Hong Kong Flying Fifteens – Newcomers shine at the 2021 Class Championships W O RD S: TIM RO BERT S | IM AGES: O LIV ER MER Z
Sailing 16 boats took part in the 2021 Hong Kong Flying Fifteen Class Championships over the weekend of 11 and 12 December. The fleet included a record nine mixed crews. Racing took place in Victoria Harbour in beautiful sunny weather. A total of six races were sailed in a mixture of testing wind and tidal conditions. Pete Britten and Ollie Merz (3722) were worthy winners of the Championship. The story of the weekend however was the results of the newcomers to the Hong Kong fleet. Day 1 A steady northeasterly breeze of 15kts, a strong flood tide and choppy sea state greeted the first day of racing. Theme for the day was short tacking up the shore and picking lay lines across the channel. The Championship kicked off with a super quick windward-leeward course. Three newcomers to the Hong Kong fleet swept the top 3 spots –
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| FEBRUARY 2022 AHOY!
James Betts and Jim (3990) in first, Gina Chen and Josh (3981) second, followed by Pete Wilkinson and Marie (4015) third. Unfortunately, guest Ruffian sailors Oliver Cully and Christina (3604) had a technical issue and were forced to return to the dock. The second race was action packed. Gina and Josh (3981) broke their tiller extension and
quickly resorted to sail tie and electrical tape – spirits were however not broken! The windward mark now in strong tide made picking lay lines a challenge. There were a few close calls, some light grazes, plenty of shouting and several penalty turns, including a heated debate as to the required number of turns! (names withheld to avoid embarrassment).
