China Coast Regatta 2026 concludes with a thrilling finalday

This year’s China Coast Regatta delivered three days of excellent racing conditions, and the final day was no exception. What had initially been forecast as a light-wind day turned into another fantastic day on the water. When the Race Management team first arrived off Lamma Island, the breeze was blowing at around 6 to 7kts before building to 10kts ahead of the first starting sequence.

The IRC Racer fleets were sent on two geometric courses to conclude the regatta. There was a brief setback when the top robotic mark suffered a technical issue, forcing Race Management to abandon Race 6 for IRC Racer Divisions 0 and 1. The problem was quickly resolved, and racing resumed soon afterwards in a pleasant easterly breeze gusting up to 12kts.

Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen reflected: “The plan for the day was to run two short races, but a drifting mark complicated matters. We hoped to retrieve and reposition it, but it had moved too far away, so we had no choice but to abandon the race, which I believe was the only sensible decision. Overall, I think the day went well. There was a significant wind shift before the final start, so we displayed the AP flag. Each race lasted about an hour, and we had more wind than anticipated. It was a very good finale to the event.”

With podium positions still at stake, the leading boats fought hard for every advantage. The action was particularly exciting on the start line, where close match-racing tactics came into play as teams looked to gain the upper hand over their closest rivals. With seven races completed across the IRC divisions over the three days, the discard also came into effect, adding another dimension to the final standings.

Subject to protest hearings, Nie Hua’s TP52 Happy Go finished the regatta in commanding fashion, claiming another two bullets to secure first place overall in IRC Racer Division 0. Noel Chan’s TP52 Rampage 88 moved up to second place, followed by William Liu’s Seawolf in third.

In IRC Racer 1, Nick Burns’ Witchcraft dominated the regatta, recording an impressive seven bullets from eight races. David Kong’s Cape 31 Out of Africa finished second, while Denis Martinet and Drew Taylor’s Cape 31 Capitano and Dennis Chien’s MAT 1245 Arcturus+ ended the regatta tied on 17 points. A bullet in the final race proved decisive for Arcturus+, which secured third place overall on countback.

In IRC Racer 2, the final leaderboard remained unchanged. Nick Southward’s J/109 Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack continued its dominant form to take first place in the division, followed by Andy Pidden’s J-99 Juice in second. Singaporean entry Jolt, owned by Yi Min Lee, completed the podium in third.

Competing in his first China Coast Regatta, Yi Min Lee was full of praise for 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.”

The IRC Premier Division was sent on a 14nm island course around Sung Kong Island, with the top three positions remaining unchanged from Day 1. Yun Ye’s Windflower lifted the silverware, followed by Franco Cutrupia’s Fenice in second and Thomas Wong’s DBX2 in third.

The PHS Division was given one windward-leeward race to conclude its regatta. Richard Bulgin’s Rising Sun held on to the top spot, finishing just one point ahead of Dean Chisholm’s Darling, with Zeng Hu’s TT taking third place overall.

China Coast Regatta 2026 concluded after three memorable days of competitive racing, close battles throughout the fleets and spectacular sailing against Hong Kong’s coastal scenery. From the action on the water to the lively social programme ashore, the regatta once again showcased the very best of Hong Kong big boat racing.

Congratulations to all the winners and competitors. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another edition of the China Coast Regatta next year.