China Coast Regatta 2025 - Overall
by Vivian Ngan 12 Oct 2025 09:32 BST
10-12 October 2025
The final day of the China Coast Regatta was marked by unpredictable weather. As sailors departed Middle Island, rain swept across Hong Kong Island, while the Lamma racing area remained bathed in sunshine with an easterly breeze of 8 to 10kts.
Race management had planned for both the IRC Racer and PHS fleets to sail one geometric course and one island course to conclude the regatta. However, conditions quickly shifted. After the first race began, heavy rain moved in and killed the breeze. IRC Division 0 managed to start their 18nm island course, but the AP flag was raised during the start sequence for IRC Division 1.
Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen reflected, "The wind basically died and became very fluky due to the rain. We waited for almost an hour before deciding to stick to our plan of finishing relatively early. We then ran a windward/leeward race, which turned out to be really nice."
After three days of racing and seven completed races, all IRC divisions were granted one discard. In IRC Racer Division 0, spectators witnessed a thrilling duel between TP52s Happy Go and Rampage 88. Tied on points after Day 2, Happy Go, helmed by Match Racing World Champion Nick Egnot-Johnson, employed match racing tactics to challenge Rampage 88 closely. Ultimately, Noel Chan's Rampage 88 edged out Nie Hua's Happy Go by just 13 seconds and 40 seconds in Races 6 and 7, clinching the division title. Unicorn, sailed by Xiaoguang Lu and Bo Wu, finished in third place.
In IRC Racer Division 1, Nick Burn's Witchcraft continued its dominant form, finishing the series undefeated and securing a well-deserved overall victory. James Verner's Nightshift claimed second place, followed by Henning Muller's Zesst in third.
The IRC Racer Division 2 (Cape 31s) saw a strong comeback from the Olympian-studded Rampage 38, which overcame a poor start in Race 7 to finish first, lifting the trophy. Denis Martinet and Drew Taylor's Capitano finished three points behind, with David Kong's Out of Africa in third.
In IRC Racer Division 3, although Andrew Pidden's Juice took first place in the final race, it was Nick Southward's Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack that topped the leaderboard with six wins.
The IRC Premier Class was sent on a scenic 19.5nm island course, rounding nearby landmarks such as Sung Kong, Po Toi, and Beaufort Island. Tom Attenborough's Parnassus dominated with four wins, followed by Thomas Wong's DBX2.
In the PHS Division, Darling (Dean Chisholm) and Generations (Eddy Lee) finished tied on 4 points, but Generations was awarded the trophy on a countback.
Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen concluded, "It's great to see such tight racing in this regatta, with top sailing talent participating. Hopefully, the event will grow in popularity and attract more boats in the future."
Renowned for its challenging conditions, competitive fleet, and stunning coastal scenery, the China Coast Regatta once again proved itself as an iconic event in Hong Kong's big boat racing calendar. We hope everyone enjoyed the three days of racing and the vibrant social events
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