China Coast Regatta 2026 Concludes with Thrilling Racing

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s premier big-boat event, the China Coast Regatta, took place from 17 to 19 October in Hong Kong’s southern waters. The 34th edition attracted 30 entries, including TP52s, Cape 31s, performance cruiser-racers and offshore yachts, with sailors from Hong Kong and overseas competing across the IRC divisions.

The regatta delivered three days of excellent racing. On Day 1, Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen and her team made full use of a fresh 15 to 18kts easterly, gusting to 20kts. After an opening windward/leeward race for IRC Racer and PHS, competitors tackled island courses around Hong Kong’s southern islands, where speed, tactics, tides and pressure shifts all played a part.

Day 2 brought a steady 12 to 14kts easterly and blue skies. The IRC Racer fleet completed three demanding windward/leeward races, with consistency and clean boat handling proving decisive in the close competition.On Day 3, an initially light 6 to 7kts breeze off Lamma Island built to 10kts before the first start.

The racing intensified as the leaders fought for every advantage, with close match-racing tactics on the start line. Seven races were completed across the IRC divisions, bringing the discard into effect and adding another dimension to the final standings.

China Coast Regatta 2026. RHKYC/ Guy Nowell.

IRC Racer 0 featured the TP52 trio of Sam Chan’s Free Fire, Noel Chan’s Rampage 88 and Nie Hua’s Happy Go, alongside William Liu’s Ker 42 Custom Seawolf, Lu Xiaoguang and Bo Wu’s Ker 46+ Unicorn, and Eddy Lee’s Neo 430 Next. Happy Go claimed five bullets to win IRC Racer 0, finishing five points ahead of Rampage 88. Seawolf, the fleet’s smallest boat, took third overall.

Eight experienced teams contested IRC Racer 1, including Nick Burns’ King 40 Witchcraft, James Verner and Sean Taylor’s Nightshift, Cape 31s Capitano, Out of Africa and Tai Chi by Simplicity, plus Arcturus+, Wild Card and Zoe’s Guard. Witchcraft dominated with six bullets from seven races. Out of Africa finished second, while Arcturus+ secured third on countback after tying Capitano on 17 points.

IRC Racer 2 brought together the regatta’s sole international entry, Singaporean Yi Min Lee’s J/99 Jolt, and five local challengers: Andrew Pidden’s J/99 Juice, defending champion Nick Southward’s J/109 Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack, James Ford’s Ocean’s Five, Lewis Cerne’s Wicked and Henning Mueller’s Zesst. At the conclusion of the regatta, Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack successfully defended her title, claiming the IRC Racer 2 crown. The two J/99s followed closely behind, with Juice securing second place, two points ahead of Jolt in third.

China Coast Regatta 2026. RHKYC/ Guy Nowell.

Competing in his first China Coast Regatta, Yi Min Lee praised the racing in Hong Kong: “It’s great. You have a wonderful sailing area here and it’s so lovely. The waters are wide open, the courses are very interesting and we’ve had good wind. I particularly enjoyed coming here because there is another J/99, so we’ve had close competition and some really good, fun sailing. I’m really excited.”

IRC Premier brought together Franco Cutrupia’s Solaris 60 Fenice, Todd Barr’s AquaHub’s Moody Girl, Thomas Wong’s DBX2, Carl Wilkinson’s Lisa Elaine and Yun Ye’s Italia Yachts 14.98 Windflower for four island courses. The top three remained unchanged from Day 1: Windflower won by one point from Fenice, with DBX2 third.

The Chung Yeung Festival holiday enabled the PHS Division to race on all three days. Dean Chisholm’s Darling, Herman Wong and Chris Li’s Kiasu, Yiu Kwai Szeto’s Glory, Richard Bulgin’s Rising Sun and Zeng Hu’s TT completed two windward/leeward and two island courses. Rising Sun held the top spot, finishing one point ahead of Darling, with TT third.

China Coast Regatta 2026. RHKYC/ Guy Nowell.

China Coast Regatta 2026 concluded after three memorable days of close racing against Hong Kong’s coastal scenery. From the action on the water to the Mount Gay party on the Middle Island hardstanding, the event again showcased the best of Hong Kong big-boat racing.

Congratulations to all winners and competitors. We look forward to welcoming everyone back next year.

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