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Rampage duo triumphant in China Coast Regatta
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Noel Chan was on the rampage at this year’s Volvo China Coast Regatta, with two of his yachts triumphing in their divisions.
Rampage88 (centre) won IRC 0 ahead of Happy Go (right). Photos: RHKYC / Guy Nowell
Noel Chan skippered Rampage88 to victory in IRC 0 at the three-day Volvo China Coast Regatta, while his Rampage38 – skippered by Denis Ma – conquered the Cape 31 class of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s premier ‘big boat’ event.
Held from October 11-13, the Volvo China Coast Regatta attracted 31 yachts across six divisions, with a strong northeasterly monsoon blowing throughout the regatta to provide classic autumn sailing conditions. The IRC 0, Cape 31, IRC 2 and IRC 3 fleets raced all three days, while the Premier Cruiser and PHS divisions competed only on the weekend.
The opening Friday started in a favourable easterly breeze of 14-15 knots, with windward/leeward courses warming up the sailors.
Rampage88 was skippered by owner Noel Chan
The opening races were followed by a 17nm island course for IRC 0, taking competitors around Po Toi and Sung Kong before finishing off at Stanley Peninsula. The route for all other divisions was reduced to a 10-11nm course rounding Beaufort Island and Sung Kong or just Beaufort Island, before ending at Stanley.
Day two offered 18-20 knots of easterly breeze under a beautiful clear blue sky, with all IRC fleets put through their paces with three demanding windward/leeward courses.
The PHS division was set one windward/leeward and a 10nm island course, while the Premier Cruiser boats were sent to complete two island courses in the breezy conditions. After a hard day on the water, sailors were rewarded with a lively Mount Gay party at the Club’s Middle Island clubhouse.
Rampage38 won the Cape 31 class
The final day featured an average of 15 knots of north-easterly breeze and gusts of up to 20 knots across the racecourse, which was set southeast of Lamma Island. All IRC racer divisions and the PHS division were set one windward/leeward course, with an island course ranging from 9-11.5nm around Po Toi and Sung Kong or Beaufort Islands, then finishing off Stanley.
Competition was fierce across all six divisions. In IRC 0, an impressive line-up included three TP52s – Noel Chan’s Rampage88, Nie Hua’s Happy Go and Sam Chan’s FreeFire – and strong teams aboard Seawolf, led by William Liu, and Stanley Tse’s Kikukie’s Dream II.
David Kong’s Out of Africa was second in Cape 31
After seven races over three days, the IRC divisions enjoyed one discard. Rampage 88 emerged victorious in IRC 0 with four bullets, ahead of Happy Go and Seawolf.
A Noel Chan boat was also triumphant in the fast-growing Cape 31 class, with Rampage38 lifting the trophy. David Kong’s Out of Africa was second and Andrew Taylor/Denis Martinet’s Capitano finished third after winning the final two races. The Cape 31 debuted in Hong Kong at the 2019 China Coast Regatta and this year the fast-expanding fleet also included Randy Yeung’s Tai Chi by Simplicity.
Wild Card, Nightshift, Witchcraft and Arcturus+ compete in IRC 2
IRC 2 featured five formidable teams, although Nick Burns’ King 40 Witchcraft again proved the most formidable. Witchcraft won all seven races to top the class for the fifth successive year, finishing ahead of James Verner’s Nightshift, Dennis Chien’s Mat 1245 Arcturus+, Glenn Smith’s Grand Soleil 44 Wild Card and Johnson Yuen’s Summit 40 Zoe’s Guard.
In IRC 3, Nick Southward’s Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack won five of the seven races to finish above Andrew Pidden’s Juice, the 2023 champion, while Henning Mueller’s Zesst and Hugues de Saint Germain’s Ocean’s Five finished third and fourth respectively.
Andrew Pidden’s Juice was second in IRC 3
Franco Cutrupia’s Solaris 60 Fenice, a new entry, won three of its four races to top Premier Cruiser, ahead of Peter Churchouse’s Moonblue 2, Tom Attenborough’s Parnassus and Carl Wilkinson’s Lisa Elaine.
The PHS division featured nine entries competing in four races, with yachts ranging from a Farr 30 to an Oceanis 50. Thomas Wong’s DBX2 edged Bradly Wilkins’ Blowers Daughter on a countback after both yachts finished with five points (following one discard), one point ahead of Eddy Lee’s Generations.
The Solaris 60 Fenice dominated Premier Cruiser
Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen said: “Overall, this was a very good event. We were lucky with the weather and had a great race-management team with a lot of knowledge. We had a lot of fun, and I hope the sailors enjoyed it too.”
