Rolex China Sea Race 2024
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Rolex China Sea Race 2024 started on Wednesday 27 March 2024. All 21 yachts got off to a clean start in the stunning Hong Kong Victoria Harbour. APSA Founder Member Peter Churchouse has been racing this offshore classic since the early 80s, and this year Moonblue 2, his custom-designed Warwick 65, is competing in the Premier Cruising division.
Three of the top contenders in IRC Racer 0 Class, R/P 75 Standard Insurance Centennial V, along with two TP52s; Happy Go and Standard Insurance Centennial III were in a close tussle at the start line but it was Nie Hua’s Happy Go which hit the line first at full pace at the sound of the horn.
First through the Lei Yue Mun Gap (the narrowest part between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon) was R/P 75 Standard Insurance Centennial V, helmed by two-time China Sea Race Overall winner Ernesto Echauz. They were followed shortly after by TP52s Happy Go and Standard Insurance Centennial III. After the fleet passed the sheltered harbour, they were greeted by big swells of up to 2.5m. Soon Zoe was the first retirement of the Race.
The six international entries included two Filipino yachts, two Mainland China entries; Seawolf and Tong Ran, and the first ever Chinese Taipei entry, Mondher Latiri’s Gutsy and the first-ever Korean entry, Hojun Song’s Random(). ON the first night out, Happy Go was at the front of the fleet travelling along at around 8.6kts, followed by the two Standard Insurance team boats, Centennial V and Centennial III.
As the competitors make their 565nm journey across the South China Sea to Subic Bay, they will enjoy the first night reaching down towards the Philippines. A southerly airstream is forecast to fill in by Thursday so the fleet will be beating upwind towards the Philippines.
Race action is being tracked by Yellowbrick Tracking https://yb.tl/rolexchinasea2024 and is being shown live at www.rolexchinasearace.com – the Race can also be followed on the YB Race Viewer App.
For more information about Rolex China Sea Race 2024, please visit www.rolexchinasearace.com.
ABOUT ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB (RHKYC)
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is one of the oldest and largest sports clubs in Hong Kong, with a rich, colourful history that spans 170 years of community and competitive sailing and rowing. The RHKYC provides training programmes for practitioners of all abilities and ages – both members and non-members – to nurture their development, produce elite athletes capable of competing at the highest levels, and contribute to the growth and popularity of these great pastimes. The Club also organises a full calendar of high-profile local and international race events, helping place Hong Kong firmly on the global sporting map.
ROLEX AND YACHTING
Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion, excellence, precision, and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand’s enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs, races, and regattas, as well as towering figures in the sport, including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events – from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world’s most famous harbours. Rolex’s partnerships with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Royal Ocean Racing Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Yacht Club Italiano, New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron, among others, are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.