Ahoy! April 2015 by Koko Mueller

Contents

12 22 18

The Bridge

Features

Rowing

Events | Promotions

4 Calendar 6 Commodore’s Message 8 General Manager’s Message 10 RHKYC Charity Foundation 10 Kellett Island Development

12 Hong Kong Race Week 17 Sailors for the Sea 18 JEANNEAU Class Regatta 22 Inclusive Sailing: Sailability Hong Kong and 2.4mR Racing 24 Boracay Cup 26 San Fernando Race

33 Hong Kong Coastal Rowing Championships 34 Lantau Coastal Rowing Regatta 34 Local Race Series 35 University Elite Programme 36 Shing Mun 1

44 On the Horizon 45 F&B Food Promotions 46 Wine Page 48 Wine Form

Hong Kong Race Week

Sailing

Photo: HKRW / Guy Nowell

29 Starter’s Box 29 San Fernando Race Deadlines and Timetable 30 The San Fernando Race Foundation – Part Two 31 Sailing Development | Training

Marine 37 Marine | Boatyard 38 Ship Shop 39 Classified Page 40 Marine Directory

Club LINES 49 Club Directory 49 Members, Staff and Other News and Announcements

Other Sports 42 Squash 43 Kellett Golf Society

www.rhkyc.org.hk Vice Patrons Jimmy Farquhar, Li Fook Hing, Bob Wilson; Commodore Mark Whitehead; Vice Commodore Robert Stoneley; Rear Commodore Sailing Anthony Day; Rear Commodore Club John Woo; Honorary Secretary Charlie Manzoni; Honorary Treasurer George Li; Rowing Captain Alice Page. For other Club contact details please refer to the Club Directory on page 49. Advertising or Editorial Enquiries contact RHKYC PR Department at ahoy@rhkyc.org.hk or 2239 0307 or 2239 0312 Ahoy! Design Michelle Shek, MYND Design. Articles for Ahoy! can be emailed to ahoy@rhkyc.org.hk or left in the Ahoy! pigeon hole at Kellett Island. The Club reserves the right to edit articles. All opinions expressed in this publication are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect the views of the General Committee of the RHKYC. Copies of the magazine are available at Reception and to view the e-version of the magazine (and back copies) go to the RHKYC website.

MON

TUE

WED

San Fernando Race

THU

FRI

Easter Lunch Buffet and Egg Hunt

starts 1 April

SAT

SUN

Wagyu Beef Promotion in the Compass Room

in the Compass Room

The Bridge

Sunday 5 April 1200hrs to 1430hrs (Egg Hunt at 1330hrs)

1 to 30 April

SanRace Fernando San Fernando starts Race starts Wagyu Beef Promotion in the Compass Room Burgers in the Bistro with selected items at Middle Island and Shelter Cove 1 to 30 April Kellett Island Wine Fair Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth 420 Clinic Youth Intro to Racing Youth Optimist Racing Clinic Rowing Beginner Camp Day 3

Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth Keelboat Crew and Skipper Course Youth Intro to Laser Adult Beginners Sailing Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 1

Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth Keelboat Crew and Skipper Course Youth Intro to Laser Adult Beginners Sailing Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 2

April

Burgers in the Bistro with selected items at Middle Island and Shelter Cove

Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth 420 Clinic Youth Intro to Racing Youth Optimist Racing Clinic Rowing Beginner Camp Day 4

Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth 420 Clinic Youth Intro to Racing Youth Optimist Racing Clinic J/80 Crew Course RYA Powerboat Level 2 Assessment Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 5

Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist 3 Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth Keelboat Crew and Skipper Course Youth Intro to Racing Youth Optimist Racing Clinic Adult Beginners Sailing Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 3

Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth Keelboat Crew and Skipper Course Youth Intro to Racing Youth Optimist Racing Clinic Adult Beginners Sailing Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 4

Shelter Cove Wine Fair Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2, 3 and Go Sailing Youth Intro to Racing Youth Optimist Racing Clinic Adult Beginners Sailing Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 5

Photography 101

Speaker’s Corner with Dr Stephen Davies

Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2 and Go Sailing

27 4

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21 Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2 and Go Sailing

22 Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2 and Go Sailing

Easter Lunch Buffet and Egg Hunt in the Compass Room Supervised Sailing Session J/80 Crew Course Head of the Bay

Match Racing HK Nationals Class Racing Dinghy Racing Fathers and Daughters Dance Adult Beginners Sailing Course 1 Powerboat Level 2 Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 6

Adult Beginners Sailing Course Intro to Small Keelboat RYA Powerboat Level 2 Course Head of the Bay

Match Racing International Regatta Class Racing Ocean Film Festival

Jazz, R&B and Swing Dancing on the Main Bar Balcony Platu Skipper Course

23 Steps 1,2,3,4 and Go Optimist HKSF Levels 1, 2 and Go Sailing

Class Racing Supervised Sailing Session J/80 Crew Course Rowing Beginner Camp Day 6

Spanish Wine Dinner in the Compass Room

1 to 30 April

Optimist Practice Optimist Silver Squad Adult Beginners Sailing Course Platu Skipper Course Radio Course Oxford and Cambridge Race

Class Racing

Dinghy Racing Optimist Silver Squad Youth Sailing Club Supervised Sailing Session Intro to Small Keelboat J/80 One Day Supervised Course

Wines and Beer of the Month Burgundy, France Albert Bichot Mâcon Villages Blanc 2013 Albert Bichot Bourgogne Pinot Noir ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2012/13

MAY

Optimist Practice Optimist Silver Squad Adult Beginners Sailing Course Supervised Sailing Session

24 Middle Island Day

Optimist Silver Squad Youth Sailing Club Adult Beginners Sailing Course Platu Skipper Course Radio Course

Poretti Beer

EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD GROUP PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT PARTNER OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB The Rothschild family has a remarkable history that dates back over 250 years and their association with competitive sailing, which began in 1876, is truly unique. For almost 140 years, « Gitana » has conjured up images of a line of boats, which tell of a family passion that has constantly been driven by the pursuit of excellence. The Rothschild’s are continuing a tradition based on expertise and innovation, performance and beauty, a history where each generation has left its own remarkable imprint. Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, Chairman of the Edmond de Rothschild Group, has inherited his family’s keen passion for the sport. Creating the Gitana Team in 2000, he transformed a family passion into a school of excellence and has been actively involved in their success ever since.

Sebastien Josse, skipper of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild Gitana XV, the latest in the Edmond de Rothschild Group’s dynasty of offshore trimaran racers and winner of the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre competition, secured an impressive 3rd place in the 2014 Route du Rhum. The victory was widely hailed by his peers, given the boldness of his feat: striking out alone on the Atlantic against 30-metre and bigger trimaran maxis while skippering an offshore multihull equipped for the first time with T-foil rudders. Aided by this spirit of innovation and cutting-edge technology, the Gitana Team has now set a new challenge for itself: taking part in the next Vendée Globe competition, starting on 6 November, with a new Imoca-class boat.

Edmond de Rothschild Group is proud to be the Official Wealth Management Partner of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. Edmond de Rothschild Group has been named the title sponsor of both the Spring and Autumn Regattas as a new Regatta Series. EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD (SUISSE) S.A., HONG KONG BRANCH Suite 5001, 50th Floor, One Exchange Square 8 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong T. +852 3765 0600 – F. + 852 2877 2185 www.edmond-de-rothschild.hk

Commodore’s Message

The Bridge

March was an extremely busy month for the Club, for both rowing and sailing. Congratulations to all competitors who participated in the Pedro Blanco Race (28 February to 1 March), Jeanneau Class Regatta (7 to 8 March), Inter-School Sailing Festival (14 to 15 March) and Big Boat Spring Cup (21 to 22 March). And on the rowing side, the HKCRA Coastal Rowing Championships sponsored by StartJG (1 March) and the Spring Schools Invitational Rowing Regatta (21 March). It’s Commodore Mark Whitehead great to see the participation 會長韋浩德 growing in coastal rowing in Hong Kong, with the Championships attracting over 90 entries from juniors to novice athletes. There were also some excellent times achieved from the juniors at the on-going Junior Time Trials, and I wish them all the best of luck in the next stage. Congratulations to Thorwen Uiterwaal, Dolf Hendriksen and Lana Davies who are amongst the five sailors who have been selected to represent Hong Kong during the IODA Worlds 2015 this summer in Poland, and to Duncan Gregor and Abbey Hammond who are amongst the four sailors selected to represent Hong Kong at the IODA Europeans 2015 in the UK. We are very pleased to hear that, on the advice of the Sports Commission, sailing has joined the ranks of sports that will receive Tier A support from the Elite Training Programme run by the Hong Kong

Sports Institute for the four-year elite sport funding cycle up to 2019. Of course we have always known that sailing is an elite sport but it’s nice to have this recognised! Coming up in April is the San Fernando Race which starts on 1 April. So far 24 boats have entered, and I am looking forward to seeing if Ragamuffin 90 can beat the current record of 49h 55m 12s which has been held by Sam Chan since 2001. I am also keenly anticipating the Match Racing Nationals and top sailors visiting the Club for the International Match Racing Regatta. There is another big sailing weekend on the horizon with the HKRNVR Memorial Vase, the deciding pursuit race for the Old Mutual Top Dog Trophy Series, taking place on May Day and the Nations’ Cup scheduled for the following day – get your entries in! We are now considering additional stages to the Kellett Island Development – the Waterside extension which will house the gymnasium, bowling alley and children’s facilities, and the conversion of the old bowling alley into meeting/function rooms and a roof dining facility. These additional stages will cost approximately $80m and a Zero-Coupon Bond has been devised as a means to bridge the gap to allow them to be completed. These new Bonds will be offered at the same attractive interest rate of 4% per annum. Please email kiforum@rhkyc.org.hk to register your interest and we will send you a copy of the full Deed Poll document. Please don’t forget that our Electoral General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 9 June and if you would like to put forward names for consideration by the Nominating Committee, the deadline is Tuesday 14 April – please email to commodore@rhkyc.org.hk

三月非常緊忙，遊艇會舉行了多場帆船和划艇比賽。恭喜所有參加了2月 28 至3月1日大青針帆船賽的選手、3月7至8日 Jeanneau 級別帆船賽的選手、3月14至15日校際帆船節的選手和3月21至22日大帆船春季杯賽的選手。賽艇方面， 3月1日由 StartJG 贊助的香港海岸賽艇錦標賽和3月21 日的春季校際邀請賽，吸引了不少選手參加 — 單是前者便有超過90隊青年選手和賽艇新手比賽，可見海岸賽艇愈來愈受歡迎。同時，年輕划艇手亦在選拔賽中屢創佳績，我衷心祝願他們更上一層樓。

聖費蘭多帆船賽於 4 月 1 日正式開始，暫時有 2 4 艘船參賽。到底 Ragamuffin 90 號能否打破陳永燊在2001年創下的49小時55分12秒紀錄？敬請拭目以待。

暑假期間，Thorwen Uiterwaal、Dolf Hendriksen 和 Lana Davies 將聯同另外兩人，代表香港到波蘭參加 IODA 世界錦標賽2015。而 Duncan Gregor 和 Abbey Hammond 亦被選中，跟兩位帆船手代表香港到英國參加 IODA 歐洲錦標賽2015。恭喜他們！

我們現正考慮在吉列島改建工程增添兩個項目：一，擴大兒童遊樂場位置，以容納健身室、保齡球場和兒童設施；二，改建現有保齡球場成會議室和天台餐廳。為此，我們準備發行零息債券，以集資額外八千萬去完成項目。此債券年利率同樣為4厘，有興趣認購者，請電郵至 kiforum@rhkyc.org.hk 登記，我們會隨之發出單邊契約副本。

體育委員會宣佈，帆船成功躋身香港體育學院精英項目A級，旗下運動員可在四年內，享有資助和使用體院設施，直至2019年。我們向來認為帆船是項精英運動，現在終於得到認同，實在可喜可賀！

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國際帆船對抗賽舉行在即，頂尖選手將雲集遊艇會比賽，令人相當期待。 5月1日的 HKRNVR 紀念盃帆船賽是場追逐賽，將決定誰是先機國際 Top Dog 盃帆船聯賽的終極冠軍。而民族盃賽亦會緊次其後，於5月2日舉行。別忘了報名！

最後，別忘了6月9日(星期二)的選舉大會，若你想向提名委員會推薦人選，請最遲在4月14日(星期二)發送電郵至 commodore@rhkyc.org.hk。

General Manager’s Message May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Easter.

The Bridge

In addition to all the rowing and sailing events in March the Club was busy with social and dining functions. Among other events we were delighted to have Jamie Boag giving us a fascinating behind-thescenes look at the current Volvo Ocean Race, changes to design and the future of the event which hopefully will make a stopover in Hong Kong in the years to come. General Manager Mark Bovaird

I am pleased to let you know that former Sailing Manager Ailsa Angus has re-joined the staff of the Club in the role of Middle Island Sailing and Marine Manager, taking over the role recently vacated by Richard Knight. Ailsa is responsible for sailing development and also the entire marine operations at Middle Island. She will be ably assisted by Patrick Lam who has been promoted from Senior Keel Boat Instructor to Centre Manager, and by Phoebe Tang and Kelvin Lau. Rob Partridge has been promoted to Head Coach to succeed Nick Hollis and he will be assisted by two new Race Coaches, Alex Dyet and Tom Robinson. Alex has already started and Tom will be starting as soon as his visa application has been approved.

