Please select your home edition
Edition
J Composites J/99

Not the Rolex China Sea Race 2020

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia 8 Apr 2020 04:40 BST
Ambush. Rolex China Sea Race 2018 © photo RHKYC / Guy Nowell

Today we should be reporting from the start of the 30th Rolex China Sea Race. We should be angling for a good camera position at the outer end of the line, with the RHKYC at the other end, and having a small wager with Daniel Forster as to which boat will be first "out of the heads" at Lei Yue Mun. Sadly this won't be happening.

Since 1960 the China Sea Race has started in the week before Easter, in the even-numbered years. Once upon a time the start line was in Junk Bay, to the south of Cape Collinson, and once upon a time the finish was to seaward of Corregidor Island, but race courses change over time. Today's start is where it should be - slap bang in the middle of Hong Kong's wonderful Victoria Harbour, and right in front of the Royal Hong Yacht Club. Over the years the finish has moved from the breakwater at the Manila Yacht Club to Punta Fuego and eventually to Subic Bay.

Right now, of course, the race is on hold and all bets are off. The global hoo-ha over novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, aka The WuFlu, has closed down the world and sailors are reduced to sailing 'virtual races' on their computers. However, this in itself is a very good thing for those who aspire to be a shore-based weather router - sleeping on a camp bed in a darkened basement, next to an alarm clock set to repeat every 20 minutes. Armchair sailors with attitude.

Over the last 58 years, the China Sea Race has acquired the patina that is the stuff of legend. Like all the big races - Fastnet, Bermuda, Transpac - it looks pretty simple on paper, but each one has its meteorological quirks that give it character. It has foxed the best of the best: in 2014 Adrienne Cahalan was navigator on board Bryan Ehrhart's TP52, Lucky. "I've been looking at the weather for the past couple of weeks, and I'm really not sure that I can read the patterns," said Cahalan. Neil Pryde won the race overall in 2014, 2010 and 1988, and reckons that "you need a measure of luck. You know what the pattern of the race is going to be, and you can prep the boat to perfection - but the China Sea Race always throws out something that you weren't expecting, and couldn't prepare for."

First there's getting out of the harbour. It can be straightforward, or it can be a right puzzle, and for sure some local knowledge helps. The first night out of Hong Kong is traditionally grey, blowy and bumpy, tracking in a straight line towards the finish. Out past the 50-fathom line the seas become 'proper ocean', and the weather starts to warm up. This is the mid-section of the race: hello sunshine! And then there is the approach to the coast, where arriving at the right time of day is everything. The Luzon Hole. The Death Zone. Call it what you will. It might be 0kts at 0700 and 20kts at 1200 as the sea breeze kicks in and then penetrates all the way into Subic Bay. Or it might be a ghosting drifter from 50nm out. The approach to finish isabout positioning and timing; know when to seize the moment, and knowing what to do with it, that's how you win the China Sea Race and why it has become recognised as a blue water classic over the years.

Rolex came on board as sponsors in 2008, adding the China Sea Race to an already impressive portfolio that includes the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The roll call

We are very sorry not to be bringing you images of the start of the 30th Rolex China Sea Race today, so here are some glory moments from recent past years. Nick Southward, Race Chairman, hopes that "a 12-month postponement will result in an even bigger fleet on the start line in 2021. At the moment there are 18 entries on the card, from five countries (Hong Kong, Australia, the Philippines, Russia and Japan). If you are reading this in lockdown somewhere, and wondering what you are going to do when you are allowed out, the answer is - sign up for the Rolex China Sea Race 2021!"

www.rolexchinasearace.com

Related Articles

Rolex China Sea Race 2026 Entries Open
The 565nm offshore race will start on Hong Kong's iconic Victoria Harbour The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club has announced that entry for the Rolex China Sea Race 2026 is now open. Posted on 16 Dec
Rolex China Sea Race 2024 wraps up in Subic Bay
The wind gradually softened throughout the 565nm journey The final yachts arrived in Subic Bay late afternoon of 2 April, wrapping up the 2024 Rolex China Sea Race. 21 boats took part in the 2024 edition with 191 competitors hailing from 26 territories. Posted on 3 Apr
2024 Rolex China Sea Race concludes
Happy Go finished on 30 March at 05h 20m 53s, a mere five minutes ahead of their rival For the first time in 14 years, the Line Honours winner of the Rolex China Sea Race has 'done the double' and picked up the IRC Overall as well. Posted on 31 Mar
Happy Go takes Rolex China Sea Race Line Honours
It was as nail-biting a finish as one could ever have with close, competitive racing The battle for Line Honours in the Rolex China Sea Race between defending champ Standard Insurance Centennial V and Happy Go was settled in the early hours of the morning when Happy Go edged out her rival by a squeaky five minutes. Posted on 30 Mar
Rolex China Sea Race 2024 Day 2
The Two-Handed Division is being led by A Plastic Ocean The fleet enjoyed a fast-reaching leg during the first night of the Rolex China Sea Race thanks to an easterly airstream which stayed with competitors all the way up to 0700hrs at which time the fleet came to a halt and parked up for at least an hour. Posted on 28 Mar
Magic start to Rolex China Sea Race 2024
The fleet gathered before the start at RHKYC's Kellett Island Clubhouse for a lion dance A lovely 10 to 12kts north easterly breeze made for an exciting start to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Rolex China Sea Race 2024. All 21 boats got off to a clean start today at 1120hrs in the stunning Hong Kong Victoria Harbour. Posted on 27 Mar
13 boats so far for Rolex China Sea Race 2020
International entries from afar entered into the 30th edition Of the 13 boats currently entered into the 30th edition of Rolex China Sea Race, six international entries hail from as far afield as Russia, Philippines, Japan and the United States and mark the first sign ups for this biennial blue water classic. Posted on 12 Dec 2019
Rolex China Sea Race overall
Event wraps up under idyllic conditions in Subic Bay The 18 year old multihull record was broken by Karl Kwok's MOD 70 Beau Geste with top speeds of 37kts and her impressive elapsed time of 38h 30m 07s wiped 9h 31m 40s off the previous race record set in 2000. Posted on 1 Apr 2018
Rolex China Sea Race: Mandrake III wins overall
Half the fleet now finished, and half hit winds too light With half of the fleet finished and the other half of the fleet succumbing to light breeze off of Subic Bay, the Rolex China Sea Race leaders have been decided. Posted on 31 Mar 2018
MOD Beau Geste smashes multihull record
In the Rolex China Sea Race Karl Kwok's MOD Beau Geste crossed the finish line early this morning, 30 March, at 01h 50m 07s in Subic Bay, Philippines - smashing the 18 year old multihull record set by Benoit Lesaffre's Crowther 50 Catamaran, Atmosphere, by an incredible 9h 31m 40s. Posted on 30 Mar 2018