Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

2017 Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championships in Hong Kong - Day 1

by Christine Lau 2 Oct 2017 16:01 BST 30 September - 7 October 2017
2017 Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship day 1 © Naomi Rebecca

The 2017 Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championships opened last night at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in conjunction with Hong Kong's National Day celebrations.

Sailors, coaches and their families were entertained by traditional Hong Kong lion dancers followed by an amazing display of fireworks. The opening ceremony held at the Club's Kellett Island Clubhouse commenced with a flag parade featuring 132 sailors from 16 countries and later featured team New Zealand performing a Haka and team Sri Lanka drumming for the crowd.

Today sailors made their way to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Middle Island Clubhouse for Day 1 of racing. Hong Kong brought out blue skies and 5 to 10 knots of breeze. The first day saw three qualifying races with the race track positioned off of Stanley Bay and the Optimists sailing a classic Optimist Worlds course.

An easterly course was set for Race 1 with 5 to 10kts being reported across the track. The Yellow fleet set off with only one OCS. First place went to China's Dingjie Shen CHN111 followed by Jinhuan Yu CHN 11 with third place going to Hong Kong's Lumiere Ng HKG313 of Hebe Haven Yacht Club.

There was a general recall for the Blue fleet in Race 1 and once the black flag was raised the second start was clean. Hong Kong's Duncan Gregor HKG205 of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club took first place in Race 1. Duncan placed 9th in the 2017 Optimist Worlds in Thailand. he was followed by Thailand's Intira Panpiboon THA 945 and Patcharee Sringm THA 112.

The breeze increased for second race to 8 to 10kts. Race 2 saw two general recalls for the Yellow fleet with 8+ boats being black flagged. In the end Race 2 went to Colman Schofield USA 20956, 2nd Demir Dirik TUR 151 and Jedtavee Yongyuennarn THA 168 in third.

The breeze dropped to 6 to 8kts for Race 3 and became a little shifty, however both fleets got away cleanly. The fleet took a little longer to get to the first mark but once around the mark the wind increased allowing the fleet to finish in the 50 minute target time.

Principal Race Officer Ilker Bayindir summed up the day's conditions. "Today's wind conditions were not so promising at first; it was all the time shifting, shifting, shifting but the main direction was 090. Three races for Yellow and Blue fleets were completed with great success with only one protest attempt. Everyone was happy because of the conditions and especially because of the performance of the race committee, who all day long changed the positions of the marks. All the time the sailors had to adjust to the tidal conditions pushing them parallel to the starting and finishing lines but the conditions were still great." Hong Kong's Race Officer Charlie Manzoni commented on the upcoming conditions "The forecast is to weaken a little bit tomorrow and then to pick up again on Wednesday. One of the forecasts I have seen for Wednesday shows about 20kts. It should be an awesome event and I hope everyone enjoys it."

More information at www.optimistasianoceanian2017.com

Related Articles

Sail Canada Regional Championships Preview
More than 300 young Canadian sailors in action this weekend across the country More than 300 young Canadian sailors will be in action this weekend as Sail Canada will present its three regional championships: Sail East at St. Margaret Sailing Club, Sail Central at Hudson Yacht Club and Sail West at Gimli Yacht Club. Posted on 16 Jul
KSSA Mid Season Training Camp & Regatta at Downs
Testing conditions and top talent in Kent Downs Sailing Club, nestled on the exposed coastline of Deal, Kent, delivered a weekend of demanding conditions, standout performances, and high-energy racing as it hosted the latest round of the Kent Schools Sailing Association Mid-Summer Regatta. Posted on 14 Jul
Zhik Nordic Youth Sailing Championship preview
This year's regatta will be the largest of its kind ever hosted in Tallinn Tallinna Yacht Club brings one of the biggest sports events of the summer to Haven Kakumäe - 300 young sailors expected at the Zhik Nordic Youth Sailing Championship, plus just as many supporters on shore! Posted on 11 Jul
Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy 2025 overall
A weekend marked by strong winds, demanding seas, and top-level racing in Cascais The 6th edition of the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy came to a close this Sunday after a weekend marked by strong winds, demanding seas, and top-level racing in Cascais. Posted on 7 Jul
Cambs Youth League at Ely Sailing Club
Breaking from the past few years' precedent, it was a breezy day! On Saturday 5 July, it was Ely's turn to host a round of the Cambs Youth League. The league is a collaboration between 5 local clubs to promote friendly sailing for cadets up to 19. Posted on 7 Jul
Chichester Yacht Club Optimist Open Preview
Registration is open and visitors are very welcome Registration is open for this year's Chichester Yacht Club Optimist Open on Sunday the 13th of July. Visitors are very welcome to come and enjoy the clubs facilities while watching the racing from CYC's lawns. Posted on 3 Jul
Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy 2025 Preview
International sailing & ocean conservation unite in Cascais From July 4 to 6, Cascais hosts the biggest sailing regatta of the year with a strong focus on sustainability. The Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy celebrates six years of diversity, competition, and environmental commitment. Posted on 30 Jun
2025 International Classes Regatta preview
The ICR has earned a stellar reputation as an outstanding lead-up regatta for competitors The Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (RFBYC) is proud to announce that the 2025 International Classes Regatta (ICR)—the Club's premier annual dinghy event—will take place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November 2025. Posted on 27 Jun
South and Southwest Regional Junior Championship
Exciting, high-quality competitive racing for 5 classes at Weymouth There were 145 sailors competing in Topper 5.3 and 4.2, Optimist, RS Feva XL, RS Tera Pro and Sport and ILCA 4 classes. The excellent race team led by PRO Paul Kimmens delivered exciting, high-quality competitive racing for all classes. Posted on 26 Jun
NEYYSA Championship at Ullswater
They had it all: heat, sun, torrential rain, wind, calm, thunder and lightning We had it all at Ullswater, heat, sun, (torrential) rain, wind, calm, thunder and lightning but nothing switched the smiles, sailing and socialising off at the North Region Youth & Junior Championships at Ullswater. Posted on 25 Jun