The inaugural Discovery Bay Regatta was planned to consist of a series of three races over the weekend of 25-26 September. Sadly, Sunday’s race had to be cancelled due to Typhoon Signal No. 8 signal being raised for TS Cam. However, Cam did provide perfect winds (NE’ly force 5) for Races 1 and 2 on the Saturday and rewarded a fair sized fleet with some excellent racing.
A number of entrants had withdrawn due to damage sustained during Typhoon York and a few others did not start on the strength of the forecast for TS Cam. Unfortunately, Sonic discovered a cracked mast on the morning of the race. This left eleven starters - a healthy turn out for a first attempt and indicates a good level of support in DB.
Of course, with a relatively inexperienced fleet, many of whom had never raced before, lessons had to be learnt. Like making the start line on time! Some boats made it by the skin of their teeth, others trailed after the pack for the first of two Olympic courses.
From the start, Great Escape quickly set the pace on the first beat and was to remain in front throughout. Arconia was the only boat to carry a reef and shook it out at the first mark, in the lee of Peng Chau. The following reach and run were interesting, though, with inexperienced crews wrestling with spinnakers in fairly demanding conditions. Seajay held the fleet’s attention for a while, with an interesting hourglass, but Shockwave won the prize for best knockdown and broach, then kept her spinnaker stowed for the rest of the day. Blue Phoenix, just to windward, was forced into a rapid luff and kept a respectful distance thereafter - only closing briefly on Shockwave to hurl abuse.
Indeed it was difficult to get close to Shockwave, a Hunter 22, from that point on. Despite showing a lot of antifoul during the beats, John Carlisle’s hot little ship snapped at the heals of Great Escape for the rest of the race, splitting the fleet into two packs - plus a vanguard of latecomers.
The next lesson was for the race organisers: the leeward mark was loose and drifting towards the beach on Hei Ling Chau. A convenient lifejacket was seen floating in approximately the right area and used for the first pass, but the committee boat could not be raised on VHF or mobile phone to alert them to the problem. By mutual consent the race was completed without a proper mark, as all were concerned by the threat of abandonment for the impending No. 3 signal.
Despite the temporary nature of the replacement mark, Arconia still managed to miss it whilst ducking close under Tava on starboard. Sympathetic laughter blew downwind as the rest of the pack sailed past. Later, a lapse in attention by Hadar’s helm resulted in ramming the penultimate wing mark, but she paid up and quickly closed the rest of the middle pack, finishing well (as in, well behind the leaders) but splitting her newly repaired genoa in the process. Birria, genoa-less thanks to Typhoon York, was reduced to water-bombing the opposition from reciprocal legs, but to no avail.
Of the eleven boats starting the second, left handed course, four retired with damaged genoas (the sail makers will be having a field day...) and the No. 3 signal was raised as the remainder finished. Again, Great Escape took line honours, with Shockwave not far behind. This confirmed an overall win for the tiny Hunter on HKPN, with Seajay as runner-up and Go Ahead in third place. Great Escape was squeezed into fourth place overall on handicap - Richard Winter’s last race as owner, with his new Moody 46 arriving next month in time for the Macau race.
Race 3, the ‘Around the Islands’ race, is to be rescheduled for later in the year.
The race organisers wish to thank all who took part and those who helped put the DB Inaugural Regatta together. In particular, Brian Mackay and his staff at the Discovery Bay Marina Club, Martin and Inge Baggaley on their committee boat, Corpuscule, race marshals Nita and Andy Kung aboard For Play, Sue Fernie on the switchboard and photographers Sytske and Bart Kimman, to name but a few.
Finally, much appreciation is due the race sponsors, the Discovery Bay Marina Club, Cervesa Sol International and Ponti Trading for supporting the event. All things considered, a very successful first attempt and definitely the start of a regular event.
Anyone interested in the new Discovery Bay Yacht Club or future cruising/racing events to be staged from Discovery Bay should contact the organisers at .
