Summer Saturday 7,8, and 6 re-sail

Two geometric races were scheduled for the final day of racing in the Ming Hing Waterworks Summer Saturday Series 2024 – Race 7 and Race 8. If the wind was good, the race officer would try and re-sail Race 6 which had been abandoned on the 27th of July. With a fresh southwesterly blowing, it looked indeed like he would get in three races on Saturday, the 10th of August 2024.

The courses for Races 7 and 8 would be geometric and the course for the re-sail of Race 6 would be decided on the water. There would be a group of Shelter Cove Dragons joining the action, probably seven, and only three marks laid. Three starts at five-minute intervals and no offsets. Twenty-nine boats total.

With the volunteers primed, the race officer, Rob Allen, said "Let's go" and the committee boat's captain, Mikey, eased the 43-foot catamaran out of the dock and on through the Hebe Haven moorings. Turning to port, Hebe One then headed out into Hong Kong's best sailing arena – Port Shelter – to search for a suitable place to lay the course.

Using BuoyZone, the support staff were soon busy laying the top marks and bottom mark. For the 250-metre start line ODM, the RO again decided to use a RIB with an orange flag, with a 'spotter' on board to check for boats on course side (OCS). This system has worked well in recent races although some have said that the RIB looks like a spectator boat. This, surely, will change as helms and bowmen get used to looking for a RIB instead of an inflated buoy.

For a change, the Dragons arrived early, showing their enthusiasm among the growing number of boats converging on Port Shelter. Allen welcomed everyone at 1245 and said there would be three starts with the faster boats sailing Course 2, and PHS B using Course 1.

The manoeuvring and 'dog fighting' increased as the warning signal was sounded at 1250. At 1300, the IRC, Sportsboats and J/80 boats romped across the line – all clear. In the second start for PHS A/ORC and PHS B, enthusiasm was high. Mystique was on course side (OCS) at the one-minute signal and was blocked from getting back behind the line. Two horns sounded at the start indicating Mystique had to return and start again.

In the third start, for the six Dragons that turned out to race, Elfje was over and had to re-start.

First boat home in Race 7 was Arcturus+ at 12:34:55. In IRC, Arcturus+ was also winner on handicap, followed by RB and Zoe's Guard. Top of the results in PHS A/ORC was Goddess, followed by Ichiban and the Impala, Saturday Again. Happy King claimed victory in PHS B, ahead of Mystique and Little Swallow.

Graceful as ever, the Dragons finished within minutes of eachother. First over the line and 1st on handicap was Phyloong II, followed by Mei Fei and Jessica Chan's Davinloong.

Twenty-six minutes after finishing Race 7, the IRC, Sportsboats and J/80s were on their way again. Race 6 started at 1400 and it looked very much like the RO would get in the re-sail of Race 6 as the wind was holding at 6+ knots and the courses were short – 0.6 nautical miles to the top mark!

Arcturus+ again led the boats off the line and, with no real challengers, looked set to win again. And that's how it turned out with Cynthia Law's RB in 2nd and Johnson Yuen's Zoe's Guard in 3rd.

Ichiban took PHS A/ORC ahead of Rex Tan's Saturday Again and the Beneteau First 44.7, Harpseal. Happy King won PHS B while Jason Woo's Mystique took 2nd and Little Swallow, 3rd.

At 1500, with the first and second races finished without incident, the race officer announced the third race of the day – the re-sail of Race 6 of the Ming Hing Waterworks Summer Saturday Series 2024. If he started the race at 1525, that was time enough for the boats to finish in daylight within an hour and also allow the sailors time to return and prepare for the prize-giving.

On schedule, no change to the course, the RO released the 11 entries in IRC, Sportsboats and J/80s. Arcturus+ finished in just over half an hour, showing that the wind had held for this final race of the day – and the series. In light just starting to fade, the boats ran to the finish with their colourful kites filling the horizon. It had been a great day of racing.

In IRC, Arcturus+ again won on handicap, ahead of RB and Zoe's Guard. In the competitive Sportsboats division, Patrick Pender helming Serendipity, claimed 1st, Team Hebe Dragons placed 2nd and Nezha Sailing Club, led by Owen Ma, filled the 3rd slot.

Rex Tan again showed his skills in the PHS A/ORC division by winning the re-sail in Saturday Again. Persistence paid off in PHS B with Happy King at the top of the division. Mystique and Little Swallow followed. Everyone was home by a quarter past four.

Racing was followed by a lively prize-giving back in the Garden Bar of the Hebe Haven Yacht Club. Rob Allen, as always, was master of ceremonies and made the series awards to winners of the divisions – IRC went to Arcturus+, Sportsboats & J/80s went to Rafael Buitre of Team Hebe Dragons, PHS A/ORC went to Ichiban, PHS B went to Happy King and, finally, Mei Fei, which pipped Minion by 1 point, won the Dragons.