Lipton Trophy

The first pursuit race of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s 2026–27 sailing season took place on Saturday, the 31st of October under ideal racing conditions. A decent easterly breeze of 10 to 12 knots brought the fleet together to contest the Lipton Trophy in Victoria Harbour.

Sixty-one boats took part, with staggered start times determined by their RHKATI ratings. Unlike conventional fleet racing, a pursuit race requires boats to set off at times based on their handicaps. The smaller, slower-rated boats set off first, while the faster yachts face the challenge of working their way through the fleet.

Race officer, Sean Taylor, selected a challenging course that sent competitors beating up the harbour to Tai Koo Shing, before hoisting their spinnakers for a run down to Hung Hom. The fleet completed three and a half laps of this windward / leeward circuit, finishing downwind at Kowloon Bay.

As the race developed, the gaps between the boats gradually narrowed, setting up an exciting chase to the finish. The VX One, Serendipity, owned by Patrick Pender, eventually emerged at the front of the fleet to claim the Lipton Trophy, finishing ahead of Flying Fifteen, Mana, helmed by Leigh Riddell and crewed by Olympian sailor, Nicolas Halliday. The battle for 3rd place went right down to the wire, with Dragons Eaux Vives and Phyloong II fighting all the way to the finish. Eaux Vives, helmed by Christian Low, ultimately prevailed to secure 3rd place.

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is hosting the International Council of Yacht Clubs (ICOYC) Regional Conference, which brings together delegates and commodores from yacht clubs around the world. In a recent statement, the club said it was delighted that eight visiting sailors would compete in the Lipton Trophy and would add to the experiences of racing in Hong Kong by taking part in the Around the Island Race, scheduled for Saturday, the 7th of November.

Geoff Wells, vice commodore of the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, praised the opportunity to sail in Hong Kong. “This is my first time sailing an Etchells. Adam and Cameron have both sailed Etchells a lot, but it’s our first time sailing in Hong Kong harbour, so it’s quite a unique experience. It’s very different from the river racing we’re used to back in Perth.” The RFBYC team went on to finish 12th overall and 4th among the Etchells.

The Lipton Trophy also forms part of the Top Dog Trophy Series, which rewards the yacht with the best combined results across four races held during the sailing season. With the opening pursuit race complete, attention now turns to the next opportunity for competitors to add valuable points to their series tally. The remaining three races in the Top Dog Trophy Series are the Sun Hung Kai & Co Around the Island Race on the 7th of November, the HKRNVR Memorial Vase on the 9th of January 2027 and the Tomes Cup on the 24th of April 2027.