Fourteen boats started off Discovery Bay, including visitors from the ABC, HHYC and RHKYC – with one of these visiting boats destined to win the DBYC Middle Island Regatta convincingly!

The return leg of the Regatta took sailors on a pursuit race from Middle Island to Chesterman Rock, south of Lamma to Cheung Chau Rock, Hei Ling Chau to starboard and to the finish near the entrance of the DB Marina Club.

The DB Regatta, sometimes referred to as “The Booze Cruise” due to the copious and alcoholic nature of the various prizes, is arranged as a one-day, two-race series over cans, then islands courses.

Apologies for lack of breeze. However I believe that light wind sailing skills are very much worth learning and practising...

The first race of 10th Tsing Ma Regatta, on 28th April 2007, got off to a very good start with a fresh easterly breeze and 15 entries. Read on to see how it all played out...

Race 2

Most boats crossed the start, which had been set up properly, spot-on. A fresh easterly and a favorable current left very few tactical options except to stay in the middle where the favorable  current  was strongest but where the traffic was.

Apologies for the length of this write-up (broken down in two parts), but what a cracking weekend – the story deserves to be told! Are you sitting comfortably…?

Sunday’s Race 2 – The Return to Discovery Bay

Bullets that had rocked the boats much of the night had eased by the 0930 skippers briefing, as had the forecast – down from F6-7 to a warm and fuzzy ENE F4-5. Actual winds at Waglan Island were only 10-15 kts.

This fun event was also coined the “Impromptu Pursuit Race”, since it was thrown together at the last minute by Nik von der Lühe, ably supported by Nigel Easterbrook. Great to see keen volunteers stepping forward to join the Race Committee...

After only 3 days in the planning, Sunday 17 September’s impromptu pursuit race to Stanley turned out to be a great day. We ended up with 15 boats (10 racing) and 50+ for lunch at Wildfire in Stanley, followed by a visit to the HK Maritime Museum (recommended) and the usual Stanley market shopping.

This new event, sponsored by and routing around Hong Kong Disneyland, went off without a hitch - right up to the Black Rain Storm warning, and the black rain storm that immediately preceded it!

What a great weekend. Successful too, given the two main aims:  1. Have a fun race down there to overnight in the Soko’s, and 2. Draw attention to possible ruin of these beautiful islands...