Testing a new format is always a challenge and doing it for a prestige event as the Tsing Ma Regatta, it's a risky one nonetheless. But turns out changes are not always bad and with a great fleet and great winds, we had great days on the water. The Tai O Race is here to stay!
Strong breeze out of the East and by the time Div B got to the start line the count sequence was already under way. Rosemary and Skellum heard the toot and thought it might be the 5 minutes but upon looking at the flags and the boats passing the line and going for it with gusto they immediately knew they had missed the start and were off in hot pursuit. VHF reception in the cockpit of a small boat is at best confusing. Sandmartin was plowing ahead like there was no tomorrow and soon it was out of sight and Epic with all the wind and long waterline came alive and was moving along very well. Rosemary was out for the first time in strong wind with the new rig and was playing safe. Sipadan was also moving fast. Then Div A started and soon there was a full fleet moving towards the Tsing Ma Bridge with Div A gradually closing the gap. Legs Eleven was struggling upwind being a little "soft" when beating. Closing the rear was Xanadu who complained because the heel was making it difficult not to spill the wine. (sailors with class). As we approached the Bridge the wind got gradually weaker. Sandmartin, in the lead, was hardly moving the fleet caught up.
The usual confusion around and just after the Bridge where winds are flimsy. Some boats were not moving while others 30 meters away were doing 5 knots. Rosemary coming from behind had the advantage of seeing who was stuck and was able to avoid them. After the Bridge Legs Eleven was in her element with the wind behind the beam and shifted gears and was never seen again. Aegean dueled with Rosemary for a surprisingly long time until the wind picked up and she pulled away. Epic was just ahead with Sandmartin behind and Xanadu closing the rear. Skellum did a magnificent spinnaker run all the way to The Brothers while keeping relatively close to some Div A boats. As we got closer to The Brothers the wind picked up and we were again moving at hull speed and the bigger boats pulled away. At the Airport a couple of boats went into the forbidden zone. After the Airport the wind gradually diminished and at the entrance to Tai O it was so erratic that Authority tacked five times without touching the helm or changing course in about 2 minutes. Heartbeat got into a hole and was passed by Legs Eleven on the outside before she too got into a hole only to see Authority sneak past on the inside and take line honors. First one over the line was Authority with Legs Eleven a minute later and Heartbeat two minutes after that. In Div B it was Santorini, Epic and Square Bear.
By the time both divisions were anchored there were gusts of wind of 25 knots and some boat's anchors did not hold and a few boats gave up and left for the Sokos. Dinner at was definitely not quiet with some of our people expressing their opinions rather too enthusiastically. It wasn't just loud it was more like a scene from Dante's Inferno with everybody talking at the same time. The night did not conduce to sleep. I still don't know which was worse; the howling of the wind or the howls of the party on Square Bear. With gusts of 40 knots it was not ideal for being at anchor and most boats established a watch system except one which was unattended but fortunately the anchor held. In the morning the boats at the Sokos called to tell us that the sea had formed on the South side of Lantau and was very rough. Div B race was canceled for reasons of safety and they returned via the Airport and the Tsing Ma Bridge. Skellum and Santorini had a very hard time getting their anchors out of the mud since they had dug in deep. Rosemary had the same problem. Div A and Square Bear went south and completed the circumnavigation of Lantau. I asked for comments since I was part of Div B and completely missed that part of the race but only got a reply from Legs Elevenand Authority who had gone ashore (Authority) and when they returned discovered that the hired dinghy had left and the fleet was on the way out. They felt like orphans on shore without a way of getting on board. Finally they got onto a local boat and were ferried aboard only to find that their anchor had dug into the mud so deeply that it took them another 20 minutes to weigh it. They were 8 minutes late at the start and noticed that the others had gone far out on a long tack towards Macau. They took a gamble and stayed close to land and the combination of wind and tide (but especially tide I suspect) was such that they recovered a lot of ground. Reefing in time was instrumental to their continued advancement as was the timing of shaking the reefs. The channel between the Sokos and Cheung Chau was magnificent with all the Div A boats tacking and crossing each other in the big swell. Legs Eleven saw pink dolphins right at the start. It was a close one with Authority followed by Kei Lun and Skywalker.
It was unfortunate that we had three incidents in which Sex Drive got dismasted in a collision and two near collisions in which a port tack boat did not give way and was missed by another boat by inches as well as a near miss due to a boat broaching all the way to an involuntary tack. I must stress one more time not to get carried away with race-fever to the point where safety is disregarded. In conditions like those on Saturday at the start a collision could have meant serious bodily harm. Safety first.
