Rolex China Sea Race 2023: Hong Kong’s Whiskey Jack takes overall honours in Philippines
- Four days of sailing ends with Hong Kong boats in the top three places overall
- ‘We had a wild last 24 hours,’ says winning skipper Nick Southward after finishing ahead of Simpson Marine and Juice. ‘But we stayed in one piece’
With 16 boats finished in the Philippines after four days of sailing in the Rolex China Sea Race, Hong Kong took the top three places in the provisional results, Nick Southward’s Whiskey Jack being crowned winners on corrected time.
It came after a prolonged tussel on the overall leaderboard with Andew Pidden’s Juice before Southward’s crew finished on top in Subic Bay, about 100km (62 miles) northwest of Manila Bay. Simpson Marine was second overall, followed by Juice in third.
Philippine boat Standard Insurance Centennial 5 had been the first home, but with the race featuring boats of varying sizes, designs and capabilities, overall results were determined by applying a handicap rating system to the finishing times, to level the playing field. That produced the corrected times that determined the overall winner.
“I can’t believe it,” said winning skipper Southward. “We’ve been right at the back of the fleet. We had a wild last 24 hours. But we stayed in one piece, everyone’s here and it just feels amazing to be here.”
Pidden’s crew finished on Sunday evening after 103 hours of racing. “This is my first Rolex China Sea Race and it was a wild ride, from no wind at all to loads of wind,” he said.
