Autumn Regatta

What a fabulous weekend of racing! Despite early forecasts predicting less-than-ideal conditions, sailors were treated to unexpectedly steady winds and clear blue skies across two exhilarating days of competition in Victoria Harbour.

Held on the 13th and 14th of September, the BMW Autumn Regatta 2025 marked the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's first major event of the 2025-26 sailing season, drawing 96 boats and over 500 sailors from across Hong Kong's vibrant keelboat community. The regatta featured seven one-design classes, Sportsboats, and Big Boats.

On Day 1, race officer, Barry Truhol, and his race management team, were relieved to find a consistent 8 to 10-knot easterly breeze ready to kick off the event. Under soaring temperatures, sailors enjoyed far better conditions than expected.

The start line was set off Hung Hom, with Big Boat Division 0 leading the charge at 1345, followed by other Big Boat divisions, Sportsboats, and one-design fleets. The Etchells class, as usual, had the largest turnout with 17 boats, while 35 Big Boats competed across four divisions.

A special highlight was the participation of 28 sailors from Yokohama Bayside Marina, who joined the regatta aboard Impala Shikari, Big Boat Victoria, Generations and Next. For many, it was their first time racing in Hong Kong. Visiting commodore, Mori Mitsuaki, shared his impressions: "Conditions in Tokyo Bay and Victoria Harbour are quite similar, with lots of traffic in a compact racing area. However, Tokyo Bay restricts large commercial vessels, while Victoria Harbour sees many. We were impressed by the high level of sailing here and truly enjoyed the experience."

Courses ranged from 5.2 to 7.2 nautical miles, with Big Boats sailing 1.5 to 2 laps between Shau Kei Wan and Hung Hom, and one-design classes racing between Shau Kei Wan or Tai Koo Shing. The harbour was a breathtaking sight, filled with colourful spinnakers gliding back and forth.

Day 2, Sunday began slowly, with light winds delaying the start. The AP flag was hoisted early, keeping sailors ashore while the race management team waited for the breeze to fill in.

Fortunately, the wait was not long. By 1130, the wind had picked up and it was again a picture-perfect day of sailing. Racing resumed under a southeasterly breeze of 8-10 knots. Short courses were set between Hung Hom and Shau Kei Wan / Tai Koo Shing, designed to last about an hour.

Due to the morning delay, the race management team decided it was too late to start further races for all the classes. Thus, only Big Boat Division 0, Big Boat Division 1 and the Etchells managed to start a second race at 1500. These three classes enjoyed racing in a 12-knot southeasterly. This proved popular with many sailors, and the early finish allowed everyone to enjoy an early prize-giving on the Main Lawn at Kellett Island.

Barry Truhol explained the reason behind some classes only having one race on Day 2: "We had an AP at the beginning of the day, which caused a two-hour delay to the start sequence. As a result, the first boats returned at a reasonable time – around 1400. Given that, we decided to proceed with a second race for Big Boat Division 0. Also meeting the 1500 cut-off to start a second race was Big Boat Division 1 and the Etchells. The starting sequence takes 59 minutes, so to get everyone racing and finished, boats would have been returning around 1700. So, I made the decision to cancel the third race for the remaining fleets and send everyone back. I didn't want to risk running up against sunset, which would affect boats getting ashore."

It was a weekend of fair winds and fierce competition. In Big Boat Division 0 and Division 1, after three races, Noel Chan's Rampage 38 and Nick Southward's Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack each scored three bullets, securing overall victories. In Division 2 and 3, Terrence Ho's Rampage 008 and Rex Au Yeung's Daydream held onto their Day 1 leads to claim top honours.

In the one-design classes and Sportsboats, the Etchells saw Madness come out on top.  As for the rest, Flying Fifteen and J/80 were tied after two races, with Lui Kam's Craps7 and David Fan / Ray Chan's Lila taking the win in the final race lifting the trophy. Dragons – Minion (Nicholas Sin); Impala – Boss Hogg (Francis Cheung); Pandora – Windfall (Tom Ho); Ruffian – Victory 9 (Mike Lam / W Kot); and Sportsboat – Phoenix (David Ho) all picked up silverware in their classes.

                                                                            - photo Guy Nowell / RHKYC