The Hong Kong Race Week started Saturday 14th February hosting for the first time the ASAF Youth Cup with the RS:One Class amongst other Sailing Classes.
The Hong Kong Royal Yacht Club of Middle Island has been delivering an outstanding welcome and race management for this second ASAF Youth Cup stop over.[more]
The breezy and rough conditions of Saturday with gusts up to 20 knots allowed to compete the 3 first races. Sunday, the weather offered a slightly more challenging plate with gusty and shifty breeze of 12 knots.
The wind that everyone at Hong Kong Race Week had been hoping for did not arrive on day three – even Wind Guru was predicting gusts of 1kt in the afternoon. If that wasn’t enough, the race areas were shrouded in thick fog making visibility very poor.
Hong Kong Race Week’s 340 sailors and volunteers must have all crossed their fingers and toes overnight to ensure that the weather gods brought back the breeze and cleared the fog in time for the final day of racing.
Conditions weren’t looking particularly favourable at the start of the day with some residual fog and only 4kts of breeze. However conditions improved considerably and the first race of the day started in 8 kts. Race Officer Dave Norton said “Conditions continued to improve and the first race finished in 10 to 12 kts. The second race of the day for the windsurfers went ahead and the wind speed built to 15kts.
“We ended the regatta having completed eight races for all fleets in area D – a fantastic effort from the sailors and volunteers, considering we lost a day’s racing yesterday.”
The prizegiving ceremony was held after racing at Middle Island. RHKYC Rear Commodore Sailing Anthony Day began the proceedings and thanked the competitors, the Race Officers and Regatta Committee. He then introduced Neil Pryde who gave a few words to the crowd before presenting the prizes for the 29er, Hobie 16, RSX, Techno 293 and RSOne classes. Chairman Peter Davies addressed the crowed thanking his regatta committee and the over 100 volunteers that were required to run the regattas. Peter then turned the microphone over to Manu Messiaen who who made a speech on behalf of ASAF thanking HKSF and RHKYC for hosting the regatta and looked forward to the event growing in the future. Leo Wong of the Hong Kong Government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Departments rounded off the prize giving by awarded prizes to the 2.4 Metre, 470, 420, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, Green Fleet and Optimist classes.
We look forward to welcoming even more competitors to the 2016 Hong Kong Race Week!
more about the Hong Kong Race Week:
http://www.hongkongraceweek.com
more about the ASAF Youth Cup:
http://www.asiansailing.org
