Memorial Vase
Fifty-three boats enjoyed some fresh (and cold!) sailing in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on the 11th of January as they competed in the HKRNVR Memorial Vase 2025. Organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the race forms part of the Club's Top Dog Trophy Series, which combines the season's pursuit races to crown a winning helm for the year.
This event is held in honour of the Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (HKRNVR), a defence force formed by members of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The trophy was gifted in memory of all HKRNVR amateur sailors who engaged in regular patrol duties around the waters of Hong Kong to help ensure its security. The Deed of Gift contains the proviso that the race should take competitors into those waters once patrolled by the HKRNVR.
Race officer, Gareth Williams, opted for a start line at Hung Hom and a course taking the fleet into Hong Kong's eastern approaches, using landmarks and rounding TCS4 before returning to the eastern end of the harbour to satisfy the Deed of Gift requirement.
A succession of starts based on RHKATI ratings began with the Pandora fleet at 1402 and culminated around an hour later with the Cape 31, Out of Africa. The format of the race allowed the later starts to catch up with – and overtake – the slower fleets.
The race started in a light easterly breeze. However, it was a tricky day for both sailors and the race management team as the wind was patchy and shifty inside the harbour due to the northeasterly being blocked by the Kowloon peninsula and bending around the buildings along the shoreline. During the Etchells start sequence, a westerly breeze sent the fleet off for an exciting downwind start.
There was a significant park-up at Lei Yue Mun but, once the fleet cleared the gap, they were greeted by 9 to 11 knots of northerly breeze, giving the Etchells and Big Boats the lift they needed to gain ground. The Etchells, Good Thing, took the lead at TCS4.
The lighter boats such as the Cape 31 and VX One took off in a stronger breeze and caught up with Good Thing at the front. In the end, Out of Africa crossed the finish line near Tai Koo Shing at 16:18:40, with the FAB in 2nd place and the Etchells, Good Thing, in 3rd.
The third race of the Top Dog Trophy Series 2024-25, the Sun Hung Kai & Co Around the Island Race, will take place on Saturday, the 18th of January 2025.
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