Lipton Trophy 2026

The Lipton Trophy, the first pursuit race of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s 2026–27 sailing season, took place on Saturday 31 October under ideal racing conditions. A decent easterly breeze of 10 to 12kts brought the fleet together for an afternoon of pursuit racing in Victoria Harbour.

A fleet of 61 boats took to the start line in a pursuit race, with staggered start times determined by their RHKATI ratings. Unlike conventional fleet racing, a pursuit race gives competing boats staggered start times based on their handicaps. The smaller, slower-rated boats set off first, while the faster yachts faced the challenge of working their way through the fleet.

Race Officers Sean Taylor selected a challenging course that sent competitors beating up the harbour to Tai Koo Shing, before hoisting spinnakers for a run down to Hung Hom. The fleet completed three and a half laps of this windward-leeward circuit, finishing downwind at Kowloon Bay.

RHKYC/Isaac Lawrence

As the race developed, the gaps between the boats gradually narrowed, setting up an exciting chase to the finish. VX One Serendipity, owned by Patrick Pender, eventually emerged at the front of the fleet to claim the Lipton Trophy, finishing ahead of Flying Fifteen Mana, helmed by Leigh Riddell and crewed by Olympian sailor Nicolas Halliday. The battle for third place went right down to the wire, with Dragons Eaux Vives and Phyloong II fighting all the way to the finish. Eaux Vives, helmed by Christian Low, ultimately prevailed to secure third place.

Our Club is proud to host the International Council of Yacht Clubs (ICOYC) Regional Conference, bringing together delegates and commodores from yacht clubs around the world. We are thrilled to welcome eight visiting sailors to compete in the Lipton Trophy and experience racing in our iconic Victoria Harbour, with some extending their Hong Kong sailing experience by taking part in the Around the Island Race on 7 November.

RHKYC/Isaac Lawrence

Geoff Wells, Vice Commodore of Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, praised the opportunity to experience the unique challenge of sailing in Victoria Harbour: “This is my first time sailing an Etchells. Adam and Cameron have both sailed Etchells a lot, but it’s our first time sailing in Hong Kong Harbour, so it’s quite a unique experience. It’s very different from the river racing we’re used to back in Perth. I understand there are 13 Etchells competing, so we’d like to be at least mid-fleet. We don’t have the local knowledge, so we’ll take what we can get, but we’ll certainly be trying our best to get up there.” The RFBYC team went on to finish 12th overall and fourth among the Etchells.

The Lipton Trophy also forms part of the Top Dog Trophy Series, which rewards the yacht with the best combined results across four races held throughout the sailing season. With the opening pursuit race complete, attention now turns to the next opportunity for competitors to add valuable points to their series tally.

The remaining three races in the Top Dog Trophy Series are the Sun Hung Kai & Co. Around the Island Race on 7 November, the HKRNVR Memorial Vase on 9 January 2027 and the Tomes Cup on 24 April 2027.

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