Bart's Bash

Andrew 'Bart' Simpson was an Olympian sailor and an ambassador to sailing worldwide. Hailing from Britain, he died tragically while training in San Francisco Bay for the America's Cup. This was on the 9th of May 2013 and, not long after, his many friends decided to commemorate the man with an event called 'Bart's Bash'. Envisaged to appeal to a few clubs in Britain, the aim was to raise £10,000 and, in no time, some 700 clubs had signed up.

By September 2014, the cash received had reached £70,000 and the Guinness Book of Records had confirmed that Bart's Bash had been the single largest multi-location sailing event ever held.

Four clubs from Hong Kong signed up. The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club held a race in Victoria Harbour, the Aberdeen Boat Club decided to dedicate the Islands Race on the second day of its Opening Regatta to Bart's Bash and, over in Discovery Bay, the Discovery Bay Yacht Club and Lantau Boat Club, driven by beachcat sailor, Steve Devlin, held a joint event to the west of Lantau, raising an amazing HK$10,000 for sailing charities.

Ten years on, and Bart's Bash is still a big fixture in Hong Kong. On the 14th of September, the Hebe Haven Yacht Club attracted 83 entries in seven classes to its Bart's Bash 2024, sailed in Port Shelter. Two races were scheduled for the day, with lunch in the club's Garden Bar separating the two.

Hebe One, the committee boat, left the dock at 1050 with some 15 officials, volunteers and parents aboard anticipating good winds. Coming to a rest in the middle of the bay, anchor was dropped and a triangular course chosen, laid to the southeast with a finish line closer to the University.

Race officer, Queenie Ho, omitted the 10-minute gun and instead went straight into a 5-minute starting sequence at 1155 to get things moving. All seven classes crossed the line together in a clean start, making for quite a spectacle – there were Optimists, Quests, Fevas, Fusions, 2.4mRs, Hansa 303s and Ilcas (formerly Lasers).

From the upper deck of Hebe One, race manager Rob Allen kept up a friendly banter with the competitors and, in particular, Optimist HKG318. "Be careful," he warned everyone, "318 might cheat!" to lots of joking and laughter from other Optimist sailors.

Allen's rapport with sailors, young and old, has brought much-needed levity to many Hebe Haven Yacht Club events – it has also raised participation levels. What's his secret? "Just be nice to people, it always works." Sound advice, not just for sailing, but life in general.

The finish line for Race 1 was to starboard of the committee boat and, as one spectator observed, it must have been "the world's shortest finish line". It brought competitors close to Hebe One and allowed officials to confirm names – important when dealing with some 130 spirited sailors.

Against the stark outline of Ma On Shan, and gathering storm clouds, HKG6 took line honours to applause from the committee boat. The others then came streaming through, thick, fast and furious!

At 1300, sailors and officials headed back in to the club for lunch, barbecued burgers and (proper) chips foremost in their minds. After refuelling, it was time for the final of Bart's Bash 2024. This, again, would feature a single start for everyone but the pressure was on to get things moving as the wind was beginning to fade.

The RO went for a running start with everyone rounding a windward mark before sailing back through the moorings to finish off the club. At 1530, the fleets started aggressively with race manager, Allen, calling "no boats OCS!" This drew some puzzled looks from other officials but, not to be distracted, the focus returned to the front runners approaching the black windward mark.

Then, to everyone's dismay, the wind died completely and the RO decided to call it a day. Some observers would have liked a shortened course, ending off the fish farms but, getting 83 dinghies back home was going to take a while. Also, the clouds were gathering over Sai Kung and de-rigging and storing dinghies in a downpour is not fun. So the RO summoned 16 support boats for assistance and everyone was towed back to the club in time for the prize-giving.

To a backdrop of images from the regatta, prizes were awarded and thanks made, drawing Bart's Bash Regatta 2024 to a close.