Bright and breezy is what we wanted, and bright and breezy is what we got! Actually, gusting 35 knots was probably more than we needed, but it certainly grabbed our attention for Sunday’s protracted beat to finish - but I’m getting ahead of myself. 

A fresh Easterly greeted a varied fleet of fifteen starters, ranging from 22 to 51 feet overall. A short delay as the windward mark was adjusted allowed valuable trimming time, and most boats flew off the starboard end of the line. It was then immediately apparent who would be leading the fleet as Sea Eagle, Ross Dawson’s Scandia 44 replacement for Island Girl, rounded the windward mark in four minutes flat. The rest jostled to round and gave chase.

The Tsing Ma Regatta is a weekend event for all-comers, involving a race from Discovery Bay to the Gold Coast on the Saturday, and a return race on the Sunday. Organised twice a year - Spring and Autumn - last month’s Tsing Ma Regatta was the fourth since March 2000. The regatta offers an interesting combination of striking scenery through the bridge and a challenging tactical race, given the strong tides in the area.

What is it about Hong Kong? Two weeks of strong monsoon, and the first sniff of a yacht race guarantees light airs. Now known as the Tsing Ma Regatta, Saturday’s leg from Discovery Bay to the Gold Coast proved a tricky course in gentle breezes varying from E’ly to W’ly, and back again, over the course of the day. This, coupled with the usual Ma Wan tides, kept the crews working throughout what turned out to be a taxing, seven hour race.

It’s a race organiser’s nightmare, and one realised too often in Hong Kong. Days of strong winds before and after race day, but Sunday morning dawns to a flat calm. And so it was for DBYC’s latest regatta on 27 May. Plans for two Olympic courses looked doubtful, but the fleet of a dozen boats headed hopefully for the first start off Hei Ling Chau at 1000. The sun shone and spirits were high but no breeze materialised and the race was cancelled after half an hour, leaving time for an early lunch and an earlier start for the afternoon race.

Sunday, April first turned out fine and breezy for the DBYC April Fools rally and lunch at the Boathouse, Stanley. A stiff Easterly 5-6 afforded an exciting beat from Discovery Bay, with particularly gusty conditions through the Lamma Channel.

Two weeks of unseasonably dank weather cleared just in time for this autumn’s Discovery Bay – Gold Coast Regatta. Saturday dawned fine and clear, with the wind settling into an Easterly 3-4 and a flat calm sea – champagne sailing.

In an effort to introduce fresh destinations and routes into their cruising/racing calendar, the DBYC raced from the Discovery Bay Marina to the Gold Coast Marina on Saturday, 18 March.

The inaugural Discovery Bay Regatta was planned to consist of a series of three races over the weekend of 25-26 September. However, Race 3, the Round the Islands race, had to be cancelled due to Tropical Storm Cam and was re-staged on 14 November 1999.

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.