris 60 Fenice, who claimed both Line Honours and IRC Overall in the 2025 Hong Kong to Hainan Race, will race head to head with Thomas Attenborough's Swan 56 Parnassus, Peter Churchouse's Custom Warwick 64 Moonblue 2, Carl Wilkinson's Bavaria 56 Lisa Elaine and Yiu Kwai Szeto's Grand Soleil 50 Glory, marking the boat's first Rolex China Sea Race appearance.

PHS

The PHS fleet includes Bradley Wilkins, who returns for his second Rolex China Sea Race aboard Oceanis 50 Blowers Daughter, alongside Sunny Leung's Oceanis 46 Jibulai.

Renowned for its tactical complexity and testing conditions, the Rolex China Sea Race is a true examination of offshore sailing skill, endurance, and teamwork. A presence in global sailing since 1958, Rolex has supported many elements of the sport, from pioneering exploration to legendary offshore races, as well as forging enduring partnerships with some of the sport's most pre-eminent yacht clubs. While the Swiss watchmaker celebrates the journey undertaken by all crews competing in the Rolex China Sea Race, the outstanding achievement of teams winning Line Honours and Overall is recognized by a specially engraved timepiece.

Starting on 4 March in Victoria Harbour one of Hong Kong's most iconic backdrops, competitors must contend with shifting winds, strong currents, and complex weather systems as they race south through the South China Sea towards Subic Bay.

For more information visit Rolex China Sea Race website.