A PASSION FOR RACING

CHINA: OWNER’S STORY

A PASSION RACING FOR MEET THE OWNER OF LIGHT HORSE, A BENETEAU FIRST 50

One of the most rewarding things about sailing is the sheer variety of people it attracts. Men, women and children from all walks of life are drawn together by one thing: an absolute passion for spending time on the water. That’s certainly true of Shawn, a relative newcomer to the sea, and the owner of a Beneteau First 50, Light Horse.

Shawn has his own finance company in Shenzhen, with offices in Hong Kong and the United States. While living in Hong Kong he was gradually exposed to the yachting lifestyle. Watching people play the whole day at sea he began to think to himself, “Why not get my own yacht?”

Shawn knew nothing about sailing, manufacturers, even what style of yacht he might want. In 2008 he met one of the Senior Brokers at Simpson Marine, Mark Woodmansey, and that began to change.

Mark took the time to get to know Shawn and to find out what he wanted to do with his boat and eventually recommended a Beneteau First 50, with enough space for cruising and the performance needed for racing.

Shawn made the decision to buy in 2009. However, since he was just beginning he would need some help to learn more about sailing. Mark is an avid sailor himself and volunteered to help get Shawn started. Shawn took his sailing seriously and slowly mastered the skills required to handle the big yacht. He managed to pull together a crew of colleagues and friends and formed a team to compete in the local regattas.

88 Shawn obtained a berth at Hebe Haven Yacht Club. The biggest advantage he saw with this was the fact that there were races nearly every week. Light Horse has been a regular competitor since then and the First 50 has delivered on her performance promises.

Shawn loves competing in regattas. In his view this is what sailing is all about; to enjoy the struggle with the sea. Shawn has an unusually serious and persistent side to his personality and rather than attending the after parties he prefers to spend his time watching videos of the race to analyse the crew’s performance.

He arrives on the boat early for every event and everyone knows the first thing he will say is, “Yesterday I studied a little video. I found that where we need to develop is...”

Shawn enjoys sailing in Hong Kong Victoria Harbour

Shawn knew nothing about sailing, manufacturers, even what style of boat he might want. In 2008 he met one of the Senior Brokers at Simpson Marine, Mark Woodmansey, and that began to change.