Rolex China Sea Race 2023: A lot more fun when the NE monsoon fills in

HONG KONG,April 7,2023 -- As Thursday turned into Friday,TP52s Happy Go and Rampage 88 had their own match racing competition out on the open water and spent the night closely covering each other. After an awkward start on Wednesday,Taswell 56 Daybreak,made great progress in catching up with the back of the fleet by Friday morning; a Herculean effort by the double-handed crew on board and no doubt helped in part by much of the fleet being stuck in windless hole southeast of the Pratas at around midnight.

The bulk of the fleet have spent hours and hours today struggling to get even 5kts from their boats as they arduously sailed through a huge windless area in middle of the South China Sea.

Swan 56 Parnassus reported however that whilst they were going slow,they were truly enjoying themselves "Glorious Day out here in the South China Sea. Plenty of dolphins to accompany the lunchtime cheese and ham toasties,tomato soup and espressos. Shame there's no wind...! 2.5kn TWS right now. Ticking along at 2 knots for now and resting up before a spot of breeze tonight (hopefully)."

Finally in the afternoon,the wind caught up to the fleet who stayed east of Pratas and they gained some benefit ahead of the Westerly bulk (Swan 56 Parnassus,Warwick Custom Moonblue2 and Hanse 370 Zoe). J122e Juice and J-109 Whiskey Jack both in the east bulk had been travelling in 7 to 9kts compared to just 1 to 2kts several hours earlier.,There have been a few shifts in the IRC standings,as the afternoon progressed it's now Juice and Whiskey Jack fighting over the 2nd and 3rd positions and interchanging every half an hour it seems.

Jinntoo has dropped a few places in IRC to 8th from 3rd at lunchtime and Rampage 88 is still ahead of Happy Go in 10th and 11th in IRC respectively (and 2nd and 3rd in Line Honours) with the third TP52,Standard Insurance Centennial 3 in 14th place in IRC Overall.

The lead boat Standard Insurance Centennial 5 who was the first boat to sail west of rhumb line,hasn't seemed to suffer one bit. On Friday morning,she was already into the next trough of north-easterly breeze near Philippines and moving along nicely at 10.1kts - a far cry from a few of the others situated over 150nm behind her going less than 1kts. As of HKT 1600hrs,Standard Insurance Centennial 5 was still trucking along at 9.2kts and has managed to cover more than 80nm than the rest of the fleet over the past 24 hours. She has 190nm left to go.

Over in HKPN,Sense 46 Generations is still leading Hanse 370 Zoe.

Race action is being tracked by Yellowbrick Tracking https://yb.tl/rolexchinasea2023 and is being shown live at www.rolexchinasearace.com – the Race can also be followed on the YB Race Viewer App.

High resolution photos can be downloaded from the below link:

https://rhkycorghk-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/vivian_ngan_rhkyc_org_hk/EnS5MeSpivtLljTP0gY5m9YBGddtA5kwx7Ls8S2nsoHDCQ?e=tR3DEi

Photos credit: ROLEX / Daniel Forster or RHKYC / Guy Nowell

ABOUT ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB (RHKYC)

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is one of the oldest and largest sports clubs in Hong Kong,with a rich,colourful history that spans 170 years of community and competitive sailing and rowing. The RHKYC provides training programmes for practitioners of all abilities and ages – both members and non-members – to nurture their development,produce elite athletes capable of competing at the highest levels,and contribute to the growth and popularity of these great pastimes. The Club also organises a full calendar of high-profile local and international race events,helping place Hong Kong firmly on the global sporting map.

ROLEX AND YACHTING

Rolex has always associated with activities driven by passion,excellence,precision and team spirit. The Swiss watchmaker naturally gravitated towards the elite world of yachting six decades ago and the brand's enduring partnership now encompasses the most prestigious clubs,races and regattas,as well as towering figures in the sport,including ground-breaking round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and the most successful Olympic sailor of all time,Sir Ben Ainslie. Today,Rolex is Title Sponsor of 15 major international events – from leading offshore races such as the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race,to grand prix competition at the Rolex TP52 World Championship and spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup. It also supports the exciting SailGP global championship in which national teams race identical supercharged F50 catamarans on some of the world's most famous harbours. Rolex's partnerships with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia,Royal Ocean Racing Club,Yacht Club Costa Smeralda,Yacht Club Italiano,New York Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Squadron,among others,are the foundation of its enduring relationship with this dynamic sport.

ABOUT ROLEX

AN UNRIVALLED REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND EXPERTISE

Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva,the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence,elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches are certified by COSC,then tested in-house for their precision,performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification,symbolized by the green seal,confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization. The word "Perpetual" is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial,it is a philosophy that embodies the company's vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf,the founder of the company,instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations,such as the Oyster,the first waterproof wristwatch,launched in 1926,and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism,invented in 1931. In the course of its history,Rolex has registered over 500 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland,the brand designs,develops and produces the majority of its watch components,from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining,crafting,assembly and finishing of the movement,case,dial and bracelet. Furthermore,the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture,sport and exploration,as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.