Please select your home edition
Edition
X-Yachts Leaderboard 2024 1

Famous Classic Yacht Dorade takes on Asia in the Rolex China Sea Race

by RHKYC media 11 Jun 2017 06:36 BST 28 March 2018
Dorade finishing the Transatlantic Race 2015 in Cowes © Paul Wyeth / www.pwpictures.com

The 12th entry for 29th edition of the Rolex China Sea Race has been received from the famous classic yacht Dorade. The China Sea Race was established in 1962 with five yachts racing from Hong Kong to Corrigedor, Philippines. The winner was C.F. Von Sydow's on his yacht Reverie a 40' foot classic Yawl designed by Sparkman & Stephens and launched in 1957.

The Rolex China Sea Race now finishes in Subic Bay, Philippines but like its first winner, Dorade is also a Sparkman & Stephens, commissioned by Roderick Stephens Sr. and designed in 1929 by his son Olin Stephens and built under the oversight of his younger son Rod.

In his role as Rear Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, Dorade Captain Matt Brooks, who co-owns the yacht with Pam Rorke Levy has long had ambitions to enter the Rolex China Sea Race, one of the premier ocean races in the RORC line-up. 'We are delighted to usher in a new chapter in Dorade's illustrious history, bringing her to oceans where she has never sailed or raced before," added Brooks. "We are also looking forward to getting to know a new community of sailors, and sharing our experiences bringing a venerable classic yacht back to her intended use. Our hope is that we will inspire the owners of other classic ocean racers to take to the sea again.'"

Since Dorade's launch from the Minneford Yacht Yard in May of 1930 she has ratcheted up an impressive score card; winning more ocean races than any other yacht in history. She won the 1931 Transatlantic Race, which, under Olin's command, won in sixteen days and an hour, beating the next (and much larger) boat by two days, and winning on corrected time by over four days. The win set her name firmly in the annals of yachting history — and changed forever the face of ocean racing yacht design.

In 2015, Dorade completed a four-year campaign retracing the steps of all the major ocean races that the boat had won in the 1930s; in each case beating the boat's original elapsed time performance, and winning the 2013 TransPacific Race overall, 77 years after her first overall win in that race in 1936. Dorade took part in the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in 2015.

Now, the legendary yacht and her crew, including Brooks and Levy, are travelling to this part of the world for the first time later this year, competing in several events in Australia culminating in December with the Rolex Sydney Hobart before the team makes its way up to Hong Kong for the Rolex China Sea Race in March 2018.

Whilst times have changed since she was first built, Dorade's superb design keeps her highly competitive against modern fleets. With her deep keel with external ballast, an achingly narrow beam of just 10'3", and a generous sail plan it will engaging to see how she fares against her modern counterparts in the 565nm voyage across the South China Sea.

The Notice of Race for the 2018 Rolex China Sea Race starting on 28 March 2018 is available online at www.rolexchinasearace.com.

Related Articles

Rolex China Sea Race 2024 wraps up in Subic Bay
The wind gradually softened throughout the 565nm journey The final yachts arrived in Subic Bay late afternoon of 2 April, wrapping up the 2024 Rolex China Sea Race. 21 boats took part in the 2024 edition with 191 competitors hailing from 26 territories. Posted on 3 Apr
2024 Rolex China Sea Race concludes
Happy Go finished on 30 March at 05h 20m 53s, a mere five minutes ahead of their rival For the first time in 14 years, the Line Honours winner of the Rolex China Sea Race has 'done the double' and picked up the IRC Overall as well. Posted on 31 Mar
Happy Go takes Rolex China Sea Race Line Honours
It was as nail-biting a finish as one could ever have with close, competitive racing The battle for Line Honours in the Rolex China Sea Race between defending champ Standard Insurance Centennial V and Happy Go was settled in the early hours of the morning when Happy Go edged out her rival by a squeaky five minutes. Posted on 30 Mar
Rolex China Sea Race 2024 Day 2
The Two-Handed Division is being led by A Plastic Ocean The fleet enjoyed a fast-reaching leg during the first night of the Rolex China Sea Race thanks to an easterly airstream which stayed with competitors all the way up to 0700hrs at which time the fleet came to a halt and parked up for at least an hour. Posted on 28 Mar
Magic start to Rolex China Sea Race 2024
The fleet gathered before the start at RHKYC's Kellett Island Clubhouse for a lion dance A lovely 10 to 12kts north easterly breeze made for an exciting start to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Rolex China Sea Race 2024. All 21 boats got off to a clean start today at 1120hrs in the stunning Hong Kong Victoria Harbour. Posted on 27 Mar
13 boats so far for Rolex China Sea Race 2020
International entries from afar entered into the 30th edition Of the 13 boats currently entered into the 30th edition of Rolex China Sea Race, six international entries hail from as far afield as Russia, Philippines, Japan and the United States and mark the first sign ups for this biennial blue water classic. Posted on 12 Dec 2019
Rolex China Sea Race overall
Event wraps up under idyllic conditions in Subic Bay The 18 year old multihull record was broken by Karl Kwok's MOD 70 Beau Geste with top speeds of 37kts and her impressive elapsed time of 38h 30m 07s wiped 9h 31m 40s off the previous race record set in 2000. Posted on 1 Apr 2018
Rolex China Sea Race: Mandrake III wins overall
Half the fleet now finished, and half hit winds too light With half of the fleet finished and the other half of the fleet succumbing to light breeze off of Subic Bay, the Rolex China Sea Race leaders have been decided. Posted on 31 Mar 2018
MOD Beau Geste smashes multihull record
In the Rolex China Sea Race Karl Kwok's MOD Beau Geste crossed the finish line early this morning, 30 March, at 01h 50m 07s in Subic Bay, Philippines - smashing the 18 year old multihull record set by Benoit Lesaffre's Crowther 50 Catamaran, Atmosphere, by an incredible 9h 31m 40s. Posted on 30 Mar 2018
Rolex China Sea Race: And they're off!
Hong Kong's iconic skyline provided the perfect backdrop The start line, located in front of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Kellett Island Clubhouse, was a bit hectic with most boats favouring the committee boat end of the line Posted on 28 Mar 2018