China Sea Race

The Rolex China Sea Race has come to a close, with William Liu’s Ker 42 Custom, Seawolf, crowned IRC Overall Champion, Philip Turner’s R/P 66 Team Alive-Rampage taking Line Honours and Tiger Mok making history as the first solo competitor. For this edition, the start was brought forward by a month to take advantage of the northeast monsoon.

Seawolf finished on Friday, the 6th of March, at 21:30:20 and won IRC Overall on a corrected time of 71:43:35. This marks the first time a Mainland yacht has won the IRC Overall title in the race’s history.

Competing for the fifth time, Seawolf has steadily improved, scoring an IRC Overall 2nd place in 2024. Skipper Yan Yu Ye reflected on the breakthrough, saying: “We’ve always believed we could win. After five attempts, each with lessons learned, this victory means a lot. The conditions were tough with strong winds and some damage, but we were lucky to have a steady breeze most of the way. Only near the finish did we fall into a hole, but the team pulled through.”

Navigator Campbell Murray Field highlighted the team’s preparation and diverse crew: “We had a multinational team that worked well together. We studied the course, set a clear strategy, and mostly stuck to it. The final approach required a few adjustments, which was frustrating after a fast crossing, but nothing caught us off guard.”

IRC Overall 2nd place went to Franco Cutrupia’s Solaris 60, Fenice. “This was our first China Sea Race and it was very interesting. There were many boats and, for us, a truly international crew. Above all, we had great fun. The wind was good and there were no major damage.”

IRC Overall 3rd place was grabbed by Stefan Fillip’s Neo 400+, Neo One, improving on its strong 2024 performance. Navigator Cameron Ferguson described the crossing: “It was an awesome trip down — a blast reaching across the China Sea, so it was really fast and furious. Getting out of the harbour was a bit slow — you really have to fight to get out of there. Once we settled in, the wind built to about 20 knots, gusting 30 at times.”

Double-handed honours went to the Sun Fast 3600, Zesst (Henning Mueller & Adrian Stromski), finishing as the only boat in its division and taking an impressive 4th overall in IRC.

Henning was delighted to record the fastest elapsed time as a double-handed entry. “We went into the race with confidence,” he said. “Adrian and I have sailed double-handed in Hong Kong for many years. Although we planned to rely on the autopilot, we ended up hand-steering almost the entire time. The autopilot struggled in the waves and wasn’t set up for such conditions, so one of us had to be on the helm and mainsheet constantly. It was exhausting, but we managed it together.”

The race also celebrated its first-ever solo finisher, Tiger Mok aboard 2 Easy, who finished the 565-nautical-mile crossing on his own in three days, six hours and 30 minutes.

“To be the first person to race the Rolex China Sea Race solo is really unique. This race is tough enough double-handed; doing it single-handed wasn’t easy but it exceeded my expectations. Things aligned and I made it. It’s very hard but achievable. I’m glad I made that decision six months ago.

“The mental challenge was the biggest. Physically it was manageable because I tried to be safe and take small steps — doing things one at a time before the weather hit. Mentally it was really stressful: the weather and unexpected gear malfunctions always seem to happen during a race, no matter how much you test. You fix something and then you wonder what will fail next. That keeps your head racing.

“When I saw the finish line approaching, it felt unreal. Logically I knew I could do it, but emotionally it was a mix — I’m still processing it!”

The race delivered three days of dynamic offshore competition as 20 yachts set off from Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour at 1120 on the 4th of March. Throughout the race, yachts reported sustained winds of 25 to 28 knots, accompanied by big seas that contributed to one of the fastest editions in recent memory.

Australian entry Team Alive-Rampage, with skippers Philip Turner and Noel Chan, crossed the finish line in Subic Bay at 13:15:46 on the 6th of March, claiming Line Honours with an impressive elapsed time of 49:55:46 – just shy of surpassing their long-standing 2016 record.

In IRC Division 0, William Liu’s Seawolf, Stefan Fillip’s Neo One and Hie Hua’s Happy Go secured the podium positions. IRC Division 1 was topped by Henning Mueller’s Zesst, followed by Johnson Yuen’s Zoe’s Guard and Fraser and Glenn Smith’s Wild Card. In the IRC Premier Division, Franco Cutrupia’s Fenice claimed 1st place, ahead of Peter Churchhouse’s Moonblue 2 and Tom Attenborough’s Parnassus.

In the double-handed and PHS divisions, victories went to Henning Mueller’s Zesst and Bradly Wilkins’ blowers daughter, respectively.

Race chairman, Hugues de Saint Germain, said: “I feel the event was a great success and very well organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. Although three boats retired, the remaining boats finished within two to three days — much faster than in previous years. We’re very pleased that moving the race forward by a month delivered the improved conditions we hoped for.”

Several teams praised the conditions, calling this the fastest China Sea Race they had ever experienced. Veteran sailor and Moonblue 2 owner Peter Churchouse remarked: “I’ve been doing this race since 1982 and I believe it’s fastest we’ve ever done.”

The physical and mental demands of the race were felt across the fleet, as described by Zoe’s Guard skipper Johnson Yuen: “This race was tough for us – it really made me question why I put myself through this kind of suffering. But I’m looking forward to joining more offshore races in the future.”

Olympic gold medalist Lijia Xu (Lily), racing aboard Happy Go in her first Rolex China Sea Race, shared her aspiration: “I also have a small dream for the future – to form an all-women’s team and come back to compete in the Rolex China Sea Race.”

—photos ROLEX / Andrea Francolini