At the official launch of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series™ in Estoril (Portugal) in December 2010, China was confirmed as one of nine the host countries – a new territory for this year’s circuit and a significant step into the burgeoning Asian market.

Organisers have revealed that Qingdao, the fourth largest manufacturing port in the country and known as the City of Sailing, will be the official host Chinese venue to Act 2 to be staged between 13th to 17th April.

The Extreme Sailing Series Race Village will be located in Fushan Bay, which was also the home of the Olympic Village in 2008, and will be open to the public between the 15th to 17th April when the 11-boat Extreme 40 fleet will race inside the bay right in front of the spectators [13th-14th April are ‘open water’ days when the fleet will be racing outside of Fushan Bay.

Masirah Oman at the Extreme Sailing Series in Hong Kong (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Goodbye Hong Kong

In November 2009, Howzit-HongKong happily reported that the “Formula One of Sailing” the Extreme Sailing Series” was coming to the waters of Victoria Harobour, Hong Kong.

While we thoroughly enjoyed the event and even got to wet our feet on one of the craft, the Hong Kong-leg turned out to be a less-than-expected spectator event.  At the time, the wind in the Harbour was not sufficient and the races had to be moved (at the last minute) to further out to Kowloon Bay, in the region of old Kai Tak Airport. This being Hong Kong, the fact that it took place in the week was always going to count against it.

It therefore comes as no surprise that Mainland China has been chosen to replace Hong Kong as the preferred Chinese venue for this exciting event.

Qingdao, after all, has the profile and (Olympic sailing) infrastructure to make this event the spectator event that it needs.

Qingdao, China

Act 2, 15th – 17th April (13th-14th ‘open-water’ racing)

Now known as the City of Sailing, Qingdao’s became the host venue for sailing for Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Games boosting its profile to an international audience. Perfectly located on the Southeast peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Yellow Sea, Qingdao is now China’s premier sailing destination with first class facilities at its International Sailing Center.

Originally opened to tourism in 1984 the city now attracts 15 million visitors a year and is the fourth largest manufacturing port in the country. Framed by miles of golden sandy beaches, combined with steady winds that make it a perfect racing location.

Qingdao is a city steeped in China’s 20th century history. Now a tourism hotspot in China, the sprawling city has a population of 7.5 million and a vibrant economy. The Downtown skyline can rival that of any major city with an impressive array of cultures, cuisines, and lively nightlife. Tsingato, the most popular beer in China operates their headquarters and main brewery in Qingdao. The brewery is open to visitors who can take a tour around the oldest working brewery in China, whilst the brewery can be observed in action and guests can enjoy the beer tasting afterwards!

2011 Calendar & Host Venues:

Act 1: 22-24 February, Muscat, Oman (20-21 ‘open-water’ racing*)

Act 2: 15-17 April, Qingdao, China (13-14 ‘open-water’ racing)

Act 3: 27-29 May, Istanbul, Turkey (25-26 ‘open-water’ racing)

Act 4: 30 June – 4 July, Boston, USA (all days public event)

Act 5: 6-12 August, Cowes, UK (all days public event)

Act 6: 16-18 September, Trapani, Italy (14-15 ‘open-water’ racing)

Act 7: 30 September – 2 October, Nice, France (28-29 ‘open-water’ racing)

Act 8: 12-16 October, Almeria, Spain (all days public event)

Act 9: 9-11 December, Singapore (7-8 ‘open-water’ racing)

Here’s some action from Day 1 of the Hong Kong event:

As a new-ish convert to sailing, especially here in Victoria Harbour, Howzit-HongKong is happy to announce the start of the Autumn sailing season.

The opening Regatta of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s 2010-2011 sailing season will take place this weekend in Victoria Harbour, a prime venue for yacht racing in Hong Kong since the first harbour regatta was held in 1849.

Open to entrants from all of Hong Kong’s sailing clubs, with over 100 keelboats expected to compete in eleven classes, including the brand new J/80 class, RHKYC Autumn Regatta 2010 features three races over two days and is set against Hong Kong’s stunning Victoria Harbour backdrop.

