China Coast Regatta 2026 – Day 2

A slightly lighter breeze than Day 1 still delivered excellent racing conditions for Day 2 of the China Coast Regatta, with a steady 12 to 14kts easterly and stunning blue skies providing another spectacular day on the water.

The IRC Racer fleet faced a demanding schedule of three windward/leeward races, putting both tactical decision-making and boat handling to the test. With close racing throughout the fleets, consistency proved key, as minimising mistakes often made the difference between gaining and losing valuable points.

The PHS Division was sent on a 13nm island course around Sung Kong Island, while the IRC Premier Division faced a longer 23nm course, taking the fleet out to the dramatic Ninepin Group before returning to Stanley for the finish.

Race Officer Inge Strompf-Jepsen praised the conditions: “I think today’s racing had some of the steadiest wind in both direction and strength. We had a few problems with container ships coming in and dropping anchor where they shouldn’t, but they left us a little tunnel up to the top race mark and it seems to have worked out. All the boats had more or less one hour of racing per race, I think it went pretty quickly and smoothly.”

In IRC Racer Division 0, Nie Hua’s Happy Go delivered an impressive performance with a string of bullets to climb to the top of the division. William Liu’s Seawolf also moved up the standings into second place, followed by Noel Chan’s Rampage 88 in third.

In IRC Racer Divisions 1 and 2, the leaders managed to retain their positions, although there were some notable changes across the podium places. In IRC Racer 1, Nick Burns’ Witchcraft dominated the day with three bullets, maintaining a strong grip on first place. Behind them, the two Cape 31s continued their close battle, trading places throughout the day. After three races, David Kong’s Out of Africa climbed to second overall, just one point ahead of Capitano, owned by Denis Martinet and Drew Taylor.

In IRC Racer 2, Nick Southward’s J/109 Admiralty Harbour Whiskey Jack continued its strong form, taking all three bullets of the day to consolidate its lead. The two J/99s also produced some close racing, with Andy Pidden’s Juice sitting in second place, two points ahead of Singaporean entry Jolt, owned by Yi Min Lee, in third.

In the IRC Premier Division, the top three remained unchanged, with Yun Ye’s Windflower leading the division, followed by Franco Cutrupia’s Fenice in second and Thomas Wong’s DBX2 in third.

In the PHS Division, Richard Bulgin’s Rising Sun remained at the top of the standings after the day’s island race. Zeng Hu’s TT moved up to second place, with Dean Chisholm’s Darling completing the top three.

With lighter breeze forecast for the final day, the fleet will face a fresh challenge as the China Coast Regatta heads towards its conclusion. With precious points still up for grabs and several podium positions finely balanced, there is everything to play for as the crews prepare for one final day of racing.