Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
It seems almost futile to have made such a huge effort to take a C31 from Cape Town to Hong Kong for just 6 races, although Ellian Perch knew the odds before he committed himself.
Day 2 of this 3 day regatta did not happen due to light winds, and from all accounts 3 races were ‘squeezed into the final third day. With an IRC handicap not really suited to taking on boats about 10-foot longer, there was no pressure nor any expectations about the crew doing well. It was more about experience and show-casing the C31 on an international stage – which the RSA crew did well.
Having said that, our guys did not disgrace themselves, despite ending 5th out of 7 in IRC Racer 1 division, with 3 thirds in the 6 races.
Conditions on the whole may have been too light for them, with a mere 6 – 7 knots of northeasterly monsoon on the final day, building to 10-12 as the day progressed. The race track was located at the southeast of Lamma Island, with the islands courses taking the fleet on a beat towards a windward mark and reaching to an ocean mark before rounding Beaufort or Sung Kong and finishing off at Bluff Head near Stanley.