總經理布馬克

Coming up in April is another Speaker’s Corner with Stephen Davies, a photography course with professional photographer Leena Chatwani, the Ocean in Motion Film Festival, and the inaugural Fathers and Daughters Dance in the Compass Room. Full details of all these can be found on the website and on page 44. Plus we have Wagyu beef and

祝大家復活節快樂。除了帆船和划艇比賽，遊艇會在三月亦舉辦了不少社交和餐飲活動，當中不得不提 Jamie Boag 親臨本會，向我們娓娓道來沃爾沃環球帆船賽的種種：由現時賽情、到更改船隻設計和船賽未來發展 — 將來香港有可能成為其中一個停靠港。很高興宣佈，前賽事發展經理 Ailsa Angus 重回本會，接替 Richard Knight 擔任中途島賽事和海事經理，而林智明（Patrick）則由資深龍骨船教練擢升為中心經理，他和鄧鳳瑜（Phoebe）及劉照康（Kelvin）將協助 Ailsa 發展帆船運動和管理中途島所有海上事務。另外，Rob Partridge 剛接替 Nick Hollis，擢升為首席教練，並由兩位新賽事教練 Alex Dyet 和 Tom Robinson 從旁協助。Alex 已開始上班，而 Tom 的工作簽證發出後，亦會正式上任。四月活動繁多，有 Stephen Davies 客席講座、專業攝影師 Leena Chatwani 指導的攝影班、海洋電影節和在 Compass Room 首次舉辦的父女共舞日，詳情可到第44頁或本會網站查閱。此外，我們還有特選和牛菜單、漢堡推廣、西班牙美酒晚宴、復活節自助午餐和尋找復活蛋，詳見第45至47

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burger promotions, a Spanish Wine Dinner, and an Easter Lunch Buffet and Egg Hunt – details on pages 45 to 47. The next Jazz Night will be held on 17 April and swing dancing members will once again be turning the evening into a swing dance night with the Mark Peter Quartet – see page 46. Some members seem to be a little confused about the monthly minimum F&B charge so I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the Bye-Law 6.6 which states that it can only be used against food and beverage consumed in the restaurants or bars at the three Clubhouses, and does not include expenditure on any take-away or yacht stores items. The Kellett Island Development is progressing very well and remains very firmly on time and on budget. As the works progress it is unfortunate that there will be an impact on circulation routes around the Clubhouse, but the Main Bar, Compass Room, Bistro, Banqueting Rooms, Bowling Alley and Swimming Pool all remain open for use. To minimise disturbance to members as much as possible the contractors are barred from doing any noisy work near the restaurant areas during the lunchtime period 1200hrs to 1400hrs, and after 1800hrs. You will have noticed by now that the internal staircase leading from the Bistro to the changing room and the Main Bar is now closed. I am sorry for the inconvenience that this causes in reaching the changing rooms and bathroom facilities but I am afraid it is unavoidable. In addition anyone going from the changing room to the swimming pool will now need to go up via the new steel staircase to the Sundeck, or walk through the new corridor in the Plant Room adjacent to the Sail Locker Storage, or through the car park and use the entrance near the turning circle. We do apologise but hope you will bear with the inconvenience as the end result will be well worth it! As always I look forward to seeing you around the Club.

頁。而4月17日的爵士音樂夜將由 Mark Peter Quartet 演奏音樂，屆時一班搖擺舞者會將該晚變成搖擺舞之夜，詳見第46頁。部份會員似乎不太清楚餐飲最低消費的意思，我借此機會提醒一下各位，附例第6.6條列明，餐飲最低消費只限在遊艇會三個會所的餐廳或酒吧用餐的消費，不包括購買外賣食品或飲品。吉列島發展工程一切順利，符合預期進度和預算。工程期間，部份地點無可避免須改道，但酒吧、Compass Room、Bistro、各宴會室、保齡球場、泳池仍會正常開放。為免滋擾會員，承建商不會在午飯時間中午12至下午 2時，及晚上6時後，在餐廳附近進行噪音工作。相信你們都注意到，由 Bistro 到更衣室和酒吧的樓梯已封閉，去洗手間和更衣室的路程無可避免地變得更迂迴。不便之處，敬請原諒。另外，從更衣室到泳池，須走樓梯上日光浴台；或穿過儲物室旁電機房的新通道；或穿過停車場，再在迴轉處旁的入口，才可到泳池。對於各種不便，我們深感抱歉，但相信工程完成後，環境定必使人滿意！希望在會所碰到你們。

The Bridge

RHKYC Charity Foundation

The RHKYC Charity Foundation hosted the Red Cross Hospital Schools and the Mission to Seafarers for the Lion Dance and Fireworks night at the Club. The Commodore Mark Whitehead also invited a representative from each of the charities and the Foundation to assist him in dotting the eyes of the Lions prior to their spectacular performance.

RHKYC Zero-Coupon Bonds

$1 million Zero-Coupon Bonds

Purchase price $675,600 Purchase a $1 million Zero-Coupon Bond now for $675,600 and upon maturity in 10 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time, each Bond is valued at $1 million Email KIForum@rhkyc.org.hk to register your interest or find out more from the membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; section of the website

| APRIL 2015 AHOY!

Hong Kong Race Week W ords: Koko Muel l er | Photos: Guy N owel l

Feature | Hong Kong Race Week

Race Report Held under the auspices of Hong Kong Sailing Federation (HKSF) and incorporating the second leg of the Asian Sailing Federation (ASAF) Youth Cup, Hong Kong Race Week (HKRW) boasted an entry list of 206 entries and nearly 240 competitors in 12 different one-design classes. The Club organised and hosted the event at Middle Island and apart from staff, an army of over 105 volunteers each day welcomed sailors and windsurfers from China, Chinese Taipei, India, Macau and the United Arab Emirates as well as from all of Hong Kong’s sailing clubs. We were particularly happy to welcome Hong Kong’s Sailability competitors, who participated for the first time in last year’s event and who were campaigning the 2.4mR keelboat this year. Friday 13 February The Practice Race took place in the afternoon with around 80 boats signed on and racing taking place on three of the four courses. The

conditions varied with around 10 to 12kts on Area D and 7 to 9kts at Area B. The Practice Race served as a shakedown which PRO Charlie Manzoni said “was exactly what we needed”, going on to forecast that it would be more breezy the next day. Immediately after the Practice Race, the official Opening Ceremony took place at Middle Island. Regatta Chairman Peter Davies welcomed the sailors, their coaches and families and said he was “delighted to have the participation of our overseas guests from Macau, China, Chinese Taipei, India and Abu Dhabi. We have a large local contingent too, which is fantastic given that so many Hong Kongers go away on holiday at this particular time of year. We are also especially pleased to be able to welcome the windsurfers, another first for this event… which is very much based on the multi-class Olympic model.” Club member Andrew Moore was in attendance on behalf of Hong Kong Sailing Federation, echoing Peter’s sentiments and going on to

Organiser

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Co-organiser

thank Club officers, race officials, volunteers and staff. He also thanked the Home Affairs Bureau (Arts and Sport Development Fund) for their subvention support and thanked the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for their support of Hong Kong Race Week and their continued support of sailing in Hong Kong. Rounding up the speeches were our very own youth sailors, Sofia-Marie Mascia and Aidan Long, who were invited to address the audience as Youth Ambassadors for the charities linked with Hong Kong Race Week; Sailability, Sailors for the Sea, Hong Kong Cleanup, Hong Kong Shark Foundation and Ocean Recovery Alliance. The assembled crowd was then treated to a colourful Lion Dance on the hardstanding. Saturday 14 February The first official day of racing got underway with racing taking place in very windy conditions in all four race areas. The Green Fleet faced very challenging conditions with 8 to 10kts of wind, phasing 50 degrees and gusting 18 to 25kts. RO Alex Hill complimented the young sailors saying they “did an incredible job (and) managed it quite well”. The Green Fleet got three races in and

Area D had a split fleet and it was a very busy day for RO Dave Norton with two classes in the morning and three classes in the afternoon with a total of 15 starts. Dave said, “We had some great wind; 15kts for most of the morning dropping off to about 12kts in the afternoon. There were some great starts, some great action and very clean wind.”

whilst there was a bit of confusion amongst inexperienced racers about courses and other technicalities, there were no major issues. “Overall, a very successful day,” said Alex. It was a similar situation on Area B where the Optimists experienced an average of 18kts with gusts going up to 25kts throughout the day. A fleet of 70 boats reported to the start line, however, by the finish of the first race, only 47 recorded a finish. A large amount of resources was needed to ensure the safety of all the young sailors and everyone did a fantastic job. RO Sofia Mascia said, “I was very impressed with how the sailors handled

the tough conditions and many of them sailed beautiful races. We had a total of three races on an Optimist Worlds course with a duration of 40 minutes (each). We were lucky that the winds kept coming from a steady direction and we had no need to adjust the course – with the exception of a runaway gate mark. The starts were quiet as a strong tide pushed the boats away from the line preventing OCS.” All in all, the RO felt it was a good first day for the Optimist fleet.

Sunday 15 February What a difference a day makes! Or, as PRO Charlie Manzoni described it, “challenging”. Summing up the day’s racing, Manzoni said, “It was a difficult day; we managed to get one race completed in pretty windy conditions however the wind then completely died across all race courses apart from Area D. We then went on the hunt for wind; the Optimists had already moved from Area B to Area C but we eventually sent them home. We took all the Area C boats all the way out to Area D to try to get some races in but we only managed a race for the 420s and the 470s.” Optimist RO Sofia Mascia added. “Due to difficulties with the wind, only one race was

Principal Race Officer Charlie Manzoni Area A Optimist Green Fleet Race Officer – Alex Hill Area B Optimist Main Fleet Race Officer – Sofia Mascia Area C 420 / 470 / Sailability 2.4mR / Laser 4.7 / Laser Radial Race Officer – Brenda Davies Area D Split Fleet – 29er / Hobie 16 and RSX / Techno 293 / RSOne Race Officer – Dave Norton APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Feature | Hong Kong Race Week

Given the strong winds, RO for Area C Brenda Davies had issues in various parts of the course with getting marks to hold. “Unfortunately I had to ‘AP’ several times and then the start pin wouldn’t stick so we ended up starting almost an hour late, but once we got started everything ran smoothly and we didn’t have to alter course,” she said. There was a good steady 20kts throughout the day, causing quite a few boats to suffer gear failure and retire. The biggest attrition was seen in the 420 fleet, with just two boats left racing out of seven, however Brenda was positive, saying, “We basically had good sailing and good wind.” The last race was shortened for everyone by a lap so that they could get home in daylight and get into a hot shower.

Feature | Hong Kong Race Week

sailed despite us changing the sailing area three times in search of some breeze. The young sailors, however, made the most of their down time with water fights!” Fun was also the name of the game for the Green Fleet which raced in Repulse Bay with about 12kts of north easterly. RO Alex Hill was happy, saying, “We had two very good practice starts and we managed to have our Race 4 in about 10 to 12kts. It was a very nice morning but as we started Race 5 the wind became extremely light at 4 or 5kts and as sailors were making their way to the first mark we had a dramatic wind shift. The group had stayed together however and we made the decision to allow the race to continue despite the major shift in the wind. In the end, we managed to get Race 5 completed and I believe that had we abandoned and reset the course we would not have managed to complete Race 5. In the end we stayed on the water and the sailors played some games. We had a fun race just for a laugh to help the sailors make their way home and we landed on time and all seems pretty good.”

Brenda Davies, RO at Area C, said that “sailors were happy with their first race and we were actually well into our sequence for Race 5. The 420s, 470s and 2.4mR were on the course when the wind clocked from about 050 to 330 and dropped away, so at that point we abandoned the race. I thought it was all over and we were going to go for tea but Charlie had a different plan! We zoomed up to Beaufort and piggy backed onto the 29er and Hobie 16 course where I was welcomed on board committee boat Hector Ross. We reset the course, added some extra marks and made the windward / leeward into trapezoid at a high rate of knots and managed to give the 420s and 470s a race. It was in about 4 to 5kts of wind which was okay and (we) ended up shortening the course at the top mark D. The other classes got to go home a little bit earlier. It was a long day!” RO Dave Norton had more luck on Area D. “We had great wind in the morning giving a steady 10 to 12kts for the first two windsurfer races though by noon the breeze had dropped

to 8kts for their third race. We got the 29ers and Hobie 16s away just before 1400hrs and had a great race exactly on target of 30 minutes and by the time we started Race 5, the wind had dropped further.” Overall, despite a slow afternoon with 12 classes racing, a total of 58 races had been completed in the first two days of racing. Everyone went home hoping for the wind to return. Monday 16 February It didn’t happen. The hoped-for wind did not arrive and Wind Guru was predicting gusts of only 1kt in the afternoon. If that wasn’t bad enough, the race areas were shrouded in thick fog making visibility very poor. There was no idle time however, as there were plenty of on-shore activities to keep the sailors occupied including a debrief for some classes based on the TracTrac replays of their racing as well as a treasure hunt and a boat and flag quiz. Charlie Manzoni took a RIB out with Peter Davies shortly before noon in search of some wind, returning half an hour later. Everyone assembled on the hardstanding to hear the disappointing news that there was only around 2.5 to 3kts of breeze across the whole sea area and visibility was pretty poor. The decision was made to abandon racing for the day and everyone crossed fingers and toes that the next day would be better – well, it couldn’t get any worse! Tuesday 17 February The sailors and volunteers must have all crossed their fingers and toes overnight because the weather gods complied and brought back the breeze and cleared the fog in time for the final day of racing. Charlie enthused, “It was an absolutely fantastic day. We had 10 to 12kts right across the whole race course area. We got two round robins in for the Optimists as well as a Medal

| APRIL 2015 AHOY!

Feature | Hong Kong Race Week

race and a Finals race and we got three races in for all the other fleets. We managed to catch up on the schedule and I’m very grateful to all of the competitors for letting us do that… the whole thing has been really good, it’s been a good way to end it.” Green Fleet RO Alex Hill reported, “We had three great races in 10kts building to 12 to 15kts. We were back in Repulse Bay today and had about 29 competitors. The sailors advanced dramatically in their ability over the course of the Green Fleet programme and we are really proud of how well they all did and how much they learned. Some of the starts today were exceptional in terms of comparing back to where these guys started; they did a great job. We are very happy and we enjoyed the Green Fleet and we look forward to them advancing to the main fleet and seeing them again in the future.” On Area B where the Optimists were racing, RO Sofia Mascia said, “Today was a brilliant day. The Medal race was a beautifully tight one; we had a boat leading at the first three mark roundings and then in the last upwind leg, the race was completely turned upside down which made it very exciting. After that we had the Finals race and we had a great, great

breeze of around 15kts and all ended up well.” RO Brenda Davies found quite a bit of fog on Area C to start with but the wind was consistent at 070°, with 6 to 7kts and building. Brenda summarised, “We set a course and started bang on time and to make sure that everyone was up to speed on their races, we started with the classes that had one less race – the Radials, 4.7s and 2.4mR. The wind built progressively and we ended up in the range of 13 to 16kts and we saw some very competitive starts today as well as some tight, fast racing… I was very happy with the course; it worked well, everyone worked hard and the sailors went home happy.” It was a similar situation on Area D where the conditions weren’t looking particularly favourable at the start of the day with some residual fog and only 4kts of breeze. Conditions improved considerably however and the first race of the day started in 8 to 10kts. RO Dave Norton said, “Conditions continued to improve and the first race finished in 10 to 12kts. The second race of the day for the windsurfers went ahead and the wind speed built to 15kts. In the afternoon, the wind speed continued to build which led to three very exciting 29er and Hobie 16 races, with 18kts at the windward mark… the immense effort made by all the competitors was amazing to see. 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. Rear Commodore Sailing Anthony Day began the proceedings and thanked the competitors, the ROs 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 army of volunteers that was required to run Hong Kong Race Week. Peter then handed the microphone over to Manu Messiaen who made a speech on behalf of ASAF thanking HKSF and the Club 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 Department rounded off the prizegiving by awarding prizes to the 2.4mR, 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!

