Apr 2013 Issue - the Aberdeen Boat Club

Race reportsEricsson Inter-SchoolSailing Festival 2013Words by Kevin Lewis, photos by Kevin Lewis and Michele FelderThe annual Inter-schools Sailing Festival is one of thehighlights of youth dinghy sailing in Hong Kong. The event,which has grown every year since 2003, is sponsored byEricsson and supported by the ABC and NeilPryde.This March 9 and 10 saw 24 teams from schools across HongKong and Macau racing in predominantly light winds, startingfrom RHKYC Middle Island. The event takes the form of teamracing, with each school entering teams of six sailors in the Feva,Pico or Q’ba dinghies. Sailors need to work together and useteam-race tactics to slow down opponent teams, as each race isonly a few minutes long, and a “win” is calculated on points.The Inter-schools Festival has grown in both stature andnumbers over the years. This time over 150 youth sailors wereinvolved. A tremendous amount of organization and calculationgoes on, and big thanks are due to both Sofia Mascia (RaceOfficer) and Richard Knight (organizer). With food, music, livecommentary, umpires and a huge team of volunteers, the 2013event proved almost the best yet – only lacking in wind! Welook forward to an even more competitive event next year!Congratulations to the winning teams!1st: South Island School2nd: Kellett School (A team)3rd: KGV4th: HK School Sailing Assn (A team)5th: HK Sea School (A team)6th: French International (A team)(L): ABC sailor Juliette MartinP.24