2017 NEWS
The Turkish Airlines Around The Island Race at RHKYC - 12th November 2017
A truly magnificent individual achievement. FOO Yuen Wai, a wheel chair user and Bronze Medalist in the 2.4mR (Asian Para Games 2014), crossed the start line at 8.30am and took 7 hours 41 minutes 24 seconds elapsed time to complete the race. On the corrected time of 5 hours, 16 minutes, 31 seconds he finished 7th overall out of over 230 participating yachts. WOW!
He has therefore become the first Para sailor to complete this particular race in this single handed class.
Many, many congratulations Wai. A fantastic achievement and everyone at 'Sailability Hong Kong' & within the Hong Kong sailing community are very proud of you!
See SCMP link on https://sc.mp/2iz3sSn
ABC Southside Open Dinghy Regatta - Saturday 2nd
& Sunday 3rd December 2017
7 of our 2.4mR's entered the event. Our Class results:
1st place - PUK Chi Yeung
2nd place - LAM Kin Wah, Albert
3rd place - FOO Yuen Wai
Division B Regatta results: 2nd place - PUK Chi Yeung
Well done PUK and everyone else who took part !!
New Hansa 303(W) Launch - 16th December
Our new Hansa 303 was launched. Very generously donated by Harvey Jessop & Christophe Grosperrin (Hebe Haven Yacht Club Members) as part of our boat replacement program, the boat has been named 'Hebe Heaven'.
The 2 sponsors have asked us to give our oldest boat to the people of French Caledonia in order that they may start their own Sailability program. More on this story will follow in due course.........
Perhaps the largest crowd attending a boat launch yet. A video of the event is now being edited by Sean Baylis and will appear of our Facebook page shortly.
Our sincere thanks go to Fred Cheung for 127 stunning photos taken during the day.
Christmas Saturday Sailing - 16th December
Our last day of sailing during 2017.
A wonderful turn out from our Saturday sailors, Para sailors, volunteers, parents and HHYC young sailors. Luckily for us all ...............Mr & Mrs Christmas were also able to make it at this busy time!
A great festive fun event to end the year even if we did have very strong and gusty winds............
Charity Cycle Ride for the Perthes Organisation & Sailability Hong Kong - November 11th 2017
8 year old Jack Farmer suffers from Perthes and regularly sails with us. Some 200 family, friends and many others took part in the cycle ride & walking event today, this being aimed at raising funds for both Perthes & Sailability Hong Kong. See: www.pedalthroughperthes.org.
24 Hour Charity Dinghy Race 21st - 22nd October 2017
We are very pleased to announce that the Para Sailors from 'Sailability Hong Kong' won the event completing a total of 99 laps in a very good wind, warm weather and clear skies. Well done to all the team. Launched on 21st October just prior to the start of the race, it was particularly fitting that the winners were sailing in the new boat donated by the Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy (HKGTA) and that representatives of the organisation were present at both the start and finish to cheer their boat on.......
Our congratulations also go to the Saturday sailors and Para team 2 who completed the race in 4th and 6th place respectively. Almost a clean sweep for the 3 boat Sailability team!
Finally, we were honoured to receive the HHYC Race Volunteer Award, jointly won by Paul NG & Richard Hartas.
Peace Cup - Hiroshima , Japan
10th - 13th October 2017
Our congratulation go to all 10 sailors who took part in this 'Open' event - a fore-runner to the Hansa Class World Championships & Peace Cup in October 2018.
We are particularly delighted to announce that PUK Chi Yeung won a Bronze Medal in the Hansa 303 single handed class and Lam Kin Wa, Albert a Special Award in the same class for consistent high level sailing, coming 5th, 6th or 7th in all 4 races.
The team met many delightful people from the very generous host nation and the 10 participating nations. We would particularly like to thank Chris Mitchell from Hansa for his support to the Hong Kong team by supplying boats, thus reducing the cost of participation. We would also like to thank Magic Marine for their support in supplying the team vest & caps.
You can see all the photos from this amazing time in Japan here!
Bart's Bash - 16th September 2017 Update
56 boats, 8 different classes and 111 sailors from Sailability Hong Kong & HHYC took part! Our thanks to HFW as sponsors .......we could not have done it without you. Sailability raised HK$8,500 and another HK$5,000 was donated by HHYC - so HK$13,500 in all for Bart's Bash this year from Sailability Hong Kong & HHYC.
Our sailor positions have now been published on the Bart's Bash website. Click on this link: www.bartsbash.com and then click 2017 results. A few headlines below:
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From 80 countries, 599 sailing venues and 5,334 sailors, Hong Kong (all clubs) came third in sailors by country category.
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Sailability with HHYC are currently the 3rd largest fundraiser.
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In the wind 1-7 knots category, Sailability had 6 sailors from the top 10
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In the top sailors Sailability section - we have taken all top 10 places!
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In the Top Sailors First Race category Jack Farmer & Leo Purdie came first and second respectively.
Many more results to review. An outstanding and truly amazing performance by everyone involved this year. Anyone up for Bart's Bash 2018?
New Hansa 303(w)
The new addition to the fleet has been donated by HKGTA, the Sai Kung based Golf & Tennis Academy.
The formal launch will take place at 1.00pm just prior to the start of the 24 Hour Charity Dinghy Race on 21st October 2017.
Typhoon Hato - August 23rd 2017
Like many others in and around Hong Kong, we suffered very significant damge to our equipment. This included sails, masts and booms being washed out to sea from our shore based storage unit. Numbers of boats available for our sailing programs are now reduced whilst awaiting replacement parts and new sails.
Para World Championships - Kiel, Germany (updated)
20 - 25 June 2017. Huge congratulations go to PUK Chi Yeung who finished in 9th place overall in the Hansa 303 Class. Our congratulations also go to LEUNG Wun Wa who finished in 18th place overall in the same Class. FOO Yuen Wai finished 31st in the 2.4mR Class - a huge improvement over his previous best of 65th place.
Hebe Haven Open Regatta
27 & 28 May 2017. Of the 120 entries Sailability entered 15 boats in 3 classes. Classes entered were the Hansa 303 (single and double handed), Hansa Liberty and the 2.4mR. Both physically and intellectually disabled sailors sailed in what was a very enjoyable weekend. Our Class winners were:
2.4mR: 1st Virgile BERTRAND, 2nd FOO Yuen Wai & 3rd PUK Chi Yeung.
Hansa Liberty: 1st Mike Rawbone, 2nd Toby Jenkyn-Jones
Hansa 303: 1st Yen Fai Chau & Alexandra Jones, 2nd LUI Wai Han, Lydia & CHEUNG Chi Lik, Eric 3rd Richard Hartas (single handed entry)
Hong Kong Race Week
March 2017. Congratulations to the 7 sailors who entered in 2.4mR's and the 5 who survived the 4 days sailing in what turned out to be something of an endurance race!
Of the 3 physically disabled athletes who entered, FOO Yuen Wai finished 2nd and PUK Chi Yeung 3rd with LEUNG Wun Wa 5th overall. Congratulations to Virgile Bertrand on a very worthy 1st place in his new boat and to Mark Houghton who finished 4th in what he later described as 'almost survival conditions'
RYA Accreditation - July 2017
We are delighted to announce that we became a RYA Accredited Sailability Centre in July 2017.
