Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Rolex China Sea Race 2024 is a 565 Nautical-Mile Category 1 Offshore Race running under the auspices of Royal Ocean Racing Club. The event takes competitors from the waters of Hong Kong, China all the way to Subic Bay, Philippines.
It was a festive moment as the fleet gathered at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s (RHKYC’s) Kellett Island Clubhouse before the start of the Rolex China Sea Race 2024 on March 27, 2024. Here, competitors, family members, and other supporters witnessed the vibrant lion dance. This custom wishes participants to have a safe journey as they cross the perpetually challenging South China Sea. This year marks the 62nd anniversary of the prestigious Asian blue-water classic.
The 10 to 12kts north easterly breeze offered an exciting commencement to the China Sea Race 2024. At 1120hrs, the 21 boats enjoyed a clean start with spectacular views of the Hong Kong Victoria Harbour. Three of the top contenders in the IRC Racer 0 Class went head to head at the start line. These were R/P 75 Standard Insurance Centennial V, together with two TP52s. Meanwhile, Happy Go and Standard Insurance Centennial III were neck-and-neck, but it was Nie Hua’s Happy Go which prevailed in the line first at full pace during the sound of the horn. Although she took the lead up to Kai Tak, her larger rival Standard Insurance Centennial V overtook her.
Two Filipino Boats Lead Among Six International Entries
Standard Insurance Centennial V was first through the narrowest part between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. This is otherwise known as the Lei Yue Mun Gap. Standard Insurance Centennial V was helmed by two-time China Sea Race Overall winner, Ernesto Echauz. TP52s Happy Go and Standard Insurance Centennial III followed shortly after.
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Swells of up to 2.5m welcomed the fleet after passing the sheltered harbour. After this, Zoe was the first retirement of the race. Two Filipino boats were leading among the six international entries. Seawolf and Tong Ran, the Mainland China entries were doing well in the early stages.
Likewise for the first-ever Chinese Taipei entry, Mondher Latiri’s Gutsy as well as the first-ever Korean entry, Hojun Song’s Random().
At 1600hrs, Happy Go was seen at the front while travelling at approximately 8.6kts. Standard Insurance Centennial V and Centenial III were both following behind. Competitors continued to make their 565 journey through the South China Sea to Subic Bay while enjoying the first night. A southerly airstream was forecast to fill in by Thursday, beating upwind towards the Philippines.
A Fierce Battle Towards Subic Bay
On the afternoon of April 2, the final yachts arrived in Subic Bay. A total of 21 boats participated in the 2024 edition, with 191 competitors from 26 territories. The battle was fierce between TP52 Happy Go and Standard Insurance Centennial V.
However, it was Happy Go that finished the race first, a mere five minutes faster than her worthy rival. Happy Go took both Line Honours and the IRC Overall title.
It was Chinese Entry William Liu’s Seawolf that finished 2nd IRC Overall and IRC Racer 0 2nd place. According to Skipper YY Yan, “We hit two fishing nets on the way down to Subic, but in general we had a pretty good journey down. The whole team performed very well and we hope that our participation can inspire more Chinese boats to join the Rolex China Sea Race.”
Third overall, as well as 3rd place in the IRC Racer 0 division went to Philippines entry, Ernesto Echauz’s R/P 75 Standard Insurance Centennial V. Echauz shared, “This was the most exciting Rolex China Sea Race that I have ever experienced. It was so exciting from the start on the first day and all the way up to the finish. I am very proud of my team and proud of the other competitors as they are very competitive.”
Double-handed Division
Father and son double-handed entry, Philippe and Cosmas Grelon’ s A Plastic Ocean took 1st place in Double-handed division and IRC Race 2 division. On arrival, they commented, “This year was a bit difficult because of the weather forecast and because it was totally and absolutely incorrect! No model was correct. Unfortunately, we couldn’t push the boat and we had a max of 16kts of wind. And we work more and more solo now; not necessarily waking up the other one to do a sail change or put the Code Zero on or whatever so that’s much easier.”
Race chairman Nicolas Cohen-Addad’s Jinn took 2nd place. Meanwhile, the sole Chinese Taipei entry Mondher Latiri ‘s Gutsy got third place. For double-handed division, Carl Wilkinson/Patrick Harmon’s Lisa Elaine took 2nd place and Ryan Mann/Casey Benjamin’s Daybreak was awarded third.
