| The latest sailing news from Asia and the world. |
12 Oct 2017 |
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  Optimists and Scallywags
 | | Final day – 2017 Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship © Guy Nowell / Optimist Asian & Oceanian Champs |
Launching 138 Optimists down one slipway in under 18 minutes is a tour de force of the highest order. It requires imagination, organisation, enthusiasm and effort, and those are just the qualities that characterised last week's 2017 Optimist Asian & Oceaninan Championship. Congratulations to the overall winner, Muhammad Kei (SGP), but equally congratulations to the other 137 young sailors, the 100+ volunteers, the officers of the IODA and HKODA, the Jury, the Measurers, the staff at RHKYC Middle Island, the RHKYC Sailing Office and the thoroughly dedicated race management team. RO Charlie Manzoni climbed off a flight from San Francisco at 05.30h on the Monday morning having sailed in the Etchells Worlds, and was on station at Middle Island at 08.00h. “Yes, I have had a shower and a shave,” he said. That pretty much sums up the energy that went into this event. It was a phenomenal five days of good sailing breeze that allowed all the ‘individual' racing schedule to be completed in good order. Day three's team racing looked for a moment as if it might be a write off, but even that was only a brief meteorological hiccough.
 | | Prologue, sunset on-board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 09 October, 2017 Volvo Ocean Race |
In slightly bigger boats, the Volvo Ocean Race's non-scoring ‘prologue', now re-christened the ‘slow-logue', was cut to a short finish when the breeze died, leaving Mapfre with a nominal lead and the Hong Kong entry, SHK Scallywag, in an equally nominal last place. The scoring starts soon. Thus far the rogue HK social experiment has failed to distinguish itself, finishing last in three races and second-last in two more. Maybe they are deliberately getting rid of all the bad vibes before the main event starts, and will be electric from here on in. Maybe.
 | | Wet stuff - 2015 China Coast Regatta © RHKYC/Guy Nowell |
Closer to home, the Volvo China Coast Raceweek (not to be confused with the Volvo Ocean Race, which arrives for a stopover in Hong Kong in January 2018) starts tomorrow, Friday. The customary Welcome Drinks will take place at RHKYC Kellett Island this evening. CCRW consists of three days of inshore racing based out of RHKYC Middle Island will be followed on 18 October by the Hong Kong to Vietnam Race, the 673nm ride in the northeasterlies down to Nha Trang. Hang on to your hat. Said Duncan Hine, skipper of Phillip Turner's RP66 Alive, “It was so much fun last time (2015), we had to come all the way back from Australia for another go.” Please spread the word, Mr Hine; some people believe that this should the biggest offshore racing draw card in Asia.
Some years ago the China Cup International Regatta produced a particularly syrupy self-promo video that featured CEO David Zhong in a ‘fireside chat' sequence. He turns to camera and says, “China... Cup. Can you imagine the power of those two words together?” China Cup likes to compare itself in status with the America's Cup, and it is quite possible that Mr Zhong, a non-sailor, confused America (the country) with America (the boat) on that occasion. Whatever. In the most recent piece of self-puffery, the China Cup rates itself alongside both the AC and the WMRT, which is not really cricket. Or even sailing, for that matter.
Standing by on 72.
Guy Nowell, Asia Editor
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