Hong Kong Race Week Committee would like to thank: LCSD, HKSF, ASAF, The Army of Volunteers, both on and off the water, in particular: Steph & Owen Bailey for successfully making 90 trackers work each day and only breaking one; Paul Rechten & Vaughn for operating the drone, mixing footage and daily playback via social media; prizegiving sponsors NeilPryde, North and Rooster ; goodie bag fillers UK Sails, Pocari and EcoZine. Hong Kong Race Week Committee: Peter Davies, Alex Hill, Bal Taylor, Charlie Manzoni, Kathy Truhol, Lucy Sutro, Marcy Trent Long, Peter Backe, Tina Atkinson, Eileen Sze (HKSF), Joe Goddard, Nikki Claringbold, Richard Knight, Rob Partridge. APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Feature | Hong Kong Race Week First row: RS One – 2nd Cheng Ching Yin, 1st Cheng Ho Yin, 3rd Pang Yu Hang; RSX – 2nd Leung Tsz Chung, 1st Kikabhoy Rafeek, 3rd Chan Tsz Kit; Second row: Techno 293 – 2nd Cheung Tin Yu, 1st Lee Long San, 3rd Sin Ho; 470 – 2nd Kwan Wing Ho and Lam Wing Chun, 1st Cheung Ka Ho and Tse Siu Kit, 3rd Tse Sui Lun and Chik Ho Yin; Third row: 1st 29er – Yann Thierry D’Argenlieu and Nathan Bradley; 1st 420 – Calum Gregor and Hugo Christensson; 1st Hobie 16 – Chan Kwok Hung and Gary Ku; Fourth row: 1st Laser Radial – Sofia-Marie Mascia; 1st Optimist Gold Fleet – Naveen Kumanan; 1st Optimist Green Fleet – Kinsey Long; 1st Laser 4.7 – Nicholas Bezy; Fifth row: 2.4mR – 1st Foo Yuen Wai, 2nd Puk Chi Yeung; 2nd Optimist Gold Fleet – Navyn Prabhakar; 2nd Optimist Medal 1st Optimist Medal Fleet – Aniketh Rajaram; Fleet – Chitresh Tatha; 3rd Optimist Medal Fleet – Nancy Highfield

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Sailors for the Sea W ords: S ofia - M arie M ascia

We arranged the donation of Pocari Sweat and Hong Kong Cleanup re-usable water bottles and Hong Kong Race Week purchased a further 500 water bottles that were distributed in every sailor’s registration package and to the 150+ volunteers.

Regattas on the website and throughout the social media pages covering the event. Our Sailors for the Sea-specific ‘tweet’ gained a lot of traction, being retweeted by Sailors for the Sea themselves and reaching over 15,000 of their followers. We also received a congratulatory retweet from Phuket Race Week. Public engagement was very impressive as the local Middle Island community and international sailors all welcomed the change to a plastic water bottle-free regatta. In the future Aidan and I, as heads of the Ambassadors For Change Committee, will continue the Clean Regatta Initiative.

We ensured that marine staff refilled water coolers for the committee boats, and made sure that water bottles were refilled at the designated areas. Additionally, we both spoke at the event’s Opening Ceremony to inform the participants about the initiative and their responsibility not to bring one single plastic bottle to the venue!

s active members of the Club’s sailing team, the Sharks, we know as well as anybody the carbon footprint our sailing community leaves behind in the wake of a large regatta such as Hong Kong Race Week. Sailing, a sport loved by many for its simple combination of boat, wind and water, easily becomes a threat to the ocean once ‘trash’ is added into the mix. As we noticed a lack of awareness in Hong Kong, change in the environmental mentality of our sailing community became imperative. With Hong Kong Race Week coming up, we turned to Sailors For The Sea, a non-profit started in the United States and committed to making Hong Kong Race Week a certified participant of their global ‘Clean Regattas’ programme by attaining three of their requirements. The first was forming a Green Team which consisted of two cadets, Sofia-Marie Mascia

The initiative was a resounding success resulting in a 100% elimination of all single-use plastic water bottles at the event. In addition to every sailor being given not one, but two reusable bottles to use throughout the regatta, single-use plastic bottles were also not sold at the Club. Special water refilling stations were provided at the bar level, in the changing facilities and on the hardstanding. To show its commitment to this initiative going forward, the Club purchased and installed the new filtered water fountains on the hardstanding so that Middle Island can continue to use them in the future. To ensure public awareness and engagement, we advocated our involvement in the Clean

The Inter-School Sailing Festival, which is the largest team racing event in Hong Kong and has the participation of over 150 students, is our next challenge. Due to the changes we made at Hong Kong Race Week, we have achieved the ‘participant’ level of certification from Sailors for the Sea. However, we will also work towards the ‘Gold’ level of certification for both youth and adult sailing regattas as a permanent feature of Middle Island sailing regattas. We welcome your encouragement and participation! APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Feature | Sailors for the Sea

and Aidan Long. With the help of our adult leader Marcy Trent Long, we were able to get the Hong Kong Race Week committee to commit to the initiative, and thus got the approval of the Club’s General Committee.

Feature | JEANNEAU Class Regatta

JEANNEAU Class Regatta W ords: Lindsay Lyons | Photos: Guy N owel l

fter a dull and dreary week in Hong Kong, it was a relief to see the cloud lift in time for the start of the 2015 Jeanneau Class Regatta. Of the 43 boats entered, 26 were in the Long Course fleet consisting of Etchells, Sportsboat and J/80 classes and the remainder from the Short Course fleet consisting of Dragon and Impala classes. With only 5 to 6kts of easterly on offer, Race Officer Simon Boyde wasted no time in getting the first race underway, setting Course 1, the shortest course available for both fleets. Even with these precautions in place, the race took nearly 45 minutes for the fastest boats. First

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Feature | JEANNEAU Class Regatta

boat in the Long Course fleet to get a bullet was Steve Bourne, whose Magic 25 Merlin laid down a marker for the rest of the fleet. In the Short Course fleet Impala Gnu, helmed by Frank Tsui, made a similar impression. With the wind increasing to 8kts, but with the historical threat of a mid-afternoon lull in the breeze hanging over him, Boyde took

no risks and again set Course 1 for both fleets. This time it was Gareth Willamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; turn on Sidewinder to triumph in the Long Course fleet, while Paddy B, skippered by Herman Wong, took the honours in the Short Course division. Sunday welcomed the fleet with brighter, but lighter, conditions. Finding 5 to 6kts

out towards Shelter Island, Boyde stuck with his game plan, offering Course 1 with a windward leg of 0.6nm for the Long Course boats and 0.45nm for the Short Course fleet. Steve Bourne finished after just 33 minutes, recording his second win of the series, while in the Short Course fleet Karl Grebstadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dragon Mei Fei recorded her first win.

APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Feature | JEANNEAU Class Regatta With less than a 10-minute turn-around, the RO set the fleets off on Race 4, lengthening the course by 0.2nm to allow for an increase to 8kts of breeze. The leading boats took 40 minutes to finish, with the wind all but vanishing as the tail end boats were coming in for their finish. For the first time an Etchells, 1364 helmed by Frank van Kempen, took first place on the Long Course, while Gnu recorded her second win in the Short Course division. Boyde elected to up anchor and take the fleets in search of more promising conditions, moving out beyond Shelter Island, towards

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Table Island. This move paid off, presenting around 7 to 8kts and allowing him to complete the regatta with the scheduled five races and accompanying discard. Merlin rounded out her regatta with another win, taking the Long Course division with a total of 6 points after discard, ahead of Etchells Jezebel (Anthony Day) and Dream On (Greg Farrell) on 14.5 and 15.5 points respectively. In the Short Course fleet, Mei Fei scored 1,2,1 for the day to overhaul Gnu by just one point with 6 after discard. Third in division was Paddy B with 13 points after discard.

The prizegiving took place at Kellett Island the following evening, with prizes presented by Paul Blanc from Jeanneau Asia-Pacific and Don Chow, Director of China Pacific Marine. This is the fourth consecutive year that Jeanneau has been the primary sponsor for Class Regatta and the Club is grateful for their continued support. Results 1st Etchells 1st Impala 1st Dragon 1st J/80 1st Sportsboat

Dream On Gnu Mei Fei Unknown Pleasures Merlin

Greg Farrell Frank Tsui Karl Grebstad Richard Johnston Steve Bourne

Feature | JEANNEAU Class Regatta First row: 1st J/80 – Unknown Pleasures; 1st Long Course Fleet, 1st Sportsboat – Merlin; Second row: 1st Short Course Fleet, 1st Dragon – Mei Fei; 2nd Etchells – No Name 1364; 2nd Long Course Fleet, 3rd Etchells – Jezebel; Third row: 12nd Short Course Fleet, 1st Impala – Gnu; 3rd Long Course Fleet, 2nd Impala – Paddy B

Top 6 Long Course Fleet Rank

Boat name

1st Merlin Jezebel 2nd Dream On 3rd R2B2 4th Fuzzy Duck 5th NN 6th Top 6 Short Course Fleet

Class

Sportsboat Etchells Etchells Sportsboat Etchells Etchells

Rank

Boat name

Class

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th

Mei Fei GNU Paddy B Taxi Rainbow Chaser Boss Hogg

Dragon Impala Impala Impala Impala Impala

Sail

64 1333 1269 26 1180 1364 Sail

D51 262 2233 1047 731 1066

Helm

Race 1

Race 2

Race 3

Race 4

Race 5

Total

Nett

1.0 (27.0 OCS) (13.0) 6.0 (14.0) (27.0 OCS)

3.0 2.0 4.0 (8.0) 6.0 15.0

1.0 3.5 3.5 6.0 7.0 2.0

(12.0) 2.0 3.0 4.0 6.0 1.0

1.0 7.0 5.0 2.0 3.5 6.0

18.0 41.5 28.5 26.0 36.5 51.0

6.0 14.5 15.5 18.0 22.5 24.0

Helm

Race 1

Race 2

Race 3

Race 4

Race 5

Total

Nett

Karl J Grebstad Frank Tsui Herman Wong Dennis Chien Wilcox Tam Francis Cheung/Bob Yu

(8.0) 1.0 (7.0) 2.0 3.0 5.0

2.0 (7.0) 1.0 3.0 4.0 (12.0)

1.0 2.0 5.0 6.0 (10.0) 9.0

2.0 1.0 3.0 (7.0) 5.0 4.0

1.0 3.0 4.0 6.0 7.0 2.0

14.0 14.0 20.0 24.0 29.0 32.0

6.0 7.0 13.0 17.0 19.0 20.0

Steve Bourne Anthony Day Greg Farrell Dion Houghton Michael Haehnel Frank van Kempen

The Club would like to thank Race Officer Simon Boyde for another sterling weekend’s work, along with DRO Louise Connolly. A successful regatta would not have been possible without their team over the two days, which included Lesley Anderson, John Breen, Bonnie Cheng, Alex Chu, Ben Dillon, Graham Elliott, Martin Heath, Adrienne Loeffler, Chris Maden, Erwan Stervinou and Ken Ting. APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Feature | Inclusive Sailing: Sailability Hong Kong and 2.4mR Racing

Inclusive Sailing: Sailability Hong Kong and 2.4mR Racing W ords: C atherine Smith and Virgil e Bertrand | Photos: Virgil e S. Bertrand and Bil l C ox

quiet revolution is happening on the waters of Hong Kong. Slowly but surely, sailing is becoming more accessible to people with learning and physical difficulties. Beyond that, competitive racing between able-bodied sailors and sailors with disabilities is becoming a reality and all competitors are better for it. Sailability Hong Kong began as a late night bet at the Hebe Haven Yacht Club. The goal was to make sailing accessible to everyone irrespective of their abilities/disabilities. From a standing start in 2010 Sailability Hong Kong has helped hundreds of young people get on the water and learn to sail. Sailability Hong Kong now owns six 2.4mR single-handed racing yachts, a further six Access 203 and Access 303 dinghies, thanks to the generous sponsorship of charitable foundations, corporate and personal donors in Hong Kong.

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As was widely publicised at the time, one of the members of the Sailability Hong Kong racing team, Foo Yeun Wai, won a bronze medal at the Para Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, in October 2014. This was the team’s, and Foo Yeun Wai’s, first international sailing competition. To win a medal, while competing against a very experienced and competitive Malaysian team in particular, was a huge achievement for Wai and the entire team. But that is only the beginning. The Road to Rio The Hong Kong team’s sights are now set on raising the Bauhinia flag for Hong Kong at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016. In a bid to qualify, the team will compete in the 2.4mR Open World Championships in Finland in August (See: http://www.rauma24worlds.com) and the IFDS World Championships in Melbourne, in November 2015 (see:

http://www.ifdsworlds2015.com). This is a huge undertaking both in terms of training and the logistics of getting the team, their boats and kit to Finland and Australia in the space of four months. The team will charter boats to take part in the Championships in Finland but intend to race their own boats in Australia. There is a collective force of a small but dedicated group of volunteers committed to making this campaign happen. We can all help and contribute to this campaign and the success of the team. 2.4mR Racing and Inclusive sailing Following the America’s Cup in 1980, people in Newport, Rhode Island, started sailing ‘Mini 12m’ yachts named after their larger 12-metre America’s Cup cousins. Swedish yacht designer Peter Norlin then adapted the design, and the 2.4mR was born. The 2.4mR has allowed sailors on a budget, and without

access to or the need for additional crew, to race competitively.

The Hong Kong sailing community has an incredible opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the Hong Kong Sailing Team’s Paralympic campaign. We also have an opportunity to create a lasting legacy to make sailing an inclusive sport in Hong Kong.

For fur ther information on how you can get involved with Sailability Hong Kong 2.4mR racing team’s Paralympic campaign, please contact Mike Rawbone at mike@sailability.org.hk or informally through Club members Virgile Bertrand, mail@virgilebertrand.com or Catherine Smith, htac_htims@yahoo.co.uk Show your support for the Sailability Hong Kong Racing Team by joining their Facebook page, Sailability Hong Kong Racing.

Everyone has a chance to compete on equal terms in a 2.4mR (as they do in all other One Design racing) – it’s not a ‘lesser’ boat but a challenge for all accomplished racers with a level of complexity that makes it in every way comparable to the International Dragon. 2.4mR and the Dragon Class The 2.4mR yachts have more than a passing resemblance to the International Dragon, a fact that has not been lost on the Hong Kong Dragon Class. Last summer the Sailability Hong Kong racing team took part in training sessions on a number of members’ Dragons. This training helped the team with sail trimming and race tactics. Following that Foo Yeun Wai took part as a crew onboard D41 in the Hong Kong Dragon Class Championships off Lamma Island in January. Despite the very challenging conditions (up to BF8 on the first day of racing) Wai completed the regatta with constant dedication and focus, even after having done a 3km road race on the morning of the last day of racing. This showed just what a dedicated athlete Wai is, which can only bode well for his, and his team mates’, forthcoming campaign. Very simple and inexpensive modifications were made to the Dragon to allow Wai to take part in the Dragon Class Championships (literally an IKEA wooden stool and some bolts) and similar adjustments could be made to most other boats with a bit of ingenuity. This exercise showed just how much a sailor with physical disabilities can do on a ‘standard’ design yacht and that ultimately sailors’ disabilities become and are secondary in a team environment. Team work and the sense of accomplishment is what really made our championship so special even if we would have liked to be higher up in the ranking – but this is what we are all aiming for anyway. How YOU can get involved Currently the Sailability Hong Kong racing team is training THREE times a week in the waters of Port Shelter, in preparation for the Open World Championships in Finland. APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Feature | Inclusive Sailing: Sailability Hong Kong and 2.4mR Racing

The 2.4mR is a fantastic racing yacht in the same league as the Dragon and Etchells – the most accomplished sailors such as Heiko Kröger of the German National Team or Damien Seguin of France are multiple medalists in the 2.4mR class and also compete at the highest level on other yachts, not ‘adapted’ for people with disabilities. This clearly demonstrates that the split between able-bodied and disabled sailors is, in many cases, artificial.

