Sharks 29er Team at Sail Sydney

WORDS AND IMAGES: JAYDEN FUNG AND AYDEN PANG

Jayden and I arrived in Sydney on 11 December, which meant that we did not have a lot of time to get the boat set up and for training with only three training days allocated before racing started on the 15th. Unfortunately, this turned into only two training days as the first day was cancelled due to bad weather.

ail Sydney 2022 was an unforgettable experience. It was Jayden and my first international regatta, so we definitely learnt a lot and gained a lot of experience. There was a total of 21 entries for the 29er Class; almost all of them Australian bar us and one other Hong Kong team from HKSI (RHKYC sailor Emily Polson), with the racing being held in the famed Sydney Harbour.

Preparations began months in advance. Prior to the event, which was held in mid-December, we had no experience in international racing, especially the logistics behind it. Hence, we had to learn it all; from how we were going to ship sails over, to the tools and equipment we needed. After a few lists and plans, we had all our equipment over and a solid plan on our goals in Sydney.

As for the racing, conditions throughout the event were not in our favour. Winds were averaging 15–25kts with gusts up to 28kts, making even keeping the boat upright a challenge. Given the race course was right in the middle of Sydney Harbour, the sea state was also extremely choppy, greatly increasing the risk of pitchpoling into the back of a wave. This caused us to be over most of the time in the freezing waters of the Harbour, which was definitely not the most pleasant experience. Even so, it helped us learn how to start in a big fleet, as well as coping with crowded mark roundings and more which we could never get in Hong Kong.

There were four days of racing, three races a day, all counting to an overall result at the end of the regatta. The course was a windward leeward, contested over two laps, which meant the races lasted around 20 to 30 minutes depending on how fast you completed it. A 20+ boat fleet with a relatively short start line meant extremely crowded starts and intense competition for a good starting spot on the first lane.

The regatta ended with us finishing 19 th. While we didn’t achieve the results that we were hoping for, our end goal for this competition was to just gain experience for upcoming international regattas later in the season, which we achieved. Lastly, we’d both like to express our gratitude towards the Club for supporting us throughout the event and providing us with invaluable experience going forward.