Wednesday 12 February
A record number of 286 entries will see 317 sailors hit the water to compete at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2025, incorporating the 2025 29er Asian Championship this week in Hong Kong. Racing for the 9th edition of the event begins tomorrow with sailors from Asia and further afield competing.
The stage has officially been set for some great racing that will run from 12 to 16 February. Twelve countries and regions will be represented, including Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong (China), Italy, Greece, Guam, Japan, Mainland China, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, and the USA. A great week of fierce competition is expected from this talented group of sailors.
A traditional Hong Kong cultural opening ceremony, including a lion dance, was held today at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Volvo Middle Island Training Centre, much to the delight of sailors, supporters, and volunteers. One of the officiating guests, Hong Kong Race Week Regatta Chairman Peter Davies, said, “Our objective when we began Hong Kong Race Week was to build up a top-class dinghy regatta of international standard, to inspire local sailors by bringing to them a taste of international competition. In this, we have succeeded this year; we have 286 entries, the largest entry ever, with 40% of them coming from outside of Hong Kong.”
Adrian Pang, Commodore of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club also welcomed all the sailors representing 12 countries and regions. “This is a remarkable testament to the enduring spirit of sailing and the vibrant community that it nurtures, showcasing the dedication and passion of sailors from around the globe. By the end of the week, I am certain new friendships will have blossomed, fun will have been had, and invaluable experiences gained.”
Hong Kong Race Week serves as a significant platform for promising Asian sailors to hone their skills. The event has now positioned itself amongst the best racing in the world and is a ‘not to be missed’ event on the international youth dinghy scene.
Nicholas Halliday – HKG, finished 24th in his Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and will be returning to the event racing the ILCA 7. Halliday has competed at five editions of Hong Kong Race Week since 2013, taking 1st overall in Laser 4.7 (now ILCA 4) in 2014 and 2015, then again in the Laser Radial (now ILCA 6) in 2016 and 2017. He will be competing against local rising star Peter Jessop and Sweden’s Axel Wieland.
In the ILCA6 class, fellow Olympian Stephanie Norton, along with Hong Kong national team sailor Nancy Highfield, will return to battle it out against the best ILCA sailors from Asia, including Japanese sailors Haruka Hattori and Nana Funazawa.
Competition will be fierce at the 2025 29er Asian Championship. Fresh from taking 3rd place in the Under 17 division at the 2024 29er World Championship, Kevin Cason and Holland Vierling from the USA will be taking on 16 local teams from Hong Kong, China. Defending champion Tiffany Mak has now teamed up with her younger brother Raphael Mak to race against their rival teammates Cameron Law/Christopher Lam and Louis Polson/Ethan Kiu. Thailand sailors Patcharaphan Ongkaloy and Kan Kachachuen are participating in their first 29er Asian Championship, incorporated into Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week.
The largest fleet of the event will be the Optimist Main Fleet, with 69 competitors, and another 55 entries competing in the Intermediate Fleet. Hong Kong’s Margaux Nguyen-Minh will be one to watch after placing 2nd in last year’s event while first-place winner Zihan Liu has moved up to the 29er fleet. Thailand is represented by ten sailors competing in the Optimist Main Fleet, ILCA 4, and 29er. Their star-studded Optimist Main Fleet team consists of five members of the Thailand Team for the 2024 Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship held recently in Hong Kong, with Thai sailor Pailin Jaroenpon having placed 12th overall. All eyes will be on the Singaporean team with three ILCA 4 and one ILCA 6 sailor. 2024 saw Singapore secure both divisional wins in the ILCA Class.
Eleven classes are competing in Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2025, racing over four racetracks, with up to 16 races over the entire Race Week. The classes include 29er, 2.4mR, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, Optimist Main Fleet, Optimist Intermediate Fleet, RS Feva, RS Tera, along with development fleets of Optimist Green Fleet and Fusion Green Fleet.
Also officiating at today’s Opening Ceremony were Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Commodore Adrian Pang, Sun Hung Kai & Co Ltd. Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr. Tony Edwards, Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr. Zhu Jian Ping, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Senior Leisure Manager (Sports Development) Ms. Wai Mei Ling, and Hong Kong Sports Institute High Performance Administration Manager Mr. Samual Chan. Also in attendance were the Sailing Federation of Hong Kong, China President Ms. Cheung Mei Han, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Leisure Manager (Sports Development) Mr. Cheng Yiu Fai, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Assistant Leisure Manager I (Sports Development) Ms. Chow Pui Na Eunice, and Leisure and Cultural Services Department Assistant Leisure Manager II (Sports Development) Mr. To Tsz Chun Tony.
- Hong Kong Sports Institute High Performance Administration Manager Mr. Samual Chan
- Leisure and Cultural Services Department Senior Leisure Manager (Sports Development) Ms. Wai Mei Ling
- Director, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr. Zhu Jian Ping
- Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Commodore Mr. Adrian Pang
- Hong Kong Race Week Regatta Chairman Mr. Peter Davies
- Title Sponsor Sun Hung Kai & Co. Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr. Tony Edwards
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