IRC Racer 3
In IRC Racer 3, Nick Southward’s Whiskey Jack had a tussle with Henning Mueller’s Zesst all the way down to Subic Bay. Whiskey Jack performed really well on April 1, trumping Zesst on corrected time to take the divisional win. Zesst took 2nd place in their first entry in the China Sea Race, while the first ever Korean entry to the race, Hojun Song’s Random(), took 3rd place.
IRC Premier Division
In the battle for IRC Premier Division, Tom Attenborough’s Parnassus had a great run taking the division win. Tom Attenborough shared, “Our programme is all about inclusivity and taking amazing people skills and blending them together and watching that develop over the five days is always a highlight.”
Peter Churchouse commented about their rivalry with Parnassus, saying, “We have a great friendship and a great rivalry when it comes to sailing. We love sailing against Parnassus, it’s a slightly different boat. Moonblue 2 is a lot heavier and doesn’t like the light weather so much, so the boat does better than Parnassus in strong wind. But in light wind, it does not do so well. So it depends on whether it’s light wind or strong wind. And of course, Parnassus did better this year with the light winds. So congratulations and great competition indeed.” Carl Wilkinson/ Patrick Harmon’s Lisa Elaine came in 3rd place in the division.
IRC Cruising Division and PHS Division
In the IRC Cruising Division, 1st place went to Noel Chan’s Rampage008, followed by Yong Yao’s TongRan.
In the PHS Division, while Blowers Daughter was the last boat to arrive at Subic Bay, this first time Rolex China Sea Race competitor took the division win with a corrected time ahead of another first timer Sunny Leung/Alex Yu’s Jibulai.
Every edition of the race has presented different conditions and that is what keeps attracting sailors back, no matter how hard all the preparation has been. Peter Churchouse said, “We had beautiful sailing and the flat seas, lovely wind, got the spinnaker up with the moon in the sky with the stars, that is what sailing on the China Sea is all about!“
Cosmas Grelon agreed, declaring, “The Rolex China Sea Race has an element of addiction to it. There is a horrible amount of preparation, but then when you are out there and the conditions are so nice, and the weather is quite warm, everything is smooth, it’s such a good Race! In the lead up you’re like “why do I do it?” and then you do it and then you’re like “ok I’ll probably want to do this again another time.”
Coveted Prizes
There are two main prizes at the Rolex China Sea Race. The most coveted is the Rolex China Sea Race Trophy for the IRC Overall winner on corrected time (handicap). The first boat to cross the finish line in real time (Line Honours) receives the Sunday Telegraph Trophy. A Rolex timepiece will be awarded to the first boat under IRC Overall handicap and first Monohull Line Honours.
For more information about Rolex China Sea Race 2024, please visit www.rolexchinasearace.com.
Photos courtesy of ROLEX / Andrea Francolini.
A look back at the first China Sea Race
The China Sea Race began 62 years ago on April 7, 1962. Five yachts journeyed from Hong Kong to the Philippines for the first time. There were three yachts from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC), one from Manila, and one from Japan. They were escorted during the first 100 miles of their 600nm race by two Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve minesweepers. They crossed the finish line in Corregidor Island, formed by Philippine Navy vessels and met by Manila Yacht Club members, who worked with the RHKYC. At that time, there were no radios, so it took Chris von Sydow’s Reverie six days to learn they came in first place.
Becoming the undisputed Asian blue-water classic
The China Sea Race became a biennial event, which attracted 12 entries in 1964. Following that, there were 13 entries in 1966, which included the famed ketch Stormvogel. The race continued to grow, with more participants in the following years. In 1968, the China Sea Race was included in the newly formed World Ocean Racing Championships. By 1972, it was officially recognized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). The China Sea Race has since become an undisputed Asian blue-water classic. It continues to capture the attention of the international yachting fraternity in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. During the 2018 edition, Karl Kwok broke the race and multihull record on his MOD Beau Geste. He accomplished this feat with an elapsed time of 38 hours, 30 minutes, and 07 seconds. Currently, the monohull record is held by RP66 Alive with an elapsed time of 47 hours, 31 minutes, and 08 seconds.
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.
About Rolex – An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization. The word “Perpetual” is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 500 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.