Volunteers are always needed to assist to rig the boats, help with training and boat maintenance. You can also help by inviting the Sailability Hong Kong racing team to sail with with your own class or on your own boat. As the Dragons have shown, it certainly can be done.

Feature | Boracay Cup

Boracay Cup W ords: Ian Dubin | Photos: A sian Yachting .com

he last time I was in Boracay, 10 years ago, you couldn’t get there without getting your feet wet. Much has changed since then, but not that. Sailors still have to wade ashore on this tropical isle, although these days the tourists ride in on nice, dry ferries. And there are too many tourists. The island is overdeveloped and crowded, but we didn’t go there for the beach (which is still beautiful), we went for the sailing and we got it! Sailors want wind and Boracay has plenty of it, all day, every day, plus gin-clear water, bright sunshine, a compact venue with everything in walking distance, cheap hotels if you are off the beach, and even cheaper Tanduay Rum, plus did I mention wind? The event combines the Subic to Boracay Race and the Boracay Cup Regatta, a sixrace inshore series sailed around Boracay, and it has been driven by sponsorship from, amongst others, Standard Insurance, the Lighthouse Marina Resort, Watercraft Ventures Corporation and SAGS Subic Sailing. Both events were ably overseen by our old friend Race Officer Jerry Rollin, well known to anyone who has ever sailed competitively in the Philippines. The offshore race started on 28 February, in a sun-drenched Subic Bay in about 20kts. A spinnaker start, with Ragamuffin 90 leading Jelik, Antipodes and the rest of the fleet of

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15 past Grande Island to gybe south and run down the China Sea to the Verde Island Passage – eastwards 50 miles on the wind in one tack – and a glorious run south down the Sibuyan Sea to Boracay. Total distance 240 miles, all of it fabulous sailing, steady breeze, flying fish and dolphins, beautiful seas and skies, especially when the stars came out. A fantastic sail, with Ragamuffin 90 setting a new course record of 16h 23m. The inshore series featured two days of windward / leewards and two days with island

courses, all of it glorious and tightly contested and followed by great parties of course. The big winners were Frank Pong’s Jelik, Ernesto Echauz’s Standard Insurance Centennial III and Fred Kinmonth/Nick Burn’s EFG Bank Mandrake, but in my view, every one of us fortunate enough to do this event was a winner. Simon Pickering, who recruited me to sail on Helmuth Hennig’s beautiful Vineta, calls this the best regatta in Asia and I agree. It certainly won’t be 10 years before I get my feet wet again in Boracay.

The private bank for sailing Proud supporters of EFG Mandrake and leading events worldwide. www.efgsailing.com

facebook.com/EFGInternational

Photos © Martina Orsini (top); Pierrick Contin; Paul Wyeth; Lloyd Images.

瑞士盈豐銀行

Practitioners of the craft of private banking 瑞士盈豐銀行瑞士盈豐銀行 EFG is the marketing name for EFG International and its subsidiaries. Hong Kong: 18th Floor, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong, T + 852 2298 3000. In Asia, also present in Singapore, Shanghai, Taipei and Jakarta. EFG Bank is part of EFG International, which operates in over 30 locations. www.efginternational.com

Feature | San Fernando Race 2015

San Fernando Race W ords: Lindsay Lyons | Photos:

Guy N owel l |

Judy Roberts |

Jeff Chan

The 20th edition of the San Fernando Race starts on Wednesday 1 April, with the warning signal sounding at 1310hrs. If you are reading this on 31 March, why not come to the Club for an early lunch tomorrow and watch the start from the Main Bar balcony!

Top L to R: 2013 San Fernando Charity Dinner; 2013 Location Prizegiving ; 2013 Location Party

ith the continued support of the Philippines Department of Tourism and run biennially under the auspices of RORC, this year’s San Fernando Race will see Hong Kong sailors joined by their peers from Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand together with many other countries further afield, making it a truly cosmopolitan event which exposes both Hong Kong and the Philippines to fresh eyes. Secretary of the Philippines Department of Tourism, Mr Ramon R. Jiminez Jr., highlighted the long relationship with the yacht race, saying, “The Department of Tourism (DOT), together with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), takes pride in the steady growth of this institutional event… [which] in effect has converted into a constant flow of tourist arrivals in the Philippines since its inauguration in 1977. We encourage the sailors…. to experience the Philippines beyond the events in this race.” The race is known for its tactical challenges – rough conditions on the first night out, coupled with a network of holes as the fleet approaches

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the Philippine coast have robbed many a boat of a first place – however year after year, competitors wax lyrical about the joys of sailing under a full moon with the promise of sandy beaches, blue seas and skies and a cold San Mig at the finish line. An entry list of 24 boats under IRC or HKPN will be doing their utmost to smash the record of 49h 55m 12s set in 2001 by Sam Chan on the legendary 71’ ULDB Sled, FfreeFire. Geoff Hill will be back to defend his 2013 Line Honours and IRC Corrected titles with Antipodes, the Smith Custom 72 which lifted the SCMP Trophy and the San Miguel Trophy after just over 51 hours of “an awesome sail”, however Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin 90 and Sam Chan’s TP52 FreeFire are in the mix this time, doing everything they can to get to La Union’s principal city at the head of the fleet. One of the race’s most committed entrants, Pete Churchouse, remembers Moonblue 2 ’s previous race as “the best China Sea crossing we’ve ever done in 30 years of sailing here. The boat didn’t stop once,

there was a beautiful flat sea, gentle breeze… 10, 12, 14 knots – a fantastic trip”. The 64’ Warwick Custom will defend the IRC Premier Division title she lifted in 2013 against stiff competition from a clutch of comfortable 50-plus footers including Explorer, Clove Hitch, Xena and Sea Monkey. Many of the boats will use the race as a competitive way to reach the beautiful cruising grounds of the Philippines, with IRC Cruising the largest division, with seven boats, ranging from an Oceanis 40 to a Benteau First 44.7. The Racer division features several boats competing in the San Fernando Race for the first time. Hot off the barge from McConaghy Boats in Zuhai, brand new Mills 41 Ambush will be strutting her stuff against Sydney GTS43 EFG Bank Mandrake while Salona 42 Jarrah represents owner Matthew Johnson’s first Cat 1 race as owner and skipper. These racing machines are joined by familiar faces on A40RC’s Avant Garde, Sell Side Dream and J145-C Redeye. Joining the race for the first time is sole catamaran, MACH 2 , whose only previous Cat 1 outing was the 2013 Hong Kong to Vietnam Race

and owner Raphael Blot is hoping to repeat his performance in that race, saying “behind Ragamuffin and ahead of the 3 TP52s was a great result.… We would love to go down to Palawan so we can race under genaker at 100°-110° which is where multihulls show incredible speeds.” After the race, MACH 2 will be making the most of her trip by continuing on to Busuanga for a week’s family cruising. The race not only gives sailors an opportunity to enjoy a highly tactical race over the Easter break, but has a serious purpose, supporting a local children’s home through the San Fernando Foundation. Fundraising events including a Dinner and Charity Auction on Friday 15 May have been organised, with the Foundation hoping to exceed the record HK$525,000 raised in parallel with the 2013 San Fernando Race. To follow the race, go to www.sanfernadorace.com Tracking – www.rhkyc.org.hk/ sfrtracking.aspx Results – www.rhkyc.org.hk/ sfr15results.aspx

Top left: 2013 Antipodes – Dunhill Challenge Trophy (1st IRC Racing Division 0), ABC Trophy & Luzon Cup (1st IRC Overall), SCMP Trophy (Line Honours); Above right: 2013 Location Party APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Feature | San Fernando Race 2015

Above: 2013 Location Prizegiving

Starter’s Box Forthcoming Events

1 May 2 May 16 and 17 May

Happy Easter from the Sailing Office. The San Fernando Race starts the month off on Wednesday 1 April, with a 1310hrs warning signal on the Kellett Island club line. The Main Bar Balcony is a great location to view the start after visiting the Bistro for an early lunch! The associated San Fernando Charity dinner has been rescheduled to Friday 15 May, in order to allow more people to attend, and you can book your tickets online at http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/events/sanfernandocharitydinner.aspx As the 2014-2015 sailing season draws to a close at the end of May, please contact the Sailing Office as soon as possible if you need to fulfill race management or safety duty. Enjoy the Easter holiday wherever you are! Alex Johnston Sailing Manager

San Fernando Race All important information concerning the race can be found at: www.sanfernandorace.com The San Fernando Race prizegiving will be held on Wednesday 15 April in the Compass Room at Kellett Island. Bar opens at 1900hrs, with the awards getting underway at 1930hrs.

San Fernando Race – Documentation Deadlines and Timetable Date

Event / Information

Comments

April Wed 1

START OF RACE: Victoria Harbour

Sun 5 Mon 6 Wed 15

Location Party – San Fernando – Kahuna Beach Resort Race officially ends SFR 2015 Overall Prizegiving – Compass Room

Warning Signal 1310hrs 1700hrs 1800hrs 1900hrs – drinks 1930hrs – awards

HKRNVR Memorial Vase presented by Old Mutual The last pursuit race in this season’s Old Mutual Top Dog Trophy Series takes place on May Day with some great supporting sponsors including Thomas Pink, Peroni Beer, Mount Gay Rum, Jax Coco coconut water and Mr & Mrs Smith boutique hotels. This race is slightly different from the previous two in the series, taking the race fleet out through Lei Yu Mun gap to the eastern approaches which the Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve used to patrol. All boats can pre-enter via the website, or they can sign on in the usual way on Race Day. The prizegiving will be held on the Main Lawn as soon as possible after racing, when the Old Mutual Top Dog Trophy will be awarded to the overall winner of the series.

EFG Bank Nations’ Cup One of the Club’s most popular events is back! Start planning your national costume now, and get your entries in for an on-the-water celebration of all things cultural. Details and race documents will be posted at http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/NationsCup.aspx

Sailing/Training Circular Photo: RHKYC/Guy Nowell

The Sailing Office puts this out every other Tuesday throughout the year regarding sailing events and sail training. Please contact Lindsay lindsay.lyons@rhkyc.org.hk if you want something to be included or if you are not receiving these emails and would like to. For further details please contact Alex on 2239 0362 or via email at alex.johnston@rhkyc.org.hk. For the latest information please visit our website www.rhkyc.org.hk APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Sailing

HKRNVR Memorial Vase presented by Old Mutual EFG Bank Nations’ Cup Edmond de Rothschild Spring Regatta

The San Fernando Race Foundation

PART TWO

W o rd s: C o lin Daw s o n

Sailing

n the first part of this article (in the March issue) I gave a little of the history of the support we have given for the home and how this has grown from a few dollars to help 16 youths to complete care for 32 youths aged between 10 and 23. The main question I am asked when I speak about this is how can we be sure of how the money is spent and are we sure it is being spent in the way we feel it should. We have taken very careful steps to ensure transparency and good accounting as far as we possibly can. By creating a formal charitable Foundation we are audited and accounted properly with a separate Annual Report going to all members with the Club’s Annual Report. Each quarter we receive a full breakdown of what has been spent which is followed up by receipts that are checked by me to begin with and then again by staff within the Accounts Department of the Club. As a rule of thumb, only after these are approved will funds be sent for the following quarter. I am pleased to advise that only on very few occasions have we had cause to ask questions and every time these have been satisfactorily answered. The amount of detail that goes into the accounts is very fine; literally down to the few pesos spent on stationery. This can be compared with previous years and discussions can then be entered into for budgets going forwards. When we took over complete financing of the home we felt that after providing a healthy quality of life, education was probably the most important thing we could do to give these kids a push up the ladder and a chance in life. During the last 12 months the home has moved from looking after very young kids to only those over the age of 10. This means that, as the average age increases, so do the costs as the likes of education and clothing go up and as every parent of teenagers knows, so does the consumption of food! With careful accounting and budget practice we believe we can run the home for the next two years on a budget of US$100,000; though this leaves very little room for error or emergency. This works out to be US$4.30 per person per day and this includes every need the child has. A rough summary of the financial needs for 2015 / 2016 is as follows: Schooling and clothing – HK$140,000 Food – HK$400,000 Fuel – HK$90,000 Maintenance and upkeep – HK$130,000 The results of the support given to date are becoming very clear. If we did not look after the students in the home they would literally be on the streets begging for food simply to survive. With the support of the San Fernando Race participants we are able to help kids realise their dreams, such as 10-year-old Alysa Domis who one day wants to become a lawyer, 14-year-old June Marquez who wishes to become a teacher and Rowena Domis who one day hopes to become a financial analyst. Those who have received our support in the past have gone on to be nurses in the Middle East and accountants, engineers and nurses at home in the Philippines. We have one recent student who has graduated with qualifications in genetic engineering. It goes to show that with the right support and careful guidance there is hope for anyone willing to put the effort in.

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In recent years, funding of the home has relied on one raucous evening at the Club a couple of weeks before the San Fernando Race. Through the significant generosity of those involved and several outside donations we have kept the home running. This year we wish to expand and include the wider Club community. There will be many members who have done the race in the past who may wish to support and also many members, social, sailing or rowing, who feel supporting the efforts we make to help this home in San Fernando continue is worthwhile. By the time you read this every member, whether they are active sailors in Hong Kong or silent absent members in a far-flung country, will have received an email and letter from me explaining how the Foundation works and seeking support for its ongoing operations in the years to come. We hope you will be able to share some of your generosity with us. On average the cost of looking after each child is just over US$4 per day. This is funded through donations made to the San Fernando Race Foundation which is a Hong Kong Registered Charity. Other than a straight donation there are various other ways in which you can support the San Fernando Race Foundation including: • Supporting an individual through his / her education – average of about HK$2,200 per year depending on age; • Provide hardware such as computers – we need to replace five computers and associated hardware in the coming months; • Providing apprenticeships for students; • Providing assistance with sportswear, school needs, books etc etc; • Providing physical assistance in maintaining the home – we are looking to take a small team of volunteers to the home to work on the premises in areas such as the playground, new vegetable garden and other outside areas. We welcome any form of support and with your assistance we can give a helping hand to those less fortunate than ourselves. Please contact Tim Gallagher (tim.gallagher@rhkyc.org.hk and 2239 0315) or Colin Dawson (colindawson@tgg.com.hk and 2530 2331) for further information and / or if you wish donate. We will be happy to discuss options with you.

