Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2026 - Day 2
by Vivian Ngan 30 Jan 16:36 PST
29 January - 1 February 2026
Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week 2026 © RHKYC / Isaac Lawrence
In contrast to Day 1, the second day of racing at the Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week, incorporating the 2025 29er Asian Championship, saw slightly lighter winds and more manageable conditions on the water.
"Yesterday was brutal. It was really hard for race management because of the wind conditions, and today we expected the same, if not more," said Principal Race Officer Barry Truhol. "Very luckily, the wind abated a little and the sea state was calmer, which gave fantastic racing for all of the fleets. I think they've come back after good races, had a good day out on the water, and are not as tired as yesterday."
On the 29er race course near Beaufort Channel, competitors experienced lighter winds but challenging sea conditions. Race Officer Dave Norton explained, "The wind was quite a bit lighter than it was on Thursday, and the chop was less, but we had some really big rollers, so it was quite an uncomfortable experience on the committee boat. We started off with probably 15-16kts of wind, and it dropped during the day." Norton also highlighted the growing strength of the fleet. "Having been a race officer for the 29ers for quite a few years, it's really nice to see a fleet of 24 boats out on the course. A few years ago, getting into double figures was a challenge, so it's great to see lots of really good competition in the fleet." In the 29er class, which incorporates the 2025 29er Asian Championship, the top of the leaderboard remained unchanged after Day 2. Hong Kong's Louis Polson and Ethan Kiu continued their dominant performance, scoring three bullets to sit comfortably in first place. Nicholas Hon and Kaden Chan remained in second, while the all-girls team of Chloe Kong and McCarley Wong held third place.
Over on the ILCA course near Castle Rock, Race Officer Elberti Uiterwaal Postma faced a long but rewarding day on the water. "We had beautiful winds when we got out there — 12 to 17kts at 065 degrees. We had two great races, each finishing around 40 minutes," she said. "Then we saw a big wind shift to the right, and I decided to relay the course. On a trapezoid course that takes time.
"Originally, we planned four races, but because of the wind shift and having to move all the marks, we only completed three. Still, they were three good races, and I think the kids are happy."
The rankings in both ILCA fleets remained unchanged from Day 1. In ILCA 4, Singapore's Ian Goh continued to lead, with Hong Kong's Tiago Cheng just two points behind in second place, followed by another Singaporean sailor, Austin Yeo, in third. In ILCA 6, local sailor Charalampos Velianitis strengthened his overall lead with three bullets, while Samuel Tan Hardy sat second and Xavier Wilde remained in third place.
At Stanley Bay, the Optimist Main Fleet, 2.4mR, RS Feva and RS Tera fleets completed four races each, while the Optimist Intermediate Fleet sailed three races for the day. Race Officer Inge Strompf Jepsen explained the decision, citing the day's stable conditions. "The conditions were really good — steady and with a bit less wind than yesterday — so it was quite sailable," she said. "It also meant we didn't need to move any marks and were able to keep the same course all day." She added that fatigue became a factor as the day progressed. "By the last race, we could see the Intermediate sailors were starting to look really tired, so we allowed the stronger, more experienced fleets to go on and complete the fourth race."
Hong Kong's success in hosting the 2024 Optimist Asian & Oceania Championship has boosted its reputation as a high-quality training ground, attracting a total of 80 international Optimist sailors this year from the Chinese Mainland, Macau (China), Singapore, Thailand, Greece and — for the first time — Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico's Ines Mendez Larminaux, seventh overall at the 2025 Optimist World Championship and winner of the 2025 HKODA Open & National Championships, returns as a top favourite. Another strong contender is Giorgos Mandilas of Greece, who placed ninth at the 2025 Optimist Worlds. They face strong challenges from Hong Kong siblings Margaux and Alix Nguyen Minh. Margaux boasts impressive international results, including a bronze medal in the 2025 Optimist World Championship girls' division and a gold medal in the 2024 Optimist Asian & Oceania Championship girls' division. Singapore's Anya Alessia Zahedi, silver medallist at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, also joins the top pack.
The Optimist Intermediate Fleet features 38 entries, with 10 Chinese Mainland sailors competing against 26 local Hong Kong sailors and competitors from Macau (China) and Singapore. After seven races across two days, there were notable changes in the standings of the Optimist Main Fleet. Puerto Rico's Ines Mendez Larminaux surged into first place, followed by Greece's Giorgos Mandilas in second. Local sailor Rohan Maliah moved into third, completing the podium.
In the Optimist Intermediate Fleet, the leaderboard remained unchanged. Chinese Mainland sailor Huan Ran Lin continued to lead overall, with Macau's Dao Zhou holding second place and local sailor Kyle Chan sitting third.
Looking ahead to the next day of racing, Principal Race Officer Barry Truhol shared his expectations for the conditions and course areas. "The forecast is supposed to be a little bit lighter. For the 29ers, they'll probably head out to the same area near Po Toi," he said. "For the other fleets, if there's less wind, we can bring the racing a bit closer to home, making it easier to get to and from the racing areas."