The start line and courses will be set on the day by the Race Officer, Inge Strompf-Jepsen, her selection being influenced by wind and tidal conditions. On Saturday the Cruiser class starts the action at 1355 hrs, while Race 2 starts at 1120 hrs on Sunday, with Race 3 to follow.

Stay close to Howzit-HongKong for all the latest on the Hong Kong sailing season.

When I reported in an earlier article that the boats taking part in the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia will be packed up and shipped off to the next leg in Singapore “soon after” the Hong Kong leg, I didn’t realise just how “soon” it would be!  

I watched in awe as skipper and double Olympic Gold Medalist Shirley Robertson and her crew prepare and load their craft Rumbo Almeira onto it’s trailer immediately after finishing the final race of the Hong Kong leg of the Series on Tuesday afternoon.  The boat was lowered onto it’s trailer within minutes after the final race concluded in Victoria Harbour.

The teams had just enough time for a quick post-race debriefing before attending the official prize-giving at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

The Extreme Sailing Series Asia now moves on to Singapore for the second leg (December 11-15) before the inaugural series concludes in Muscat , Oman , from February 1-5. 

(4 pictures below)

Oman Sail’s Masirah continued their winning form by taking a comfortable overall victory in the first leg of the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia in Hong Kong that concluded yesterday afternoon.

The Extreme 40s were here in Hong Kong to demonstrate the potential of bringing a full scale public event to the region in 2010/2011 – a chance to showcase the specatacle of Extreme 40 racing to the national and international media and VIP guests.  Organisers OC Events last night were confident that the Series will return to Hong Kong next year with about twelve boats.

The champions of this year’s European Series, skippered by Pete Cumming of Great Britain , consolidated their overnight lead by winning the first three races today to set them on the way to victory over the 20 races held in Hong Kong’s spectacular Victoria Harbour during the last five days. 

BT took second place, followed by the China Team and Shirley Robertson’s Rumbo Almeira. The Wave, Muscat and Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team rounded out the six-boat field. 

Said Cumming: “We had very different winds here to the European circuit and with two new members of the team we are really pleased to have done so well. We had to learn to adapt to a new bow and helmsmen and it’s been a great challenge that the whole team has risen to. We came here not looking for or expecting a win, just gave it our best. Bring on Singapore .”

Winning skipper Pete Cummings and his crew celebrate their win in Hong Kong aboard Masirah.

The Extreme Sailing Series Asia now moves on to Singapore for the second leg (December 11-15) before the inaugural series concludes in Muscat , Oman , from February 1-5.

Hong Kong’s largest and most inclusive sailing event got underway early on Sunday morning, spiced up with six visiting Extreme 40’s, a record 14 Outrigger Canoes and four Offshore Rowing Boats. 

The 216 strong sailboat fleet featured all types of sailing boats, with the largest classes being the 35 IRC Cruisers, 54 HKPN Cruisers and 22 Hobie 16’s. The first start was at 0830hrs on both inner and outer start lines, and the start sequences continued at 5 minute intervals until the final start of the Extreme 40’s at 0940hrs. 

Around The Island Sailing Action (Pic: RHKYC/Richard Knight)

The sight of over 200 sailboats heading East to Lei Yue Mun was nothing short of magnificent, however staggered starts from RHKYC Middle Island allowed the Hong Kong Outrigger Canoe Club (HKOCC) women’s crew to lead the paddlers into the harbour from the West just as the boats were disappearing to the East. 

HKOCC led from start to finish, taking line honours and also the Women’s OC6 division paddling. The men’s trophy was lifted by HKIPC after completing the course in 03:40:34, in the face of stiff competition from overseas teams from Japan, Singapore, Saipan and, of course, Hawaii.

Meanwhile, back on the race track, RO (Race Officer) Jimmy Farquhar was making a considered decision to shorten the course at Green Island , to spare boats the pain of landing in several holes in the area of Western. This proved to be an astute decision, as the northerly breeze fluctuated between 0 – 12 knots all afternoon along the South of Hong Kong Island. 

