HONG KONG—Day 1 of the Sportsboat National Championships took place on Saturday Nov 12 starting at 11:30am with 4 geometric races with 11 competitors, a GP26, 2 J 80’s and 8 Magic 25’s. A 2nd day of racing is scheduled for this coming Saturday Nov 19. Weather at Shelter Cove was placid and windless but after getting into open seas beyond Shelter Island the wind picked up and the swell increased. By the time we reached the designated race area off Clearwater Bay there was a 1.5 metre swell and a 6 knot wind. Wind speed varied through the day up to 10 knots.
Racing was delayed for half an hour to allow boats to arrive but one of the leading contenders Dion Houghton helming “R2B2” was late starting the first race, his engine failed and he had to return to base for a replacement to get him out of Shelter Cove.
