I think we might have been quite lucky enjoying as much breeze as we did over the weekend! In any case, another successful event with more entrants (19) and sponsors, and bigger parties than ever before. The word is definitely getting around that this is a great, fun weekend, with some interesting racing to be had too.

In order to blow away the cobwebs after the Club AGM, a few boats turned out the next day, suitably armed with water-bombs and water-pistols, for the Eightsome Reel pursuit race.

Saturday dawned bright and clear, with a light Southerly filling in just before the start of Race 1 off Discovery Bay marina. A mixed fleet of 16 starters, both mono and multi-hull, jostled for the start tight on the Committee Boat end, with Wizard taking the start and an early lead by clearing Peng Chau to port on a single tack, while the rest of the fleet beat around the island in pursuit…

Our final event for 2003 was organised as a ‘treasure hunt’ style race and family BBQ picnic - a chance for all the family to participate in the run up to Christmas.

Preceded by a couple of Rules & Tactics lectures to blow away the pre-season cobwebs, a weekend of Drag Racing was arranged in lieu of the Spring TMR to keep the crews on their toes.

Despite Sunday’s appalling weather, the weekend was a great success, and most boats were able to complete the two races as planned. They were hard work, though, so the ice-cold Cerveza Sol on arrival at either end was very welcome!

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.