Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race 2013
- October 17, 2013
The Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race in association with VinaCapital starts Thursday 17 October, 2013.
The entry list for this year’s edition of the biennial Hong Kong to Vietnam Race features sixteen boats from around the globe, from the Dubois 90, Ragamuffin 90, through three TP52’s to the smallest competitor, A35 Red Kite II and featuring a lone multihull, MACH2.
The Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race will be a truly cosmopolitan experience. Organised by Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, this Category 1 offshore race is regarded as a ‘must do’ by those sailors who have competed in the previous five editions and word has spread, with this year’s crew lists boasting luminaries from the worlds of VOR, World Match Racing Tour and Youth America’s Cup.
That said, the majority of participants are the sailors who form the bedrock of the Asian racing scene, which in general consists of owner-helmed boats, with crew from all points of the compass.
Ragamuffin 90 from Australia has her sights firmly set on Line Honours and the 2004 race record of 42h 45m 41s set by Grant Wharington’s Skandia, with her skipper, Syd Fisher, at 86 likely to be the oldest competitor. Programme manager and crew David Witt was moved to say “he’s a global icon in sailing and to still be seriously competing at 86 is a true inspiration to us all” while noting that the crew for the race “includes most of the winning crew from the Transpac Race held earlier this year with a few changes…”.
While the initial focus will be on the boat which completes the race in the shortest time, there are two smaller IRC Racers, in the form of Anthony Root’s A35 Red Kite II and Niccolo Manno’s Anteros 36 Krampus, which could very well pull some surprises in the IRC standings. Red Kite II has consistently won her division in RHKYC’s Cat.1 offshore races, winning IRC Overall in the 2011 San Fernando Race, while Krampus is newer to the offshore scene, but built as a stripped out racing machine.
MACH2 is a brand new MC260 high performance catamaran which hopes to upset the predominantly IRC Racer fleet. Owner Raphael Blot is looking forward to “a game of cat and mouse” with the monohulls in the quest for Line Honours, whilst admitting that the downwind race is perhaps not ideal for showing off the strengths of his boat, which is the demonstration build for the design. Designer Renaud Bañuls (Groupama) will be on board, along with Bruno Laurent (BMW Oracle and Groupama 4) to ensure that she fulfills her potential.
Providing the north east monsoon cooperates and regardless of which boats perform best on time or on handicap, the sixth Hong Kong to Vietnam Race promises all competitors the ‘grin factor’ which comes as part of the 656nm run to Vietnam.
About the Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race
First conceived in 1996 when it was run at Lunar New Year, this 656nm Category 1 offshore race is now a biennial fixture in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club sailing calendar. A constituent event of RHKYC’s popular China Coast Race Week, the race makes the most of October’s prevailing north east monsoon to give competitors a thrilling, predominantly downwind race from Hong Kong to Nha Trang on Vietnam’s eastern seaboard.
Each yacht will have a YB tracker installed on board which will enable arm chair sailors, family, friends and international supporters to track the participants progress throughout the race. If you would like to view the live race map please follow this link
For more information on the race please visit the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club website.