Sharks Update Sailing Photo: RHKYC/Guy Nowell

February was an exceptionally busy month at Middle Island due to the hosting of Hong Kong Race Week, an international regatta of the ASAF (Asian Sailing Federation) Youth Cup, organised in conjunction with the Hong Kong Sailing Federation (HKSF). 340 sailors, windsurfers and volunteers descended upon the picturesque little island on 12 February and they enjoyed strong competition across 12 classes. Competitors travelled from Taiwan, China, India, Macau, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates and of course there was a strong contingent from Hong Kong. The following Club sailors deserve congratulations upon their notable performances: Class

Sailor Name

Position

Fleet Size

Optimist Green Fleet Optimist Optimist Laser 4.7 Laser Radial Laser Radial

Kinsey Long Thorwen Uiterwaal Dolf Hendriksen Emma Fung Sofia-Marie Mascia Malik Hood

1st 4th 5th 4th 1st 4th

29 75 75 16 19 19

420 29er

Calum Gregor and Hugo Christensson Ferdinand Heldman and Leo Giustiniani

1st 2nd

9 6

A huge thank you must go to all of the volunteers who made the event happen; from registration, to race management, mark laying, safety, hardstanding organisation, measurement and event organisation. We look forward to an even bigger, even better event next year! The coming months are very busy as the Sharks team prepare for their World Championships in the summer. They will all be training hard during the Easter holidays as they gear up for their regional events, with Singapore having taken place in March, an Abu Dhabi trip in April and Thailand in May. Here is a list of major international regattas that the Sharks team will be targeting this summer: Class

Event

Venue

Optimist Optimist Laser 4.7 Laser Radial 420 29er

European Championships World Championships World Championships World Championships World Championships World Championships

Pwllheli, United Kingdom Kamien Pormorski, Poland Medemblik, Netherlands Kingston, Canada Karatsu, Japan Pwllheli, United Kingdom

In addition to the aforementioned overseas trip the Sharks will also have Hong Kong events to attend before the summer, such as the Junior Match Racing Championships (9/10 May), Hebe Haven Spring Regatta (30/31 May) and HKSF Festival of Sport (13/14 June).

Sailing Development And Training Contacts General Enquiries Gloria Yeung 2812 7063 MI Sailing and Marine Manager Ailsa Angus 2812 0172 MI Centre Manager Patrick Lam 2812 7303 Senior Sailing Instructor Phoebe Tang 2812 7303 Sailing Instructor Kelvin Lau 2812 7303 Performance Coach Rob Partridge 2812 6255 http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/SailTraining.aspx sailtrain@rhkyc.org.hk www.facebook.com/RHKYCsharks APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Youth School Holiday Courses

Q’Ba Dinghies 11 to 18 yr olds Experienced Sailors

Sailing

Optimist dinghies 6 to 10 yr olds

For enquiries please telephone 2812 7063, fax 2592 9230 or email sailtrain@rhkyc.org.hk Course Title

Content

Age

Step 1 5 days 1315hrs to 1630hrs Step 2 5 days 1315hrs to 1630hrs Step 3 5 days 0900hrs to 1415hrs Step 4 5 days 0900hrs to 1415hrs Go Optimist 0900hrs to 1415hrs Beginners HKSF Level 1 5 days 0900hrs to 1415hrs

An introduction to sailing with emphasis on enjoyment and familiarity.

6 to 10

Learning to control boat sailing across the wind and how to tack and gybe.

6 to 10

Learning to sail on all points of the wind. Tack and gybe. Apply the five essentials. Improving boat handling skills and sailing knowledge. Boat setup and racing experience. An opportunity to practice and learn more after completing Step 3.

7 to 10

An introduction to sailing for those with no previous experience. A largely practical course that covers the HKSF Level 1 syllabus.

11 to 14

Dates

7 to 10 7 to 10

HKSF Level 2 For sailors who have completed the Level 1 or Step 3 Course. Also suitable for novice sailors who are at least 14 years 11 to 18 5 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs old. This course will cover the syllabus of the HKSF Levels 1 and 2 and will enhance the skills of those sailors. Go Sailing 0900hrs to 1630hrs Youth HKSF Level 3 5 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs

30 Mar to 3 Apr 6 to 10 Apr 27 Apr to 1 May

For practice after completing the Level 2 course. Practice the skills you have learnt as well as having fun. Sailing Optimist, Q’BA, Feva or Laser depending on your size and ability. Improving boat handling techniques to handle moderate wind conditions. HKSF Level 2 and one season sailing (9 months) required to qualify for HKSF Level 3.

Youth 420 Clinics A boat specific training programme and students can repeat these clinics many times over as the coach will adapt 3 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs the course content to suit the sailors in the group. To join these sessions Level 3 is required and sailors should be minimum 50kg of weight. Youth Keelboat A two-day course as a basic introduction for sailors who have not sailed on keelboats before. Crew Course Level 2 or above is required. Only those aged 16 or above will able to helm the (J/80) keelboat. 4 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs Youth Keelboat A five-day course that will introduce the basic principles to prepare students for keelboat sailing. Skipper Course Level 3 or above is required. Only those aged 16 or above will able to helm the (J/80) keelboat. 4 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs Introduction to Lasers A two-day course that introduces the singlehanded Laser dinghy including rigging and boat handling skills. 2 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs Level 3 is required. Introduction to Racing A three-day course that will introduce the basic principles to prepare students for Club racing. 3 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs Racing rules, starting flags, boat handling and race tactics will be covered. Level 2 is required. Optimist Racing Clinic A three-day clinic of race training for Optimist sailors. Step 4 or a recommendation from an instructor/coach 3 days 0900hrs to 1630hrs is required.

11 to 18

30 Mar to 3 Apr 6 to 10 Apr 27 Apr to 1 May

12 to 18

30 Mar to 3 Apr 6 to 10 Apr

12 to 18

1 to 3 Apr

14 to 18

6 to 9 Apr

15 to 18

6 to 9 Apr

12 to 18

6 to 7 Apr

11 to 18

1 to 3 Apr 8 to 10 Apr 1 to 3 Apr 8 to 10 Apr

9 to 15

Old Mutual International Sail Training in partnership with Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Application forms and full schedule www.rhkyc.org.hk click on ‘Training’, or email sailtrain@rhkyc.org.hk Youth Training Optimist Practice 18 and 25 Apr, 9, 16, 23 and 30 May Silver Squad 18 and 25 Apr, 9, 16, 23 and 30 May 19 and 26 Apr, 10, 17, 24 and 31 May Sunday Youth Sailing Club 19 and 26 Apr, 10, 17, 24 and 31 May

RHKYC Cadet Sharks Normal Squad Training Every Week Wednesday – Wednesday Night Races Thursday – Optimist Squad Friday – Laser, 420, 29er Saturday – Optimist and Laser Sunday – 420 and 29er For more details about joining the squad contact rob.partridge@rhkyc.org.hk

RYA Powerboat Training

These practical powerboat handling courses are available now. You must already hold the PVOCC. RYA Powerboat Level 2 Courses Option PBL2/4 11 and 12 April Option PBL2/5 1 and 3 May RYA Powerboat Level 2 Half Day Assessment Option PBA4 3 Apr 0930hrs to 1230hrs Option PBA5 1 May 0930hrs to 1230hrs RYA Safety Boat Course (applicants must hold RYA Level 2 first) Option SB2 1 and 3 May

Adult Beginners

Option 8 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 Apr Option 9 28 and 29 May, 4, 5 and 11 Jun

February to June Sail Training Schedule The new schedule has recently been published online. Please remember that members do get priority on booking until one month before the course starts. In general we require a minimum of four students to be able to confirm a course. 32

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Adult Supervised Sailing 4 Apr 5 Apr 25 Apr 26 Apr 9 May 10 May 23 May 24 May

Singlehanded Laser Singlehanded Laser Racing Spinnakers Boat Handling Distance Sail Racing Boat Handling

Adult Keelboat Courses

Intro to Keelboats Course 4 12 and 26 Apr Course 5 3 and 31 May J/80 Crew Course 4 3, 4 and 5 Apr Course 5 31 May, 6 and 7 Jun J/80 Supervised Sailing Option 4 26 Apr Option 5 3 May Platu Skipper Course S2 17 Apr (evening), 18 and 19 April, 3 May For further information please contact sailtrain@rhkyc.org.hk

April

Rowing

Hong Kong Coastal Rowing Championships W ords: M artin Reyno l ds | Photos: Guy N owel l

he third Hong Kong Coastal Rowing Championships, sponsored by StartJG, were held on 1 March at Middle Island. With a record attendance of almost 100 rowers and benign conditions, the setting was perfect and as a result some fantastically fast times were achieved. Entries were received from Lantau Boat Club, RHKYC, HKUST, Lingnan University, Chinese University and a combined university crew from City U, Poly U and Chinese U, who clocked the fastest time of 31 minutes and 25 seconds in the men’s quads. Racing was close over the 6.4km course which started in Repulse Bay, went around the south side of Round Island and then into Deep Water Bay, before finishing in front of the boathouse on Middle Island. Umpiring was supplied by the HKCRA with volunteers supporting the event in marshalling, registration, RIB driving and photography. The fastest single sculler of the day was Kelvin Chu from HKUST who fended off a challenge from two LBC members. The men’s double scull was the most popular event of the day with nine entries split between three heats, six of which were from the Club. The Club’s fastest crew of the day came in the men’s doubles

event, with the combination of Guillermo De Las Casas and Mark Hughes in a time of 34 minutes and 32 seconds, followed across the line 6 seconds later by Elliot Marples and Oliver Petterson-Stubbs; representing the juniors of the Club. CUHK’s double came in third, less than a minute behind. The first final of the day was the women’s quads which saw local rivals RHKYC and LBC clash again, this time RHKYC A crew comprised of Judy Chan, Amy Tung, YY Chan, Toto Cheng and coxed by Natalie Kwan, managed to pull away from the pack and cross the line in a time of 36 minutes, 41 seconds, a full 3 minutes ahead of second place crew from LBC. Third place went to RHKYC B, a crew of development rowers who are very new to the sport, a great first race for them. The women’s doubles event saw a clean sweep from the Club, crossing the line in 1st, 2nd and 3rd with the winning combination of Stingrays rowers Agathe Marples and Katie De Vos. The main event of the day – men’s coxed quads - was dominated by the fast combined university crew, who clocked up the two fastest times of the day in their heat and final,

crossing the finish line over 3 minutes before the next boat of Club juniors Amogh Patil, William Minshall, Rahel Wijeyekoon and Kagen Woods, coxed by Kaven Wijeyekoon, who secured a silver medal. The second fastest crew of the day was the Club combination of Oliver Schutte, Simon Walpole, Nelson Chang and Martin Reynolds coxed by the talented youngster Tristan Marples. This crew was unfortunately drawn in the same heat as the university combination so did not make the final, which saved the old boys the challenge of rowing the 6.4km for a second time in one day. In conclusion a grateful thanks to Brian Henderson who chaired the organising committee, the generous sponsorship of StartJG and the support of numerous volunteers which included a team of eager marshals from HKUST. We hope you all enjoyed the day as much as the athletes and we look forward to next year’s event.

From top clockwise: Men’s quads trying to tackle the waves; Fastest boat of the day – uni combination men’s quad; Presentation of the fastest women’s double; old boys; Battle of the men’s doubles APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Lantau Coastal Rowing Regatta W ords: Attilio F errara

Rowing

he Club’s coastal rowers featured prominently in the inaugural Lantau Coastal Rowing Regatta held on Sunday 1 February with a total of ten Club crews (23 rowers in all) competing against crews from Lantau Boat Club, HKUST and Chinese University Alumni. Conditions were cool and overcast and rowers boarding the early morning ferries from Central were rewarded with ideal conditions across the calm, slate grey waters of Discovery Bay. Competitors were greeted by both the dulcet tones of LBC Rowing Chairman and coastal rowing legend Bob Wilson, who gave an overview of the course and the day’s agenda, and French europop music wafting over the LBC’s PA system. All very normal! With the formalities out of the way, attention turned to the heats of the men’s doubles, a strong LBC crew winning the first heat, although special mention goes to the Club’s John Horan and Nick Jones in their first coastal rowing outing who also qualified for the final. In the other heats, the Club crews of Mark Hughes / Brian Henderson and James Mead / Henry Gill both won with impressive times, although as they both eased over the finish line spectators sensed there was lots of gas left in their respective tanks and an exciting final was in prospect. The Club tasted early success in the ladies’ quad event, with the crew of Judy Chan, Anna Fisher, Toto Cheung and Vee Van Thuen coasting home in the final ahead of our gracious hosts, the LBC ladies. The girls were guided home by guest cox Ruth Marr, who happened to find herself on Lantau en route to the Maldives from Canada. Again, all very normal! In the men’s singles final, HKUST’s Kelvin Chu led home Club individualists Phil Adkins, Michael Wong and Paul Bromley in an impressive performance. Kelvin also competed in the mens’ quad event, meaning that he rowed the course four times on the day. He may well have swum and/or jogged home afterwards. The ladies’ doubles final was a keenly contested affair, with just over a minute separating the four finalists, Club ladies Liz Wray and August Chow being ever so slightly nudged out of first place by the LBC ladies. Next year’s re-match will be eagerly anticipated!

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As expected, the men’s doubles final produced the most exciting race of the day with Mead/ Gill pipping Hughes/Henderson by a mere seven seconds in a blistering time of 18 minutes 50 seconds; a phenomenal effort by both crews, to bring home a convincing onetwo result for the Club. The Club’s men’s quad of Martin Reynolds, Simon Walpole, Toby Rakisson and Cassian Scott took to the water with a mix of youth

and experience – specifically, youth in the form of teenage cox Adam Riley and much of the experience in the form (and shape) of Mr Reynolds. It was, however, the youth of the Chinese University alumni who progressed to the final and the RHKYC men had to settle for a bronze medal in the B final, albeit with a very respectable time of 20 minutes 33 seconds. At this point our friends from LBC had fired up the barbecue, put the beers on ice and switched the PA soundtrack over to some reggae and the large, by now vocal crowd on the beach had settled in to watch ‘university challenge’, a.k.a the last event of the day, with HKUST taking on the Chinese University alumni in the final of the men’s quad event. Another close race ensued, with the graduates from CU prevailing with the fastest time of the day of 18 minutes 45 seconds; although as the youngsters munched away on their hotdogs afterwards they were left to reflect and remark in admiration that their winning time was only a handful of seconds faster than Mead and Gill’s winning time in the men’s double event. As the pale sunlight dimmed over Discovery Bay, competitors and spectators enjoyed the cold beer and food and toasted the success of the event, hopeful of returning next year.