Results
Conclusion: Most skippers loved the new format with circumnavigation of Lantau and would welcome this race to become a yearly event. Some did not enjoy the anchorage in gusty winds - understandable given the wind conditions. However the bottom turned out to be much better than expected and really good for anchoring. After having seen how some (a few) of our boats were attempting to anchor we have decided to expand our training courses and do a course on anchoring; (seriously).
Next year we will try to put to use this year's experience and improve things. It would be nice, for instance, if they allowed us to do a super-barbeque on top of the sea wall where we had the whole fleet in full view for peace of mind and perhaps a whole lamb and a whole pork on the spit. If we are luckier and have more reasonable weather we can also spend time swimming, although the current was strong, and we should find something for the children to do. Maybe the support boat could take them out to look at pink dolphins which are supposed to be in that area. Any suggestions are welcome.
Race officer’s comments:
Finally, in an attempt to build on this year’s experience to facilitate next year I asked all skippers to write about their anchoring experience and in particular if they had found mud which is very good for anchoring and a few replied. Please see their comments below but keep in mind that Forplay is the exception since she has a lot of windage.
After you finish reading you will come to the conclusion that a mud bottom is pretty much the norm which means that a Danforth anchor would be best but any anchor will hold if of the correct size and given enough chain.
LEGS ELEVEN Hi Paolo, We have a plow anchor and used about 60 feet of chain. Did not move a bit, brought up a lot of mud, the windlass struggled a bit at the end in order to get the hook unstuck. Thanks, Nik
AUTHORITY Hi Paolo, We used a CQR on 6 meters of chain and another 6 meters of rode. That did not hold. We could tow the anchor with engine in reverse at idle. Then we tried again and found just enough hold. 1 hour after dropping we started drifting again this time we set the CQR at the end of the chain. Then put a danforth 4 meters further back on the chain and again 6 meters of rode. That held very well. We didn't move at all. And yes. Plenty hold. Plenty mud. The mud is very fine in texture. I think that's why the CQR wouldn't grip. It was a great event. I didn't not enjoy the anchoring bit. But then again I am not very used to it. But to sail around Lantau is brilliant. Could grow into a big thing. I was a bit disappointed that there was no silver. I like those cheap little plaques the COA hands out. Something for the wall. Best regards, Torben Kristensen
SKELLUM AND SANTORINI I could have had Kei Lun, Santorini, Square Boar and three other boats tied to my stern cleat and the anchor would have still held the load (the cleat most likely not). Anyway, you saw us trying to get my anchor up in a joint effort of 5 people and an anchor windlass. I bailed water over the deck for another hour to get the mud off which came together with the anchor aboard. I guess this answers both questions. Generally, I had the feeling, that boats further down the typhoon shelter had a better grip than boats further up. It might have something to do with the opening of the sea way there leading into Tai-O. Maybe the bottom there is subject to stronger currents in high-and low tides and gets washed out more than further down in the shelter. Anyway Paolo, this had been a great event and Vega and Skellum are considering to go there more often this year. Cheers Jan
ROSEMARY We had no chain. Just 25 m of rode with a heavy Danforth at the end and a lighter danforth 6 m back to hold the rode at a reasonable angle. Had no problems even with our powerful 3hp full in reverse. In the morning we struggled to get the small anchor out of the mud but not so much the big one. This would indicate that the small one was holding and the big one did not even have to “dig in”. We were swinging a lot and next time may decide to put the two anchors on separate rodes at an angle of 45 degrees. This stops the swinging and also prevents the chain/rode from hooking the anchor out of the bottom if the tide or wind change and the boat moves to a different position.
FORPLAY Paolo, Answers as follows:- A) Did you have to work in order to get your anchor unstuck of the mud grip ? Anchor came out quite easily however have a strong windless and was Probably drove the anchor out as we were swinging a lot while driving forward and lifting at the same time. B) Did mud come up with your anchor and did you have to clean it ? A lot of mud came up with the anchor but was quite soft and to remove it I had to leave the anchor just in the water and move forward at idle speed (5 knots). I went right out to the right hand side and went as close to the shore as possible to get to the un-dredged part of the typhoon shelter and dropped the anchor in 1 meter of water then drifted back to 3.4 meter depth. It shelves very quickly from 3 meters to 1 meter. My anchor initially held for 6 hours before dragging and I had out around 30 meters and after dragging re-anchored in approximately the same place but put out Approximately 45 meters. It dragged at around 6:30 PM just after high tide. Our boat has a lot of windage and with no keel whatsoever swings about a lot when at anchor which doesn’t help the anchor hold either.
Results
