(Hong Kong, China)- After 480 nm and over three to four days of racing,
the entire fleet have finished the 2013 San Fernando Race. For many of
the top boats, taking a route south of the rhumb line helped avoid the
wind shadow of the Philippine coast. The navigator on the first boat to
finish said, "The second night the moon was out and we had a terrific
sail. In spite of the forecast, the wind was much better and we came in
much quicker than expected – it’s been an awesome sail. We thought we
were doing 9 or 10 kts all the way home, then all of a sudden at
midnight, we had 15,16,17 kts and then the breeze clocked round to the
north. It was amazing, just brilliant. With the brilliant full moon
lighting our path, pointing exactly where we were pointing, 15.7kts was
the top [boat speed] that we got. The closest we ever got to stopping
was at Lei Yue Mun gap leaving Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour soon after
the start."However, the steady conditions enjoyed by the leading boats did not last for those further back in the fleet, with the curse of the Luzon hole hitting both early this morning and at sundown. Nevertheless, the fleet was finished by Sunday morning. As a result, the famous San Fernando Charity Dinner was most welcomed by the sailors. The dinner party on the spectacular location over-looking the harbor was all for a good cause-- it's for the kids, after all.
The lone J/Team sailing this year was the J/109 WHISKEY JACK sailed by Nick Southward. His six crew included three managing directors of local companies and this year, for the first time, only one lawyer! And, they survived to tell the stories afterwards! They fulfilled their wish to sail the San Fernando “for the pleasure and fun of offshore racing", combined with a decent excuse to get 'off the grid' for a few days where there is no email or mobile phone coverage!" Their efforts were well-rewarded, not just having fun, but in the spirit of competition they secured 2nd in IRC Racing 2 Class! For more Royal Hong Kong YC San Fernando Race sailing information
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