Local Race Series Valentine’s Day His and Hers Race W ords: Be A Padd l er | Photo : T B C

he Club’s paddling section kicked off Valentine’s Day on the water but in a nod towards significant others, did so as part of the VRC Race Series’ Valentine’s Day His and Hers Race. Race categories included ‘The Whole Catastrophe’ (married couple with children and a mortgage), ‘DINKS’ (married or cohabiting), ‘Hot Date’ (two people who sign up to race together) or ‘Blind Date’ (two people who race together after their names are drawn out of a hat at the race briefing). There was also the ‘Hot Blind’ date category as one Club member found out, where one person puts in a request unbeknownst to the other who is then completely surprised. This was Valentine’s Day at its best but with the confusions of an online registration process that can take all the blame. Conditions were rough on the two-lap, 7.5-km course in Deepwater Bay, with strong winds and choppy waves. It was great training and good fun though, and the mulled wine at the end was fantastic. A week later several Club members joined paddlers from other clubs to have a go at the infamous Dragon Run, a roughly 25-km offshore paddle from Clearwater Bay, out to the Nine Pins then down to Hong Kong Island and into Stanley. The winds were extreme and there was a massive swell – which was an excellent challenge and a great way to kick off the Lunar New Year.

University Elite Programme W ords and Photos: Peter W el l s

1st and 2nd place in the M4- event. The women’s eights also took 1st and 2nd place with little between them after an exciting battle down the course leaving their other competitors trailing in their wake.

M8+

Top: UEP women’s eights battling for 1 and 2 ; Below: UEP women enjoying the post-race festivities st

ince the beginning of January, the Club has been running aLFM rowing University Elite Programme, the aim of which is to reach out and find the fastest student rowers from all the universities and create a women’s and men’s crew to represent Hong Kong at an international regatta. This year UEP athletes will be competing at the Heineken Roeivier in Amsterdam on 14 and 15 March.

W8+

Tse Yan Man

CUHK

Tse Yat Tung

CUHK

Tsoi Ki To

CUHK

Ng Hay Yu

CUHK

Tang Ki Wan Calvin

PolyU

Leung Mei Yee

HKU

Yuen Yu Wai

PolyU

Chan Cheuk Yiu Nicole

CUHK

Sin Yuk Cheung

PolyU

Lee Tsz Kwan

CUHK

Chan Ka Ho

PolyU

Ngo Sin Yee Sallie

PolyU

Chong Kwan Lok

CUHK

Tam Cheuk Yi

UST

Au Yeung Chun

HKBU

Hui Wing Ki

CUHK

Hui Ming Hon

CUHK

Fung Tik Lam Joey

PolyU

As the crews continue to train hard in the lead-up to the regatta, it is 2015_Membership_Yarch 1 21/1/15 10:10 AM very noticeable to seeClub how Ad_output.pdf many other students from all the universities

have taken to the water, especially early in the morning. It is clear that the University Elite Programme has promoted rowing amongst the universities and in Hong Kong and we hope this will continue and gain momentum throughout the year.

This is the second year that the UEP has run. After overwhelmingly positive feedback from athletes last year, it came as no surprise that over 50 keen rowers turned up to the first round of trials. The first round took place at Sha Tin boathouse and was in the form of a 5k test on the rowing machine. With competition close, it was the top 12 men and 16 women who were invited to the next stage – squad training. Alongside the senior Club team (who will also be racing at the Heineken Roeivier) UEP athletes trained hard over the following weeks, learning to row as a team and making vast improvements along the way. This was supported by the Club’s Lead Coach Pete Wells, and three dedicated volunteer coaches from Polytechnic University and Chinese University; Victor Lee, Jerry Pak Tang and Chan Tsz Wai. CWhilst managing early morning training and their studies, all UEP Mrowers remained unwaveringly enthusiastic about training and rowingY together. There was a great eagerness to work hard as a team and get the most out of CM every session. MY

The next test for UEP rowers was at the Shing Mun 1 Regatta. This CY proved to be highly successful for all athletes and the men’s eight came CMY in 1st place and later, after separating into two coxless fours, they came in K

APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Rowing

Having demonstrated that they can race as a united team the UEP athletes still had to secure their seats to Amsterdam. Final selection was made by seat racing, and after several tough decisions the final squads representing Hong Kong and the Club are:

momentum going, and came a very clear first and second.

Rowing

The rest of the day was a testament to the Stingrays’ preparation as the crew of Will Minshall, Phillip Ascough, Oliver PettersonStubbs and Amogh Patil dominated the competition in their heat for the novice coxed men’s fours. The crew went on to place a hard-fought second place in the final. Agathe Marples and Grace Nutman squeaked out an impressive 3rd in the women’s double final.

Shing Mun 1 Words and Photos: S arah G arner

he HKCRA 2015 regatta schedule has been completely revamped and so on January and February weekends when there used to be head races, HKCRA held the first of five Shing Mun sprint regattas. Many Club rowers had questioned the decision to move the head races, given that the water had been near perfect most days at the start of the year. Almost as if on cue, on Sunday 8 February, the day that was historically the Sweep Head and now Shing Mun 1, the waters became predictably tumultuous, and visions of soaked rowers in heat blankets with swamped eights towed behind came flooding back in clear focus. Turns out it would have been one of those days where the sweep head would have been cut to 3K anyway, so it all made sense in the end. Some of the first racers to sample the exciting conditions were the Masters men’s singles. Club scullers led the pack all the way down the course while taking on considerable water. Bill Woods emerged the fastest, though not

Rowing Contacts

the driest, with Mark Welles and Steve Monick close behind. Next came the men’s coxless fours, always a hard boat to steer, but particularly challenging for the UEP contenders who had been boated just prior to race day, almost as a sort of test of wills. Deep gasps could be heard throughout the crowd as the boats swaggered their way to the finish line, narrowly missing the rock walls and other crews. Thank goodness for heats. RHKYC C and B held tough despite the extra mileage to come a close second and third in heat one, in large part due to the experience of former Stingray and SIS rower Dorian Lam at bow. Crew A faired slightly less well, getting eliminated after crossing the line nearly 40 seconds after the first three heat 2 competitors. The Stingrays were out in force for the regatta, well represented in most of the novice 1000m categories. One exception was Elliot Marples, who managed to get through the heats and make it into the finals of the 2000m open men’s singles. As the day wore on, the water calmed a bit, but not in time for the open men’s singles events. Stingray Elliot Marples was the lone standout there as he has had ample experience in the single, and could handle the rough water. With Elliot placing second in his heat to make the final, senior Club members Phil Crinion and James Mead failed to qualify. Though very strong, they were no match for the conditions and couldn’t get enough momentum going to stick with the front of the pack. Elliot rowed a tough race in the final, coming sixth. In the women’s eights, the UEP crews went on to dominate both heats, winning by about 30 seconds in each race. In the final they kept this

Rowing and Paddle Sports Manager sarah.garner@rhkyc.org.hk Juniors Rowing Coach hannah.dalkin@rhkyc.org.hk Middle Island Co-ordinator mirowing@rhkyc.org.hk Shatin Men’s Racing shatinrowingmen@rhkyc.org.hk Shatin Women’s Racing shatinrowingladies@rhkyc.org.hk 36

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In the men’s novice double, Kagen Woods and Phillip Ascough took the win; more than 20 seconds in front of their competitors, while Andrew Pickavant and complete novice Adam Riley hung on for a brave third place bronze medal. Oliver Petterson-Stubbs and Amogh Patil failed to live up to their potential in that race, partly on account of a very large tree that attached itself stubbornly to their fin and refused to let go, creating an incredible drag throughout the course. The men’s open coxless quad, stroked masterfully by Guy Parsonage, leading Richard Allin, Julian Jarvis and Aleksey Mirenko, placed a disappointing fifth, though the rowing was quite tidy. A bit more training for these lads and they will be in the medals for the next Shing Mun regatta. The women’s single was a bit of an upset, with LTRC A taking first, ahead of Club sculler Jo Thompson, followed by Alex Bidlake and Fleur Ianazzo taking fourth.

Junior girls’ four with medals

In the final proud coup of the day, Stingrays women’s coxed four of Katie De Vos, Lauren Chillington, Agathe Marples and Amelia Lee walked away with gold in the event, 12 seconds ahead of the second place crew from HKU. All in all a great day on the Shing Mun, with success coming from a wide range of Yacht Club experience levels. As the Shing Mun regattas are the mainstay of the Hong Kong rowing calendar, our results bode well for the future success of the Club at these domestic regattas. For this race we had nearly 80 people representing the Club, and the levels of success reached were unprecedented when compared with recent years.

Outboard Fuel

April 2015

W ords: joe goddard

t i d e s 0151 0.7 0836 1.6 1330 1.1 2005 1.9

0107 0.6 0804 1.8 1312 0.9 1941 2.0

0222 0.7 0851 1.7 1409 1.0 2046 1.9

0149 0.6 0836 1.9 1406 0.7 2040 2.0

0248 0.8 0907 1.8 1446 0.9 2125 1.9

0228 0.7 0909 2.1 1456 0.5 2136 2.0

0313 0.8 0925 1.9 1521 0.8 2202 1.9

0306 0.7 0944 2.2 1544 0.4 2229 1.9

0339 0.8 0949 1.9 1557 0.7 2240 1.8

20 mon

0342 0.8 1020 2.2 1631 0.4 2321 1.8

Mon

0406 0.9 1016 2.0 1635 0.7 2318 1.8

0416 0.9 1058 2.3 1719 0.4

0433 1.0 1046 2.1 1714 0.7

0015 1.6 0450 1.1 1136 2.2 1809 0.5

0001 1.7 0501 1.0 1116 2.1 1755 0.7

0115 1.5 0521 1.2 1215 2.2 1906 0.6

0047 1.6 0527 1.1 1147 2.1 1841 0.7

0222 1.4 0549 1.3 1255 2.0 2016 0.7

0148 1.5 0555 1.2 1222 2.1 1936 0.7

0335 1.4 0601 1.3 1343 1.9 2128 0.7

0308 1.4 0629 1.3 1311 2.0 2051 0.8

1448 1.8 2234 0.8

0437 1.4 0727 1.3 1420 2.0 2216 0.7

27 mon

0703 1.5 0848 1.5 1609 1.7 2334 0.8

13 mon

0611 1.5 0900 1.4 1559 2.0 2325 0.7

0704 1.5 1124 1.4 1738 1.7

0700 1.6 1054 1.3 1721 2.0

0021 0.8 0726 1.6 1238 1.3 1847 1.7

0021 0.7 0734 1.7 1212 1.1 1835 2.0

0058 0.8 0747 1.7 1322 1.1 1940 1.7

WED

THU 5-litre fuel cans 20-litre can

embers using outboard motors on their boats are advised that the rules governing the purchase and transportation of outboard fuel in Hong Kong is limited. According to the Dangerous Goods Ordinance, Cap.295, Laws of Hong Kong and the Regulation (99) of Dangerous Goods (General) Regulations Laws, the transportation of fuels is restricted to those with approvals and licenses. Legislation regarding ‘refilling’ of containers has some exemptions. The reason is simply because the ‘flash point’ of outboard fuel is readily achieved even below freezing, meaning that vapours from outboard fuel can be ignited easily, causing an explosion and fire. The laws are relaxed or exempted for transportation of 20 litres or less of outboard fuel. In fact a maximum of two such quantities, i.e. 40 litres, can be ‘transported’ without a license. Transportation by motor vehicle is not permitted under any circumstances unless the vehicle is an approved conveyor of dangerous goods. Most modern motor cars do not have sufficient features to permit this, let alone the signage required. Transportation can be negated by walking the outboard fuel from the refilling station to your boat or directly from waterfront refilling stations into your fuel tank. At Kellett Island, there is a fuel refilling station in Causeway Bay. It is permissible to purchase the fuel at the station and walk the containers back to the Club and then onto your boat. To protect the safety of those who transport this outboard fuel, it needs to be transported in hermetically sealed metal containers with a minimum of 2.5% air to fuel ratio. This means an airtight container with a small amount of air inside. Following are two types of approved containers available to boat owners for transportation of outboard fuel: Plastic airtight containers to a maximum of 5 litres capacity each. So up to four of these 5-litre containers are permitted to be filled and transported at the same time. See photo. Metal airtight containers to a maximum of 20 litres capacity. One such container is permitted to be filled and transported. See photo. Members are advised that the Club’s Marine staff may be available to deliver such quantities of outboard fuel at Kellett Island and Middle Island with sufficient notice. Please call our Marine Office on 2239 0309 to make your order. The Ship Shop has the correct containers for sale. The closest waterfront fuel stations to the Club are; Clearwater Bay Marina, Hong Kong Marina, Gold Coast Marina, Club Marina Cove and Aberdeen Marina Club. Waterfront stations are the most useful refuelling stations for larger boats.

FRI

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Marine and Boatyard

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APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Ship Shop

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$2,781

RYA Offshore Sailing (G87)

Completely waterproof and ideal for entry level day sailing, the Corsica Jacket is lined with Arctec ® fleece that only retains 1% of its weight in water and keeps much of its insulating power even when wet. The jacket breathes too so you stay dry and warm even in high activity. Move freely in this jacket with sleeve and underarm articulation providing unrestricted movement. The hem and cuffs are adjustable for a snug fit and multiple zip pockets, including an internal pocket with a headphone exit point, keep your possessions close to hand. Wear the smart Corsica jacket on deck and onshore.

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Offshore Sailing is exciting and brings adventure, discovery and freedom to those who undertake a long-distance journey. For anyone who is going or thinking of going on such a passage, RYA Offshore Sailing is the essential companion. The book discusses the fundamental characteristics of what does and what doesn’t make a good offshore cruising yacht and ensures that there is a perfect balance of practical information on safety, equipment, boat design and sails both for monohulls and multihulled boats. There is also excellent advice on how a skipper can make the journey as comfortable as possible for themselves and their crew.

ALLEN 50mm Pro Ratchet Block These blocks have a ratchet mechanism that can easily be switched on or off even under load and the swivel head can be locked in a fixed position.* Allen sheave technology gives you grip under load and easy release when the load is decreased. A cheek converter allows port or starboard deck mounting. The new 50mm switchable ratchet block will be ideal for sailors wanting to downsize from the 60mm without losing the inherent strength of this design.

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$230

AQUATABS Water Purification Tablets 50 1L Tablets Aquatabs® are the world’s no.1 water purification tablets. They are effervescent tablets which kill micro-organisms in water to prevent cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other waterborne diseases. Aquatabs® are available in a range of tablet sizes. Each tablet size is formulated to treat a specific volume of water – ranging from 1l to 2,500l. Aquatabs are used in emergency situations and also for continuous use in households that do not have access to safe drinking water.

$30

WEEMS & PLATH 12in Aluminium Arm Parallel Rule No navigator should be without a good set of parallel rules as part of his navigation back-up plan in the event of an electronic navigation failure. This 12-inch parallel rule is accurate and durable.

