17/11/2021
And now ... time to debrief from the team results after the Around the Island Race 2021 ! ...ta...da...
Sorry to focus only on 4 boats as it will take me hours to check every single sailor who sailed with us on different events ... but we love you all ❤️ and I know that some of u were on winning boats ...congrats !🏆
Best achiever in his class ... PADDY B (PB) ! 4th Impala to reach back Kellett Island after a bit more than 6h10mn ... PB is kind of the tramp of the Impala fleet using exclusively donated 2nd hand sails, keeping the maintenance at the necessary minimum ... the epitome of the Green attitude ! 😆 Even the engine sometimes stubbornly refuses to consume any gasoline ... pretending it cannot be started ... (actually, I am a bit unfair as it turned like a Swiss watch to bring us to the start zone ...not very far 😎 )
But the real magic of PB comes from her Captain ... Herman Wong who has more than one trick up his sleeves ! Adventurous option is his favorite one ... "We are not the fastest ...so we have to be the smartest ..." or the lucky ones sometimes ...😎😅😂.
I Yves Milot did my best as foredeck, mast man and "sh*t-fixer'... and was pretty busy with multiple repairs on the way related to the old age of everything on board ... (not mentioning the crew 😂😂). Melody Chan and Max did very well flying the spi for hours ! Sharly and Stephen, the newbies passed their exam according to Herman.
2nd best performer ... Arcturus ! 6th in their ATI division and if my source is reliable she achieved her complete Round for the 1st time ! 😁. Claire Becq our experienced Pit and eager to learn something new was part of the crew. Of course the bosses were there Florence, Dennis WT Chien, CY Fong Bao ,all 3 pretty busy, as many regulars were missing. They actually took over Paddy B in the harbour few minutes before Finish line. Well done guys !
It was not easy for Kiasu. Chris Li was at the helm ... for the longest time ever ... and Eric Yu was the only really experienced and usual crew on board, taking care of the bow ... Lawrence was "hired" at the last moment to bring some extra knowledge on board ... Actually they had fun ... and enjoyed the trip ... happy to safely recovering from some wild broaches I heard ... around Cape d'Aguilar and Stanley Peninsula ... Ivan Chan, Yuan did their best and at least came back with memories !
Kiasu made it in 5h40mn ...but unfortunately missed the Sandy Bay mark ... and was declared NSC ... (not sailed the course).
Fuzzy Duck was attempting to complete the Round ... once again !😆😅😂 She has been pampered to give her the best chances with race wash and new antifouling ...looking like new !
The crew is not made of the most agressive sailors in town, but they have all long hours sailing in HK waters and perfectly capable to make it with, I am sure, some family on board to enjoy a perfect Sunday ! The wind was good for them this year and passing Lei Yue Mun was just a formality ...
Unfortunately for only few minutes they missed the last cut-off time ... and missed their target to be ranked in the "Official Results board"... Whatever ... close try ! Every year is better than the previous ... so next year it will be it ! Johnnie Cheng, Eddie Chan !
Well done all and see you soon on the water ... Lipton Trophy is in 3 days ... We are so lucky in HK to enjoy a non-stop sailing year with races almost every WE !
