24 Hour Charity Dinghy Race 2021

There were many bleary-eyed sailors and supporters at the Hebe Haven Yacht Club as dawn broke on Sunday morning in the annual 24 Hour Charity Dinghy Race.

Conditions were light overnight (between 1800 and 0400) with occasional puffs lasting 10 minutes or so. Not so for the period 2000 to 2200 according to Olivier Decamps of the Bubbalicious team, which completed just three laps in two hours. Others were even less lucky, barely completing one! Fortunately, the breeze began to build as the morning progressed with 10- to 15-minute laps recorded.

A wide range of skills were on display on the water with more than a few capsizes. Positioning of boats on the course was also critical with those going close to the start / finish boat, Hebe One, often stalling, while those that went on the outside of Hebe One failed to pass through the gate with no lap recorded. There were other ‘obstacles’ on the course with run-abouts, motor yachts and even dragon boats on occasions obstructing the sailors.

By 1100, gusts of up to 15 knots were recorded but, after the sun broke through, around noon, the breeze briefly eased.

Meanwhile the onshore carnival continued with live music and DJ, Kevin Lewis, pumping out the hits. Being Halloween the venue was decorated with ghoulish themes, including giant spiders and skeletons, while sailors and supporters got into the spirit of the event in spooky attire. The various stalls also attracted much interest, particularly the bouncy castle for kids.

With the race concluding at 1400, festivities continued onshore whilst results were tabulated. The prize-giving began soon after 1530 and the bar stayed open until 1700 much to the delight of the revellers.

Don Johnston, commodore of the Hebe Haven Yacht Club, gave an impassioned speech of appreciation, thanking all 600 sailors and the 300 volunteers involved in race management, dock marshalling, time recording and safety. Also thanked were the club’s 70 full time and 30 part time staff who had all contributed to bringing the event to a successful conclusion, despite the difficult social distancing restrictions.

週日清晨，一年一度的24小時慈善小艇賽在白沙灣遊艇會開展，參賽者和工作人員似乎因 早早到達場地睡眼惺忪。

夜間18時至早上4時風速較弱，偶爾風勢會持續10分鐘左右。但根據 Bubbalicious 的Olivier Decamps的說法，從晚上20時到22時這段時間並不理想，他們在兩小時內只航行了三圈， 其他人的情況就更加不樂觀了，幾乎沒有隊完成一圈！會長Don安排Paul，前副會長兼現 任總經理，在海上通宵工作5個小時。慶幸的是，他們在這一場賽事中都能呆在小艇裡。隨 著天色漸漸明亮起來，微風開始增強，速度顯著加快，每圈航速達10至15分鐘。

選手們使出渾身解數，展示各式各樣的技巧，比賽過程中也發生了幾次船身顛覆的狀況。 值得留意的是，賽艇在賽道上的位置非常重要，在大部分情況下，離起跑、終點線、會船較 近的船隻經常出現失速的意外；在賽道上還有其他的阻礙會影響選手，例如運動快艇、機 動遊艇，甚至會船有時也會影響參賽隊伍的船隻前行。

到早上11時，風速最高時可達15節，但在中午太陽出來後，風速短暫緩慢下來。與此同時， 岸上的萬聖節節日氣氛非常狂熱，DJ Kevin Lewis的音樂讓大家情緒高漲。期間，會所搖身 一變，佈置巨型蜘蛛和骷髏，選手和工作人員們則身著奇裝異服，完美融入節日。各個遊 戲攤位也非常惹人注目，尤其是孩童最喜歡的充氣城堡。

隨後比賽在14時結束，賽果已有定論，慶祝活動繼續在岸上進行。頒獎儀式在15時30分後 開展，花園酒吧的營業時間也因當天的活動延至17時，當天的選手和工作人員的興致高 昂。

會長Don致感謝辭的時候，指這次活動共600名船員和300名義工參與，負責賽事管理、碼 頭集結整備、記錄時間和監管安全。他謹代表白沙灣遊艇會感謝70名全職和30名兼職員 工，在社交距離限制下，依然出色地完成任務，使活動圓滿結束，功不可沒。

The support of the principal sponsors, Knight Frank, China Light & Power, Carlsberg and Corney & Barrow, was recognised, while tokens of appreciation were also presented to various participants, too numerous to mention here. He also expressed his delight at being able to run the event again, after last year’s event had to be cancelled due to COVID restrictions. In the first event run 20 years ago, 32 teams participated, while this year, 39 teams were on the water.

In concluding, Don was optimistic that having already raised HK$800,000 that the Club may be close, when all donations were counted, to a fundraising achievement of HK$1 million (and he was right). On 3 December, at a special cheque presentation ceremony in the Garden Bar, funds were distributed to the Children’s Cancer Fund, IDEAL, Sailability Hong Kong, the Sai Kung District Community Centre, and Treats. Moreover, there was also a presentation of overall prizes—as this year, these were awarded for both racing and fundraising achievements. The newly appointed General Manager, Paul Arkwright, was then introduced and, speaking in Cantonese, summarised the Club’s appreciation to one and all. It was then on with the prizegiving, calculated on corrected times.

他也感謝一眾首要贊助商，包 括萊坊、中電集團、嘉士伯和 Corney & Barrow的支持，最後 並感謝參與活動的選手們。他 還表示去年因疫情而被迫取消 該活動，今年能再次舉辦實屬難 得。20年前舉辦第一次舉辦24小 時慈善小艇賽，有32支隊伍參加， 今年則有39支隊伍參加。

最後，Don指據估算，本會已籌得 80萬港元至100萬港元的善款，並 安排於12月3日在花園酒吧舉行支 票頒授儀式，善款將支持兒童癌 症基金、勵智協進會、航能香港、 西貢區社區中心及「親切」。此 外，當日還有頒獎儀式，嘉獎相關 人員在賽事和籌款活動方面的貢 獻。隨後，新上任的總經理Paul， 用廣東話向所有人士表示感謝， 接而開始頒獎，賽事名次經時間 校正後計得出。