Sai Kung Coastal Challenge

WORDS: DAVID BEST AND CLARISSA BECKER IMAGES: STANLEY LAM

Saturday 10 September saw the second Sai Kung Coastal Challenge outrigger canoe change race take place in some of the most spectacular waters of Hong Kong.

Inaugurated in 2021 and hosted by both Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and Victoria Recreation Club, the event covers a total distance of 42kms from Shelter Cove to the Victoria Recreation Club in Emerald Bay. This epic race pits teams of six women and six men against, not only each other, but also the tempestuousness of the seas. The men and women in each team are required to alternate in and out of the canoes every 30 minutes with a support boat running alongside each race craft to allow for the changes. There was a total of seven canoes on the start line with three teams from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC Blue, RHKYC Yellow and RHKYC White) and representation from the Victoria Recreation Club, Stormy Dragons Paddling Club and Hong Kong Outrigger Canoe Club.

RHKYC Blue took home a solid first place with a lead of more than four minutes over the second boat. However, the most exciting battle of the day was for third place between RHKYC Yellow and Stormy Dragons Paddling Club who were within only a few seconds of each other as they crossed the finishing line.

Here, David Best of RHKYC Yellow gives us a blow-by-blow account of the team’s experience of the day (read on to find out who ended up taking the final podium position):

“On the morning of race day, RHKYC Yellow were cautiously optimistic. Despite the blazing hot weather and questionable air quality, in the weeks of training leading up to the race we had been performing strongly. Having said that, we were a fairly inexperienced team, with

the majority of us having not paddled in these kinds of conditions before. With RHKYC Blue lining up as the club’s strongest team, our aim was to go for a podium place.

Our race began well with the women battling hard from the start. It soon became apparent that our main race would be with Stormy Dragons Paddling Club for third place. After the first two 30-minute paddles, we had built a decent lead and were starting to feel more comfortable. At the beginning of the second men’s paddle however, bad luck struck, and an unexpected detour meant we were now 400m behind. With around 25kms to go, the race was on! home straight after 4 hours of racing, we were trailing by only 50 meters. With lungs burning, we kept up the pressure to the end and pipped into third place by 4 seconds!

After the race, when we could talk properly again, we were quick to congratulate our fellow competitors on what was a thrilling race. All teams bonded well at the awards ceremony at Kellett Island, helped by some well-deserved cold beers. Thank you to all the organisers for hosting such a great event!

With morale down and the intense heat starting to take its toll, we all had to dig deep to pick up speed and try and claw back the lead. Our team coordinator made some changes to the crew line-ups for the second half of the race to try and turn things around. The tweaks were effective and after a fantastic fourth leg by the women, we were now only 200m behind, giving us an outside chance to catch up.

The men’s final change was quick and efficient, and we immediately set about to reduce the distance between us and the boat ahead. As we paddled, we managed to gain good momentum, using the waves and current to help us. When we passed the final turn into the

OUTRIGGER CONTACT

outrigger@rhkyc.org.hk