Volvo Ocean Race: AkzoNobel slays Kowloon Bay

Hong Kong (January 27, 2018) – Team AkzoNobel took the win in the HGC In-Port Race Hong Kong on a challenging afternoon on the waters of Kowloon Bay.

The wind during race time was a 6 to 10 knot Easterly, but it was very shifty and puffy, and with a tidal current running on the race course, it was a difficult day for the tacticians.

“We had a fantastic race, pretty exciting. We planned to sail our own race today. It was tricky enough with the tide and the windshifts,” said team AkzoNobel skipper Simeon Tienpont.

“The team sailed an unbelievable race and the guys in the back of the boat played the tactics very well… It’s good when things come together. It’s a nice reward for all the effort the team has put in.”

Dongfeng Race Team finished in second place, with Team Brunel third. The two swapped places on the third lap of the course after a solid upwind leg by Brunel gave them the lead, but the Dongfeng crew fought back on the run to secure second place.

A fourth place finish on Saturday by the series leader MAPFRE means Dongfeng vaults to the top of the table.

But it’s a tight leaderboard and it could compress further following tomorrow’s Around Hong Kong Island Race, when results of the two races will be combined to assign the points from this stopover.

Hong Kong’s hometown heroes Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag had a fantastic start, but fell back and battled to a fifth place finish over Turn the Tide on Plastic.

Vestas 11th Hour Racing was not able to compete as they continue making necessary repairs caused by the January 20 collision with a fishing boat. They will also miss the 100 nm Leg 5 on February 1 and the In-Port Race in Guangzhou on February 3, and have not stated whether they will be ready for the next distance leg, the 6100 nm course which departs from Hong Kong on February 7 to Auckland, New Zealand.

To see HGC In-Port Race crew lists… click here.

The teams will leave Hong Kong on February 1 for a 100 nm Leg 5 to Guangzhou in China which will include a race on February 3 in the In-Port Series. The teams leave on February 5 to travel to Hong Kong for the start of the 6100 nm Leg 6 on February 7 to Auckland, New Zealand.

Race details – Tracker – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

HGC In-Port Race Results
1. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
3. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)
4. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
5. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Mark Towill (USA)

In-Port Series Overall Results (after 4 of 11 races)
1. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 24 points
2. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 23
3. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 28
4. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 18
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 12
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 9
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 7

2017-18 Edition: Entered Teams – Skippers
• Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
• Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
• MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
• Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
• Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
• Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
• Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race began in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague.

Source: Volvo Ocean Race