$175

KESTREL 4500 Weather & Environmental Metre This Kestrel does it all. Measure every environmental condition plus wind direction, automatic crosswind, headwind/tailwind. Store the information along with all the other environmental readings in its 1400 data point memory. Pair the 4500 with the Kestrel Vane Mount and you have a data-logging weather station that sets up in seconds and rotates in the slightest of breezes. Did we mention that the whole kit is the ultimate in portability? It packs down into a 2 x 6 inch pouch and weighs under 8 ounces.

$3,399 Call David in the Ship Shop on

2239 0336 or email: shipshop@rhkyc.org.hk

| APRIL 2015 AHOY!

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Other Sports

American Club Challenge Match W ords: Paul D enham | Photo : J ohn Lau

ith the American Club and the Yacht Club playing in different Masters leagues this year we decided to organise a couple of challenge matches so that we could renew hostilities on court and festivities off court.

The American club hosted up first on 7 March. There were 11 players per team and games were first to 11 best of 5 which was plenty on the sparsely air-conditioned courts they have there. The matches were tightly

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contested with most going to 4 or 5 sets. In the end the American Club made the most of their home court advantage to record a 7-4 victory. However in the Marquee match Elliot Froidevaux, the RHKYC prodigal son, turned on a commanding performance to beat Gergo Schlosser 3-0. Our other winners on the day were Mark Henderson over Francis ‘Judas’ Longuepee, Bob Ikin over Stephen Ho and Darren Jensen over Vivi Thomas. The après squash was great with banter and a buffet. This was washed down with some Oregan Ale and very reasonably priced 2001 Lebanese red that had our resident oenophile in raptures. The bar has been set high for when we host them on 25 April. This will be on public courts at either the Hong Kong Squash Centre in Harbour Road or at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre in Sai Ying Pun – the après squash will of course be held at the Club. Division 10 There were not many matches played in February due to the Chinese New Year break. The 10A team is third, but is 6 points behind the HKFC so has some ground to make up to get into a trophy position. The 10B team has slipped a bit and is now locked in a battle for last place with Xavier. Masters 2 The Masters 2 team managed to get its second win of the season against Titlows just before the CNY break. This has put us 1 point ahead of them. With only 2 matches remaining we are hoping that it will be enough to keep us ahead of them so we can avoid the wooden spoon.

Squash Contact squash@rhkyc.org.hk

Hong Kong Football Club Challenge – Macau Monday 2 March

Twenty-six players were able to stay for the prizegiving and meal at the Macau Country Club before catching the bus back to the ferry terminal. Great food, wine and company! We say good-bye to Joyce Kwong who has gone to work in the UK for a couple of years. Best of luck Joyce. Thanks again to all our players for making this event possible. A great day. Our next competition will be on Wednesday 29 April and details will be advised. Look forward to seeing you then.

nother great response for this match. We had seven flights in total with match play, better ball once again being the format. The handicapping proved to be very fair, with the FC generally giving us shots to make it a balanced competition. Four of our players elected to get a practise round in on the Sunday courtesy of Clem Hill. Rene Theil, Andrew Eden and I took the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the course. Very worthwhile as the greens were pretty fast and the fairways quite tight. Course management and tactics were thrashed over several beers and wines at the ever-popular restaurant, Fernando’s.

Monday saw the arrival of the remaining 0 team members and, after breakfast and a final recap on matchplay strategies, our players took to the driving range and practice green. It was a closely fought competition with the FC having to call on all their skills to hold on to their game as, in most cases, they were giving us one shot per hole. The match was finally won by the FC – 3 matches won, 1 match lost and with 3 all square. A terrific improvement by the KGS over last year’s match result. Like last year, the competition was very much alive to the bitter end! Well done KGS!

Golf Contact golf@rhkyc.org.hk From top clockwise: KGS team; Rene, Andrew Eden on the way home!; FC Wins the Cup; Ambrose, Patrick, Duncan – NP2; Dinner APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Other Sports

We did have a number of Nearest to the Pins and Longest drives. The only KGS team member to win was Ambrose Lo who won the NP in 2 shots on the 15th. Great effort Ambrose!

Photography 101 Pat Loseby Room | 1900hrs

Events | Promotions

Learn to use your camera in manual mode, with professional tips from Leena Chatlani, a professional photographer with Firefly Photography. Leena will teach you about exposure, shutter speeds, lighting, composition and more. Choose from four different dates for the two-hour theory class – Wednesday 15 April, Monday 4 May, Tuesday 5 May, or Friday 15 May. Practical classes will be held on 9 or 16 May, at a time and venue to be agreed with Leena. $1,500 per person for the two sessions, or $900 for one session only. Minimum age 16.

Speaker’s Corner with Stephen Davies Captain Daniel Ross FRS, IN: The illegitimate son of a freed Jamaican slave and the first accurate chart of Hong Kong waters

Fathers and Daughters Dance Compass Room | Saturday 11 April 1500hrs to 1730hrs Come and enjoy our tea buffet and dance the waltz, tango, cha-cha and others with your child - mothers and sons are also welcome! $225 for adults and children over 11; $175 for children aged 3 to 11. Full menu details are on the website.

Middle Island Day Friday 1 May | 1000hrs to 1700hrs

Chart Room | Thursday 16 April | 1930hrs Accurate hydrographical knowledge of the south coast of China and the Pearl River Delta came remarkably late. The first Europeans arrived by sea in China in 1513, yet it was not until Daniel Ross’ pathbreaking chart of 1810 that, for the first time, the waters around Hong Kong – and even the island itself – were accurately depicted. Why the long gap – and why the early 19th century change? Who was Daniel Ross? How did the illegitimate son of an octoroon Jamaican ex-slave and her Scots prize agent owner-come-lover get to become an eminent hydrographer and Fellow of the Royal Society? What was the Bombay Marine and what was it doing in Chinese waters? Why didn’t Aberdeen Harbour appear in the charts and sailing directions until 1841 or later? Member Dr Stephen Davies has an immense wealth of historical and maritime knowledge and we are delighted that he will be giving another talk at the Club and providing answers to these, and other, questions.

Outriggers, dragon boats, parent/child dinghy race, sailing joy rides, face painting, games and a treasure hunt. Please check the website where the full schedule will appear soon, and will be kept updated. Free to all members and their guests (maximum 4 guests per account).

Ocean in Motion Film Festival Main Lawn | Friday 19 April | 1930hrs Entry is $80 for members, which will be donated to the Ocean Recovery Alliance. Non-members will be charged $150.

The Ocean Recovery Alliance presents the 4th annual Film Festival, which this year has a new look and feel – ‘the Hong Kong Ocean in Motion Film Festival’. The Festival is part of Ocean Appreciation Month, created and run by Ocean Recovery Alliance, as a way to bring the Hong Kong community closer to the ocean and inspire greater appreciation for what it has

to offer. The films to be shown include amazing stories of people, nature, adventure, humour and love. Says Doug Woodring, founder of Please book online or email social@rhkyc.org.hk.

| APRIL 2015 AHOY!

Ocean Recovery Alliance and organiser of the Festival, “Films are a great way to engage people with stories and excitement, while also bringing the audience to a better level of understanding about some of the things that happen in the waters around us. They allow us to see special events that most of us can never witness in real life, while bringing great family entertainment at the same time, with unique films which have never been shown before in Hong Kong.” The Festival runs from 15 to 19 April and the Club is pleased to once again be screening a selection of the films on the Main Lawn, on the last day.

Burgers Bistro | 1 to 30 April with selected items at Middle Island and Shelter Cove

Events | Promotions

Easter Lunch Buffet and Egg Hunt Compass Room | Sunday 5 April 1200hrs to 1430hrs (Egg Hunt at 1330hrs) Celebrate the joy of Easter with your family and enjoy a sumptuous food selection at our special Easter Buffet Lunch. In addition, there will be an Egg Hunt and children’s entertainers on hand to keep the kids happy. Please call Lizzy Tung in the F&B Office on 2239 0386 or email events@rhkyc.org.hk for reservations. $348 for adults and $258 for children (aged 3-11).

Prawn and Crabmeat Burger Prawn and Crabmeat Patty, Mayonnaise, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Poppy Seed Bun 蝦肉蟹餅漢堡蝦肉蟹餅、蛋黃醬、生菜、番茄、青瓜、罌粟籽包 Spanish Pork Rib Burger Spanish Boneless Pork Rib, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber, BBQ Sauce, Poppy Seed Bun 西班牙豬肋肉漢堡西班牙無骨豬肋肉、生菜、番茄、青瓜、燒烤醬、罌粟籽包 John Dory Burger Breaded John Dory Fillet, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Garlic Aioli, Gherkin, Poppy Seed Bun 魴魚漢堡炸魴魚、生菜、番茄、蒜茸沙律醬、酸青瓜、罌粟籽包 Lamb Burger Lamb Patty, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Sage and Onion Bun

Wagyu Beef Promotion Compass Room | 1 to 30 April

Come along and try them out … From Australia M6 Wagyu Beef Tenderloin M6 Wagyu Rib Eye Steak M6 Wagyu Striploin From Japan Miyazaki A4 Striploin

羊肉漢堡免治羊肉餅、生菜、番茄、青瓜、香草洋葱包 Tandoori Chicken Burger Sliced Tandoori Chicken, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Sage and Onion Bun 印式炭燒雞肉漢堡印式炭燒雞肉、牛油果、生菜、番茄、青瓜、香草洋葱包 All served with French Fries 以上漢堡皆配炸馬鈴薯條

Events and Promotions

From Japan Kumamoto A4 Rib Eye Steak APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Wines of the Month – Burgundy, France Events | Promotions

Albert Bichot Mâcon Villages Blanc 2013 The nose exhales acacia and honeysuckle floral notes on a slightly mineral background. The mouth is lively, fruity and floral with a refreshing finale. Available in all F&B outlets at $305 per bottle

Jazz, R&B and Swing Dancing

Albert Bichot Bourgogne Pinot Noir ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2012/13 A seductive palette of very fruity aromas – notes of blackcurrant, redcurrant and plum. The mouth is fleshy and well-balanced and enhanced by discreet woody notes with a pleasant finish.

Friday 17 April

Available in all F&B outlets at $315 per bottle

Come down to the Main Bar Balcony for some jazz and swing dancing with Mark Peter Quartet between 2030hrs and 2330hrs. Head on for some beautiful music, and join in the fun. Experienced swing dancers will be on hand to help novices learn the steps. First-come first-served basis; no booking is required. For enquiries, please call the Main Bar on 2239 0367.

Meetings

CHEERS!

Beverage Specials Poretti Beer (330ml) $38 per bottle Available in all F&B outlets

Monthly Wine Fairs

Are you planning any company meetings or workshops for your staff? The function rooms at Kellett Island or Middle Island are ideal venues for meetings or seminars.

Your attendance at our wine fairs does not place you under any obligation whatsoever to purchase wines. It is also basically a free wine tasting with no obligation – marvellous! The $50 ‘entry fee’ is returned to you in the form of a $50 dining voucher to spend at our F&B outlets! Many members are catching on to this and inviting groups of friends to enjoy the two-hour wine tasting and then using the F&B vouchers to offset a meal another day within two months! The wine fairs are a great opportunity for you to taste wines and learn more about them. And, if you do wish to purchase wines on the evening, you can enjoy a 5% discount on the already low prices!

Please call our Banquet Experts 2239 0385 / 2239 0339 or email banquet@rhkyc.org.hk for bookings and enquiries.

Kellett Island, Wednesday 1 April, 1830hrs to 2030hrs

Bowling Parties

For reservations, please email events@rhkyc.org.hk

The Bowling Alley is an excellent venue for a party with delicious food, or a good bowling competition plus snacks, with your friends and colleagues. We have good value-for-money bowling party packages ready for you. Please ring our Banquet Experts on 2239 0385 / 2239 0339 or email banquet@rhkyc.org.hk to find out more.

| APRIL 2015 AHOY!

Shelter Cove, Friday 10 April, 1930hrs to 2130hrs

Events | Promotions

Spanish Wine Dinner Compass Room | Thursday 23 April Spain is the third largest wine-producing country in the world, after France and Italy. The diversity of grape varieties and climatic systems is comparatively lesser known to the wine drinkers of Hong Kong. For this dinner, we have selected some more important and popular wine regions such as Cava and Rioja, and some best-kept secret regions such as Bizkaiko Txakolina and Méntrida. An occasion suitable for casual and serious wine drinkers, and both speakers and non-speakers of Spanish. Salud!! Pre-dinner Tasting 1930hrs Dinner

2000hrs

Price

Only $668 per person ($628 per person for a booking of 6 persons or more per table)

Speaker

Mr Defranco Leung, Certified Spanish Wine Educator

Reservations

Call Janice Yip in the F&B Office on 2239 0340 or email events@rhkyc.org.hk

Pre-dinner Tasting Castellroig, Brut Nature, Gran Reserva, Cava DO N.V.

Menu and Wines Paprika-marinated Cuttlefish, Blue Mussels, Zucchini and Tomato, Basil Dressing Doniene Blanco, Bizkaiko Txakolina DO, 2013 ❧ ❧ ❧ Deep-fried Oysters and Cod, Mango and Fennel, Peach Coulis Lagar de Costa, ’Barrica’ Albariño, Rias Baixas DO, 2012 ❧ ❧ ❧ Chicken and Chorizo Paella Bodegas Loli Casado, ‘Juan de Alzate’ Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCa, 2004 ❧ ❧ ❧ Braised Lamb Shank, Chickpeas and Capsicum, Pomegranate Sauce Celler Prior Pons, ’Prior Pons’, Priorat DOQ, 2009 ❧ ❧ ❧ Cheese Platter (Munster, Aged Manchego, Stilton, Dried Fruit Terrine, Candied Walnuts) Bodegas Arrayán, ’Arrayán Premium’, Méntrida DO 2007 ❧ ❧ ❧ Freshly Brewed Coffee or Gourmet Tea

Wine Delivery Order Form – April 2015 ‘Try Before You Buy – No Obligation!’ All the wines listed below are featured at the monthly wine fairs at both Kellett Island and Shelter Cove.

Events | Promotions

If you do enjoy the wines and wish to make a purchase, you can enjoy a 5% discount on these already low prices! Kellett Island Wine Fair – Chart Room, Wednesday 1 April, 1830hrs to 2030hrs, guests welcome. Shelter Cove Wine Fair – Shelter Cove Clubhouse, Friday 10 April, 1930hrs to 2130hrs, guests welcome. Wine Fair entry is only $50 per person which includes the sampling of all the wines on the list, complimentary canapés and a $50 dining voucher which can be used in F&B outlets within two months. Another way to look at it is that you’re attending these wine fairs free of charge! See the website for further details. Book now with Janice Yip in the F&B Office on 2239 0340 or email events@rhkyc.org.hk

Sparkling Wines

per bottle

Henri Bonnet Clairette de Die AOC Tradition N.V. – Rhone, France

$130

Bouvet-Ladubay Brut N.V. – Loire, France

$161

Lychee, tea leaves and citrus zest bouquet with creamy mousse and good balance on the palate combining freshness and elegance. Nice aromatic persistence. A fruity, fresh and crisp wine.

