Line Honours and a New Record for Ragamuffin 90! Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race 2013

Oct. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- - just 4 minutes and 21 seconds ahead of the previous record, which was in place for nine years for the original 656nm course from just off Lamma to Nha Trang.  This year, the Race was started from the iconic Victoria Harbour adding approximately 20nm onto the rhumb line.

Barely deviating from the rhumb line on the 656nm from Hong Kong, Fischer’s boat averaged just under 16kts for the race, with top speeds of around 22kts on the first night. Benefiting from the consistent wind pattern and in particular a great breeze to take them in to the finish line, Fischer was delighted to not only take line honours, but also break the record, saying “It was a good race” crediting the win to “good crew and a good boat… we did it by four minutes”.

Ragamuffin 90 crew member and Race Chairman Geoff Hill enthused “It was very exciting, quicker than I thought it was going to be, but it had all the elements that you would expect from this race .. very heavy conditions first day, lighter conditions second day and then a very good finish. I’m proud to be on a boat that can pick up line honours and a new record – it’s all about teamwork, and Syd has put together a very good team on Ragamuffin.”

Meanwhile, the competition for IRC Overall continues on the water, with the three TP52’s Lucky, FreeFire and OneSails Racing sitting pretty at the top of the table and due to reach Nha Trang at around 1600hrs (HKT) this afternoon.

About the Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race

First conceived in 1996 when it was run at Lunar New Year, this 656nm Category 1 offshore race is now a biennial fixture in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club sailing calendar. A constituent event of RHKYC’s popular China Coast Race Week, the race makes the most of October’s prevailing north east monsoon to give competitors a thrilling, predominantly downwind race from Hong Kong to Nha Trang on Vietnam’s eastern seaboard. The 2013 edition will see a record seventeen-strong fleet chasing the current race record of 42h 45m 41s, which was set in 2004 by Grant Wharington’s Skandia.

Official Audi Hong Kong to Vietnam Race website at: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/hkvietnamrace.aspx

Follow the Race on the Club’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/rhkyc

Armchair sailors can also track the race via Yellowbrick tracking at: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/hkvyellowbrick.aspx