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29er
Another class which gains its popularity from its older brother is
the 49er, being an Olympic class. You can see what is obviously
an exciting boat. It is of the skiff type, with a very narrow, light hull
and wings on which the crew can sit or brace their legs to improve
stability. They are very fast, often exceeding 20 knots, but quite
difficult to keep upright. Despite their speed, and three sails, they
are not as technical as the 420, but their speed adds a whole new
dimension for the crew to deal with. Nathan Bradley and Cosmos
Grelon, ex of HHYC and now of ABC, won the Asian Sailing
Championships Gold in this class.
29er為另一個受大眾歡迎的級別，與其上一代49er級一樣亦是奧運級
別。你可以看到一艘令人興奮的船。這是小船型，具有非常窄、輕盈
的船體和船翼，船員可以坐下或支撐他們的腿以提高穩定性。它們非
常快，往往超過20節，但很難保
持直立。儘管它們很快及有三隻
風帆，他們未有如420般具高技術
性，但它們的速度給船員一個全
新境界去應付。Nathan Bradley
和白沙灣遊艇會前成員、現為
香港仔遊艇會成員的Cosmos
Grelon，在這個級別於亞洲帆船
錦標賽嬴得金牌。
29er
420
This is locally and internationally a very popular class. This probably
derives from its older sibling, the 470, being an Olympic class. As
you can see from the picture, it is a more complicated boat, with
two crew and three sails. The helm does not need to be so big, so
many smaller graduates from Optimists move into these boats. They
are highly technical too, and thus continue the learning path that
young people are so good at taking advantage of.
We are doing well internationally in this class. Calum Gregor,
the reigning national Optimist champion, and his partner Hugo
Christensson, are, as I mentioned, bronze medallists in the World
Championship and finished 2nd overall recently in the Australian
National 420 Championships. A team from Sea School also had a
very competitive finish in the same event.
這是本地和國際上非常受歡迎的級別。這可能從其上代470衍
生而 ，是奧運級別。正如你可以從下圖看到，這是一艘比較複
雜的船，有兩名船員及三隻風帆。掌舵並不需要很大，很多從
Optimist畢業的小選手都會選擇此船。它們亦需高度技術，因
此年輕人從此路徑繼續學習都甚具得益。
我們在此級別中在國際上表現
很好。衛冕全國Optimist冠軍的
Calum Gregor，及他的搭檔Hugo
Christensson，正如我所說，是世錦
賽的銅牌得主，並最近在澳洲全國
420錦標賽得到第2名。航海學校的
一支隊伍在同一賽事中亦有不錯的
成績。
44 HEBE JEBES • SEP/OCT 2015
420 dinghy
Dinghies for differently-abled sailors
I hope you have seen, and support, Hong Kong
Sailability based at HHYC. Both physically and
intellectually less able sailors are catered for, and for
both we have the Access two-person dinghies. A
one-design class specifically for such sailors, they
enable two sailors, one of whom might be a coach
or helper, to sail together seated and control the boat
with a joystick and one hand. They cannot capsize
and so are very safe.
We also have several of the very exciting 2.4mR keel
boats. These are like a miniature old-style America's
Cup boat. Again seated, but meant only for the
physically impaired, they are the official Paralympic
boat. They are quite fast and exciting, and although
they too can be managed by physically limited
sailors, they are nevertheless more complex and
challenging than the Access boats. A Hong Kong
sailor won a Bronze medal at the Asian Para Games
in Seoul in one of these boats.
There are a bewildering number of other classes,
and no doubt their aficionados will berate me for
leaving them out, but honestly, given the scene in
Hong Kong, if you want to take racing seriously here
it is better to stick to one of the classes I described
above. Furthermore, I suspect government support
will only be offered for Olympic classes and their
equivalent development classes (420s, 29ers,
Lasers, Nacra 17 catamaran, Optimists).
Centres of excellence
For whatever reason, it seems that certain teams
excel in certain classes. This may be part chance,
but is also reflective of the coaching skill, support
from their club, and, most of all, the commitment of
the sailors and their parents. Currently RHKYC and
J-Asia dominate Optimists, J-Asia dominate Lasers,
RHKYC and Sea School are tops in 420s and ABC
the best in 29ers. Where is HHYC? They are coming
up fast in Optimists, but more on the development
of dinghy racing at HHYC in a later article.
Commitment
Of all the topics covered here, this is the most
important attribute by far if you want to be a
successful dinghy racer. Let us be clear, not every
child wants to be. Many just want to learn how
to sail a dinghy, have fun in one, and maybe have
the occasional race—again purely for fun. Some
develop a love of the sport though and want to do
well. That love and desire is the first step. Do they
have to be talented? Not at first, no they don’t. To
join the team, my children sail for J-Asia, only one
requirement exists—commitment to the trai