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amount

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Elegant aromatic structure of white flowers. Pleasing mousse and good length on the palate.

White Wines

per bottle

Albert Bichot Mâcon Villages Blanc 2013 – Burgundy, France (wine of the month)

$145

Mendel Lunta Torrontés 2014 – Cafayate Valley, Salta, Argentina

$136

Joel Gott Riesling 2012 – Columbia Valley, Washington, USA

$161

Nittardi BEN Vermentino IGT 2013 – Tuscany, Italy

$164

Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris Réserve Particulière 2011 – France (375ml)

$165

Napa Cellars Chardonnay 2013 – Napa Valley, USA

$190

The nose exhales acacia and honeysuckle floral notes on a slightly mineral background. The mouth is lively, fruity and floral with a refreshing finale. Intense and very floral and fruity aromas with citric notes, white flowers and some rose petals. This wine is very fresh on the palate with the acidity giving the wine a long pass through all the mouth and a refreshing sensation. Aromas of key lime, stone fruit, honey and jasmine. The wine is round on the palate with mouth-watering acidity and a lingering minerality on the finish. Intensive bouquet of fresh fruit with hints of citrus, mineral and sparkling freshness. Medium-bodied and balanced with a long-lasting finish. Subtle and delicate nose of pear and fresh white mushrooms with smoky and buttery notes. Rich and well-structured on the palate, crisp and supple thanks to a lively acidity which frames the flavours. Dense and concentrated wine showing a very elegant and persistent finish. Aromas of citrus, grapefruit, honey melon and baked apple crisp. The palate consists of crème fraiche, butterscotch and pear with smooth and integrated flavours of toasted oak. Soft, creamy, balanced acidity and subtle notes of spice, clove and anise to complete the finish.

RED Wines Albert Bichot Bourgogne Pinot Noir ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2012/13 – Burgundy, France (wine of the month)

$161

Sebastiani Merlot 2009 – Sonoma County, USA

$178

Cesari ‘Mara’ Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC 2012 – Verona, Italy

$190

Chateau de Pennautier ‘L'Esprit Pennautier’ Rouge 2011 – Cabardès, France

$212

Hollick Wilgha Shiraz 2009 – Coonawarra, South Australia

$339

Père Anselme Châteauneuf du Pape ‘La Fiole du Pape’ N.V. – France

$348

A seductive palette of very fruity aromas - notes of blackcurrant, redcurrant and plum. The mouth is fleshy and wellbalanced and enhanced by discreet woody notes with a pleasant finish. This wine offers the pure, ripe fruit of California with the restraint and balance of a fine Pomerol. The nose begins with dried herbs, black tea and cherries and finishes with lightly-toasted oak, coconut and toffee. The flavours are full, forward and rich. Notes of ripe fruit, fruit preserve and cherries can be perceived. Persistence is striking on the palate with a warm and elegant body.

Pull out and fax back

Complex and powerful nose with black berry fruit, truffle, coriander and a hint of pepper. Full-bodied and powerful in the mouth, very refined tannins and good balance of oak. Aromas of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg with dense berry fruit aromas and chocolatey oak nuances. A soft and juicy palate displaying ripe Satsuma plums and spice flavours with supple tannins enhancing the wine's long finish. Fruity and spiced, reminiscent of ripe berries, morello cherry, warm spices such as cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, truffles and cedar. Elegant and well-balanced wine with mature flavours of leather and spiced forest fruits. Powerful and persistent flavours.

• All wines are delivered to your designated address by the supplier and are subject to availability of stock. • Mixed cases accepted. Order 12 or more bottles to enjoy free delivery service. For lesser quantities, orders can be collected from the Main Bar. • The cost of the wines will be charged to members’ accounts. • Free delivery service to Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories (excluding outlying islands, Lantau Island, Tung Chung and Discovery Bay). • Delivery service is available on weekdays only except public holidays (subject to delivery schedule). Name (Please Print):

Membership No.:

Telephone No. (Home/ Office):

(mobile):

Delivery Address: Preferred Delivery Date:

TIme:

Signature: date:

FAX THIS FORM TO 2239 0341. FOR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL 2239 0340 • Deadline for Ordering: 30 April 2015 •

CLASS SECRETARIES

SPORTS CONVENORS

Bowling Convenor Simon Boyde bowling@rhkyc.org.hk Golf Convenor David Leung golf@rhkyc.org.hk Snooker Convenor Don Day snooker@rhkyc.org.hk Squash Convenor Francis Longuepee squash@rhkyc.org.hk

CLUB CONTACTS

General Manager Mark Bovaird 2239 0300 mark.bovaird@rhkyc.org.hk Executive Secretary Polly Lee 2239 0301 Financial Controller Tim Gallagher 2239 0315 Membership Manager Tracy Leung 2239 0371 PR & Communications Manager Koko Mueller 2239 0342 Member Relations & Communications Manager Linda Davy 2239 0312 Corporate and International Partnerships Manager Torrey Dorsey 2832 2817 Marine Services Manager Joe Goddard 2239 0308 Boatyard and Marine Operations Manager Simon Pickering 2239 0311 Sailing Manager Alex Johnston 2239 0362 Training and Development Manager Richard Knight 2812 7063 Race and Regatta Promotion Lindsay Lyons 2239 0391 Sail Training Administrator Gloria Yeung 2239 0395 Assistant Sailing Manager Iris Yang 2239 0314 Rowing and Paddle Sports Manager Sarah Garner 2239 0322 Boatyard Office Manager Connie Chan 2239 0304 Food & Beverage Manager Shirley Tam 2239 0321 Technical & Projects Manager Carton Lam 2239 0303 Human Resources Manager Susanna Chung 2239 0310 Ship Shop Manager David Ho 2239 0336 Assistant Marine Manager Joanne Ho 2239 0309 House Manager Lorence Leung 2239 0352

Membership Movement ORDINARY MEMBERS Mr Christopher J Brooke Mr Fergus A Saurin Mrs Georgiann R Reigle & Mr Ryan J Reigle Mr & Mrs Yam Keung SHORT TERM MEMBERS Mr & Mrs Sander B Holman Mr & Mrs Floris S Wesseling JUNIOR MEMBERS Mr Tang Pak Hin Ms Alexandra L Witt Mr Christopher J Wong CADET MEMBERS Jonathan M Bailey Choi Yu Sze Petra A O Deacon James J Eyre Fontaine P Gibbs James S Goh Charlotte T C Hung Nicole T Y Hung Angus L X Ng Miriam Wilmerding Jana H T Wong Chloe Yam Robert A Young CADET MEMBERS SPONSORED BY A MEMBER Santushni Gunetilleke Frederic A Macher Nigel A Whan Kaven T Wijeyekoon Rahel G Wijeyekoon STUDENT USAGE CARD HOLDER Mr Au Yeung Chun HK Baptist University Mr Au Yeung King Chun HK Baptist University

Miss Nicole C Y Chan The Chinese University of HK Mr Chan Ka Ho The HK Polytechnic University Mr Chong Kwan Lok The Chinese University of HK Miss Joey T L Fung The HK Polytechnic University Mr Hui Ming Hon The Chinese University of HK Miss Hui Wing Ki The Chinese University of HK Miss Lee Tsz Kwan The Chinese University of HK Miss Ng Hay Yu The Chinese University of HK Miss Sallie S Y Ngo The HK Polytechnic University Mr Sin Yuk Cheung The HK Polytechnic University Miss Tam Cheuk Yi The HK University of Science and Technology Mr Calvin K W Tang The HK Polytechnic University Mr Tse Yan Man The Chinese University of HK Miss Tse Yat Tung The Chinese University of HK Mr Tsoi Ki To The Chinese University of HK Mr Yuen Yu Wai The HK Polytechnic University

March 2015 Ms Wendy W K Chim & Mr Hung Hing Wang Hong Kong Land Co Limited – Senior Property Manager Ms Katherine S Y Fung & Mr Wong Wing Cheong Abdoolally Ebrahim Housewares Ltd – General Manager Mr & Mrs Willem A Hazeleger APG Investments Asia Ltd – President Mr & Mrs Li Chu Kwan Hong Yuet Trading Ltd – Manager Mr & Mrs Jeremy G Parr Jardine, Matheson & Co Ltd – Group General Counsel ABSENT MEMBERS Miss Mairead K Ross Mr Oliver D Scott-Mackie Mr & Mrs Ashley C Wilkins

RESIGNED MEMBERS Ms Carina A Oechsner Mr Shen Meng Fai Ms Monica W Y Chan & Mr Ho Yam Wing Thomas Baer Sofia Blanchard Ella Blanchard Michael M Bognier Nicholas W S Bowman Guy Green Connie Kang Larissa Y C Lam Marco Lange CORPORATE NOMINEE Jason H K Lau SUBSCRIBERS Alexander Looschen Mr John Barr Vasco Metais Sir Elly Kadoorie & Sons Ltd – Director, Finance & Administration Samuel Nichols Omkar T Varma Miss Laura K Y Cheung Rajan A Varma & Mr Tam Kwok Wing Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Co Ltd Camilla Wilkins Dominic Wilkins – General Manager, GCA

Farewell

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Kellett Island, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, SAR Kellett Island Tel: 2832 2817 Fax: 2572 5399 Middle Island Tel: 2812 7202 Shelter Cove Tel: 2792 2744

www.rhkyc.org.hk www.facebook.com/rhkyc www.facebook.com/rhkycrowingsection www.racebook.com/rhkycevents www.facebook/rhkycsharks www.facebook.com/rhkycmatchracing www.twitter.com/rhkyc

Sailing Development Manager Richard Knight left the Club’s employment at the end of February to further pursue his career as Director of Sailing at the Hong Kong Sailing Federation. Ant Day, Rear Commodore (Sailing), thanked Richard for his contribution to the Club at his farewell party on 27 February.

APRIL 2015 AHOY! |

Club Lines

Rowing Secretary Michael Shasha rowing.secretary@rhkyc.org.hk Sailing Secretary John Breen sailing.secretary@rhkyc.org.hk Big Boat Simon Blore cruiser@rhkyc.org.hk Dinghies Swanson Chan dinghies@rhkyc.org.hk Dragon Phyllis Chang dragon@rhkyc.org.hk Etchells Scotia Ryer etchells@rhkyc.org.hk Flying Fifteen David Bone flyingfifteen@rhkyc.org.hk Impala Dave Norton impala@rhkyc.org.hk J/80 Henri Bassaler j80@rhkyc.org.hk Match Racing Seah Chin Yew matchracingsec@rhkyc.org.hk Pandora Joseph Wong pandora@rhkyc.org.hk Ruffian Saki Chatzichristidis ruffian@rhkyc.org.hk Sportsboats Sam Levine sportsboat@rhkyc.org.hk Youth Sailing Class Sofia Mascia ysc@rhkyc.org.hk

Obituary Lee Woon Pak, Eddy

1954 to 2015

Club Lines

t was with great sadness that we reported the death of Senior Bar Captain, Eddy Lee, in last month’s Ahoy!. Eddy was an incredibly popular member of staff who had developed a genuine love for the Club, its members and other staff over the course of 23 years. Members will remember Eddy for his always smiling persona and as someone who genuinely took pride in providing good service at all times. Despite his 23 years at the Club, Eddy had a variety of other jobs during his career. In 1975, a then-21-year-old Eddy was lured by the opportunity to travel to different places and to see the world. He answered a Navy recruitment ad, applied for and was offered a job as a steward in the Hong Kong Squadron of the Royal Navy. After recruit training, Eddy was assigned a steward’s position on aircraft carrier HMS Bulwark and during his nine months of service on board, he did have a lot of opportunities to travel. One of his most memorable impressions was seeing the giant cacti in America which grew to the height of ten men. Another place he remembered was Gibraltar; it was here that whenever HMS Bulwark had an operation outside of the UK, she stopped for a huge re-supply of tax-free alcohol! Eddy said it was always a hard time for him and his colleagues when they had to move all the bottles aboard; however it did of course provide him with great training for later years when restocking the Main Bar every morning! Eddy only served in the Navy for one year since the British Government charged the financial expenses of the Hong Kong Squadron back to the Hong Kong Government and Eddy and many of his colleagues were laid off as a result of cutting down expenses in the Squadron. Although Eddy enjoyed travelling, he recalled in a 2012 interview for a staff newsletter that the happiest moment during that year was not onboard, or anywhere outside Hong Kong for that matter, it was actually the introductory

| APRIL 2015 AHOY!

training camp held in Sai Kung. He said, “The camp wasn’t easy; it required a high level of physical and mental strength, but it was also just so much fun to go camping with a group of young people who were going to work on a navy craft and embark on such an exciting experience together.” Eddy loved working on the ship out in the ocean but he suffered badly from sea sickness. Though his symptoms improved a lot during his nine months at sea, he never did overcome it 100%. After Eddy left the Navy, he studied a bartender training course and worked parttime in various bars including in the Peninsula Hotel. In 1991 he became a typesetter in a newspaper company but as digital technology was developing very quickly in those days, the typesetter’s job was gradually replaced by digital editing and printing and so later that year he decided to join the Main Bar full-time, where he was reunited with Mari, with whom he had first worked in the Peninsula bar. Eddy said in his 2012 interview that he enjoyed his relationship with the members of the Club and what made him proud was that he never made a big mistake during his work here. He said, “Imagine a typesetter’s job, which always required a highly focused mind, precision and attention to detail – it was great training and I was able to transfer this high standard working attitude to my job at the Club”. He also very much enjoyed a harmonious relationship with colleagues and members. What many members will not know though is that Eddy was a keen campaigner for the rights and recognition of staff and he was the instigator of a review of the long service awards provided by the Club. At the staff party in 2012 the loudest cheer was reserved for Eddy who collected his own 20-year service award that night. If Eddy had a chance to swap his role with another person in the Club for one day, he would have liked it to have been with a Receptionist, because he loved to interact with different people with unique characters, as he saw that as a learning process and a challenge.

It was really hard to tell his age from his face, and in his interview when pushed for his secret Eddy revealed that his secrets to staying young were to stay calm, keep the smile on your face, and the most important thing for him was the wonderful Chinese soup made for him by his lovely wife and his mother. As in all cases Eddy’s funeral vigil service was sad and solemn and everyone’s thoughts were understandably with his wife, son and daughter who had lost their beloved husband and father. Eddy was one of those characters that people genuinely warmed to and made a long-lasting connection with. This was obvious to see from the number and variety of people who attended his vigil service. On top of all his family members who were there, and despite the fact that it had to take place during the Chinese New Year period, there were members and staff from the Club, plus colleagues from his days in other bars and hotels and the newspaper he left all those years before. Eddy was a loving husband and father, a true gentleman, an honourable and loyal employee and someone who is and will remain greatly missed by all who knew him.