A “fish-eye” view of the Around The Island Race (Pic: RHKYC/Richard Knight)

While the Extreme 40’s were allowed a chance to finish at Kellett Island and smash the existing multihull record (they failed), the Isler/Taylor owned Mills 41 ‘Ambush’ took monohull line honours at Green Island in and elapsed time of 3:50:06. Of the 163 other boats finished there, it was Gideon Mowser on SB3 ‘Sky’s The Limit’ who took the Monhull title on ATI handicap, with Mark Thornburrow on Hobie Tiger ‘Dream’ carrying off the Multihull prize.

During the Hong Kong leg of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia’s customary Media Day on Friday, I was fortunate to get my first-ever feel of an Extreme 40 racer courtesy of skipper Nick Moloney and his able BT crew.  For that reason it was expecially good to hear that BT took line honours in today’s Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) Around the Island race.

BT snatched victory by just 14 seconds in the annual Around the Island Race in Hong Kong this morning, following a 27 nautical mile marathon. The six Extreme 40s battled their way around Hong Kong Island (the territory’s largest island) with every boat taking the lead at some point during the race. It was an amazing day for not only the sailors, but also the VIP guests onboard, who raced in the coveted ‘fifth man’ spot, including the Queen’s Grandson, Peter Phillips, onboard The Wave, Muscat.

The Wave, Muscat on Friday’s Media Day (Pic: Mike Jansen)

“We are totally pumped,” said BT Skipper Nick Moloney (AUS) just after they crossed the finish line just ahead of the home nation Extreme 40, China Team. “It all came down to the last 200 metres. We could see the new wind coming through and we knew that whoever gets the wind first will win. We thought China Team might catch it first, so we did panic a bit, but we edged into first place with the breeze and crossed the line first,” he grinned.

For Khamis Al Busaidi the bowman onboard Oman Sail’s Masirah, the Around the Island Race here in Hong Kong had particular resonance as he was onboard Masirah when they won Line Honours in the ‘other’ Round the Island Race around the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Speaking before they set off he spoke of his determination to top the podium. “I really want to win a second Around the Island title, it would be a great honour. The team is very strong and I know we have the knowledge and experience to do well, but it will all come down to the wind.”

Masirah (Oman) during Friday’s Media Day (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Unfortunately for Khamis and the crew onboard Masirah, it wasn’t to be a double first for them. Despite leading practically the whole way around the Island of Hong Kong, they ground to a halt in the final leg up the Lamma Channel.

 Skipper Pete Cumming explained:

“This race was so similar to the Round the Island Race in Cowes back in June. Plenty of wind at the start, with it dropping right off over the south side of the island. We had such a fantastic start and round the East side of the Island we did a horizon job, hammer down, 26 knots and off we flew. But the tough thing about being the lead boat is that you act as a weather station of the other Extreme 40s in the fleet. At one point we had a lead of over a mile and we thought we were home and dry, but we sailed into a hole and all the other boats saw where we were and kept away! Red Bull came down one side and Team China and BT the other and we knew that one or other team was going to take the lead from us and we couldn’t do anything. It was great to be involved, and always something amazing to look at on the shore. The guys on BT did well, but it doesn’t make it any the less frustrating!”

The Extreme 40 fleet left the start line in Victoria Harbour at 0940, the last of a fleet of over 200 boats to depart as they headed on the clockwise course around Hong Kong Island. The Extreme 40s passed within inches of their compettitors, squeezing through the smallest gaps to charge to the front of the fleet and lead the race. After leaving the Lei Yue Mun Gap, the 40 foot catamarans stretch their legs and flew hulls in the 16 knot breeze and glorious sunshine. But as the boats turned into the Southern leg, the wind dropped right off and they crawled past Stanley, often grinding to a halt as the winds dipped.

As the boats sailed into the final leg up Kowloon Harbour, they had to zigzag through the junks, traditional fishing boats and ferries heading to Macau, making the gusty breeze and choppy sea even harder to navigate as they approached the finish line.

