Zero wind in the bay and a slight drizzle welcomed the nine crews for the third leg of the Summer Series 2012 on June 10, 2012. As usual, there were different views on the weather, but one opinion was shared by everybody: It must be better out there than here. So after a short recon by Awah and the Race Officer, we decided to go for some windward-leeward courses west of Peng Chau.

So began a slow crawl out of the bay, which seemed never-ending for some of the boats. But once we reached the race area, a good but very gusty breeze awaited.

As usual, the start of the first race was slow, with some crews trying to figure out where the start line was. The boats were all over the race course seeking the best patches of wind. Line  honors went to the Race Officer but the win in the first race went to Branco Ng and Henry Kwok, making their comeback after several months of absence and clearly showing that they haven’t lost their skills. The second F18 in the race was still confused about which way the spinnaker should be hoisted and decided not to use it for the rest of the series.

The wind picked up even more in the second and the third races, with capsizes becoming more frequent. It certainly was a busy Sunday for Awah! For the fourth race, an impromptu around-the-island course was set. The Race Officer got carried away a little on the downwind leg, enjoying the perfect conditions a bit too much and realizing only after a gybe that he had overshot the line by several hundred meters. At least this gave Awah enough time to set up the finish line just in time for the first two boats to finish almost at the same time.

Clara Ng and Adam Fung won the last three races of the series and with this were the winners of the day and of course also the winners of the whole Summer Series. Congratulations!

Back on the beach, the Commodore was already waiting for us with the BBQ going. And what a BBQ! Thanks a lot, Andy.

The Summer Series concludes the first half of this year’s racing season at LBC. We will be back with more club racing on September 1. Meanwhile, don’t forget the Raid Sai Kung organized by the Hobie Club from June 30 to July 2.

We also hope to organize one or two social events over the summer, so check back regularly on this site or the club’s Facebook page.

Complete results for Summer Series #3 and Summer Series overall follow.

See you on the water!

— Christoph Merz, Race Officer

2012 Summer Series #3

Overall

R1

R2

R3

R4