Hong Kong super maxi Scallywag smashes San Fernando race record
The 100-foot yacht owned by Lee Seng Huang breaks the previous mark by an astonishing 15 hours, 27 minutes and 55 seconds
Hong Kong super maxi Scallywag smashed the San Fernando Race record after sailing into San Fernando, the Philippines at 11.47pm on Thursday night.
The 100-foot yacht, owned by Lee Seng Huang, broke the 2001 record of 49 hours, 55 minutes and 12 seconds set by Sam Chan’s 70’ ULDB Sled, FfreeFire with a new time of 34 hours, 27 minutes and 17 seconds. That means Scallywag blitzed the record by an astonishing 15 hours, 27 minutes and 55 seconds.
“Today’s sailing was very nice; flat water, perfect sailing, good sunrise this morning and a nice sunset tonight,” Scallywag’s skipper David Witt said on arrival last night.
“The first night was a little rough and we had a bit of a major structural failure but we managed to get here in one piece so it’s all very good.”
Scallywag raced her way to two other titles in the IRC 0 division and the coveted IRC Overall win.
“Very happy, very excited ... absolutely loved it,” added Jack Chen, the nephew of Scallywag’s owner Seng Huang Lee, on his experience of completing his first offshore race.
This is the second Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club race record that Scallywag holds – she also sailed into the record books last November with a time of 23 hours, 31 minutes and 52 seconds in the Hong Kong to Hainan Race .
Chan is also taking part in the San Fernando Race on board his other FreeFire, a TP52, and is expected to arrive in San Fernando this evening with the rest of the fleet.
However, Ernesto Echauz’s TP52 Standard Insurance Centennial is in second place in IRC 0, with an expected arrival time of 8pm.
Close on the tail of the TP52s are Steven Manning and Anthony Root’s Ker Custom 42 Black Baza, as well as Joachim Isler and Andrew Taylor Mills’ 41 Ambush.
Black Baza leads the IRC 1 division, Anthony Day’s XC50 Explorer the IRC Premier Cruising division and Tim Bruce’s Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49 Diamond Queen the HKPN division.
With the second day of racing coming to an end, Anthony Day’s XC50 Explorer led the IRC Premier Cruising division, while Ernesto Echauz’s Standard Insurance Centennial led the IRC 0 and Black Baza was in front in the IRC 1 and Overall.
The HKPN Division was led by Tim Bruce’s Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49 Diamond Queen.
The fleet must now decide the best way to approach the coast and the light wind zone as it nears the Philippines.
The race between the two T52s is hotting up as well with FreeFire to the north of the rhumb line and Standard Insurance Centennial to the south.
Meanwhile, Steve Manning and Anthony Root’s Custom Ker 42 Black Baza is positioned north of Joachim Isler and Drew Taylor’s Mills 41 Ambush.