Tan Wearn Haw, helmsman onboard China Team said:

“This was a real showcase for the Series and sailing itself here in Hong Kong and I think we are starting to build on the momentum and we are getting a lot of people watching the racing and seeing the power and the speed of these boats. It’s opened up the eyes of the people and the sponsors which is really interesting for everyone.  It’s great to race around the Island. Of course we are really disapointed that we didn’t win in the final stages, but it would be great to be back next year and not only win, but break the record!”

Racing onboard the Extreme 40s with the four professional crews were two ‘fifth men’, VIP guests sailing as part of the core crews.  The Queen’s eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, Head of Group Sponsorship Asia Pacific for RBS said:

“That was a fantastic opportunity to get on board an Extreme 40. It was an awesome experience and great fun. Paul and his crew were superb and gave me one hell of a ride on The Wave. Its incredible to feel the speed over the water and when you’re flying along with one hull out of the water it’s exhilarating!”

Johnny Hodgson, who was onboard the winning boat BT agreed:

“That was fantastic, I’m really happy to have had the chance to race here. It’s great to have the Extreme 40s here in Hong Kong – we need to get them back next year!”

Provisional Results in the Around the Island Race 22 November 2009: (Boat, Finish Time)

BT, 13:05:12

China Team, 13:05:26

Oman Sail Masirah, 13:06:38

Rumbo Almeria, 13:07:50

Red Bull, 13:13:46

Muscat, The Wave, 13:16:06

The six Extreme 40s will be back to their shorter courses tomorrow, Monday 21 November in Victoria Harbour, racing from 2 – 5pm.

The first pursuit race of the National Australia Bank Top Dog Trophy Series took place on Saturday in un-seasonally chilly Hong Kong in an 8 knot northerly. 

With patchy breeze and an incoming tide at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Kellett Island Clubhouse, RO Brenda Davies opted for a Hung Hom start for the Lipton Trophy, with no delay to the published start times. 

For the uninitiated, pursuit races work on each boat or Class of boats being given a different start time based on their handicap, which in a perfect race would result in all boats finishing at around the same target time of 1630hrs. 

With 47 boats on the start line the 52 minute start sequence went without a hitch, Pandora ‘Solstice’ holding off the faster classes for two laps of Tai Koo Shing before being overtaken by Flying Fifteen ‘Squiffy’.  Cruiser ‘Sai Kung Belle’ was making steady progress, in sixth place at this stage, with ‘Ambush’ back in fortieth, but the beauty of the pursuit race is in the chase, and by the final gun, it was Jamie McWilliam on ‘Sai Kung Belle’ who lifted the Lipton Trophy, with Howard Williams on ‘Squiffy’ holding on to second and Isler/Taylor owned Mills 41 ‘Ambush’ building up to take third place.

Lipton Cup Sailing in Hong Kong (Pic: RHKYC/Richard Knight)

Prizes were presented by the General Manager of National Australia Bank, Mr Andrew Macintosh, and, when the bar ran dry, it was off home for an early night in preparation for Sunday’s 1O1O Next G ™ Around The Island Race.

There is no doubt that Hong Kong (SAR) has become a premier destination for major international sporting events. 

Early in the year, rugby (and party) fans enjoyed world-class Rugby Sevens action at the Hong Kong Stadium.  The Hong Kong leg of the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) Sevens World Series is arguably the most exciting on the 8-leg World Series.

At the beginning of November, the Kowloon Cricket Club hosted yet another very successful Hong Kong Cricket Sixeswhich was won for the third time, in a dramatic Cup Final by South Africa.  The Sixes was launched in 1992 and has quickly evolved into a world-class event.  The tournament was afforded the prestigious “M-Mark” by the Hong Kong government, which denotes it’s status as one of the territory’s very important Major Events. 

This was closely followed by the Hong Kong Golf Open, held at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fan Ling a week ago.  Frenchman Gregory Bourdy sealed his invitation to the season-ending Dubai World Championship with a well-deserved victory in front of a packed gallery on the infamous Composite Course 18th hole.

The F1 of international sailing

As one of two exciting finales to a year of fantastic sporting events (Hong Kong also hosts the East Asian Games in December), the SAR will play host to the first round of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia which starts in Victoria Harbour tomorrow.

 Six teams will race in the heart of Victoria Harbour just metres from the shoreline, bringing a vast array of sailing talent to the city including four Olympic gold medallists and numerous world champions. 

Supported by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the five day event will run from 20-24 November 2009 and include a media day, youth sailing programme and four days of high-octane racing on these 40-ft catamarans. The event is scheduled to coincide with the Yacht Club’s annual ‘Around the Island Race’ on the 22 November when the six Extreme 40s will compete alongside hundreds of other sailboats in the prestigious annual regatta.

The Extreme Sailing Series Asia is being brought to the region by organisers OC Events for the first time to demonstrate to VIPs and the media the potential of what a full scale public event could bring in future years. This comes after the spectacular success of its European counterpart that has changed the way sailing is seen, quickly gaining a reputation as the Formula 1 of sailing – it’s fast and exciting with high-tech catamarans driven by some of the world’s best sailors. 

2009 Formula One Grand Prix winners led by Brawn F1 boss, Nick Fry, commented:

“This is very similar to Formula 1, in that it combines high technology, great team work and accessible entertainment for the fans. This type of sailing also provides a great commercial platform for companies who like to participate in high quality sport and want to encourage people from all backgrounds to see the benefit that sport provides.”

Mark Turner , CEO of OC Group, the parent company of event organisers OC Events said,

“The European Circuit has been running very successfully for three years now and the Extreme Sailing Series Asia is the next step in the evolution of this exciting sailing format – a format which has become a benchmark in terms of changing the way sailing is seen. 

“Our aim is to build this series each year on the same foundations on which the European iShares Cup has been built – a comprehensive sailing entertainment event that packages the sport to appeal to the public, media and provide experiential VIP client hospitality. 

“For this inaugural series in Asia we won’t be focused on the public side directly, instead we will work hard on the VIP and media aspects, as we did in the early iShares Cup years. But, of course, our aspiration is to build this circuit up over the coming years to match the award-winning iShares Cup format including a strong public element.” 

Double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson, who finished fifth overall in the European series, will skipper one of the Extreme 40s in Hong Kong:

“Every time I go to Asia I stop off in HongKong and love sailing there. These boats are amazing and it will be awesome to race them against such a spectacular backdrop – right up there with the European tour opener in Venice . Hong Kong has such a strong sporting heritage and the racecourse will create an incredible amphitheatre, I’m looking forward to it already. It’s a lot of fun racing these boats but we are all really competitive when on the water so watch out for some pretty close-quarter racing!” 

The Extreme catamarans can race at over 40mph and “fly” a hull in just 8 knots of wind. They are also totally unique in the sport of sailing in that every boat races witha fifth man onboard – a VIP guest or member of the media, who sits in the heart of the action. Shirley Robertson describes it as “like racing shotgun with Lewis Hamilton”! 

Recent Extreme Sailing action from Europe (Pic: ExtremeSailingSeriesEurope.com)

 Warwick Downes, Commodore of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, declared:

“We’re delighted to welcome the Extreme Sailing Series Asia to Hong Kong and the Yacht Club is thrilled to be supporting OC Events as together we open a new chapter in yacht racing in Hong Kong. The event will deliver spectacular racing and promote Grand Prix sailing to a whole new audience. The Extreme Sailing Series Asia is set to become a fixture on the Asian sailing calendar.” 

After the spectacular finale of the six-stage European circuit just three weeks ago in Almería, Andalucía ( Spain ), six of the boats were packed up and shipped directly to Hong Kong .

Soon after the Hong Kong event, the boats will be shipped straight down to Singapore (11-15 December) with the Extreme Sailing Series Asia Champions being decided in Muscat , Oman (1-5 February).

This just happened outside my window.  A beautiful, bright, sunny day here in Victoria Harbour with just enough wind for some exciting sailing!

Ahoy!

The Star Ferry steams accross from TST to Hung Hom.