Race Village opening: 17 January 2018 Average ETA: 20 January 2018 (ETA updates will be published on the home page or ticker) HGC In-Port Race Hong Kong: 27 January 2018, 06:00 UTC (14:00 Hong Kong) & Around Hong Kong Island Race 28 January 2018, 03:30 UTC (11:30 Hong Kong)* Leg 5 Start: 1 February 2018 Leg 6 Start: 7 February 2018, 03:00 UTC (11:00 Hong Kong)
*These two races are added together to give an overall position for the Hong Kong In Port Race.
More information can be found on the Hong Kong host city website: www.volvooceanracehk.com Find out all the cool things to see and do in our Race Village here.
Hong Kong is a first for the Volvo Ocean Race. Hong Kong is a city of stunning skylines, outstanding food and ancient traditions. Home to one of Asia’s most prestigious yacht clubs The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, it has sailing in the heart of the city. Despite several memorable visits to Asia this is the first time Hong Kong will host the Volvo Ocean Race.
It’s a chance for sailors to recharge batteries after an exhausting start. After tackling the Southern Ocean from Cape Town to Melbourne and sailing 5,800 miles from Melbourne to Hong Kong, the sailors will be looking for some well-deserved rest. Surrounded by beautiful waters, Hong Kong boasts not only a great sailing heritage, but also a rich history of shipbuilding and engineering innovation. Nowadays, tourism is a major driver and whatever you do, don’t miss the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, with its 15 galleries and thousands of artifacts dedicated to telling the fascinating history of Hong Kong and the sea.
January is the coldest month in Hong Kong. Although, the weather is usually dry and mild, it sometimes gets cloudy with some rain, although it’s rarely heavy. The average low and high temperatures are 14 °C (57 °F) and 19 °C (66 °F). Not to worry, the Volvo Ocean Race Merchandise store will have you covered!
How do I get there?
Race Village: Kai Tak Runway Park, Kowloon Bay - Hong Kong
Airport: Hong Kong International (HKG) Alternative: Not that we’re trying to get everyone on the water but we do recommend doing the Lamma Island Hopping Cruise and making the Volvo Ocean Race Village the final stop.
The Volvo Ocean Race will be in Hong Kong from 17 January - 1 and 7 February 2018 and we’re looking for people to join our Volunteer Programme and help make the Stopover a huge success.
Registration for Hong Kong is now open and you can sign up here. If you are looking for more information about becoming a Volunteer, please email the Assistant Volunteer Manager in Hong Kong, Joyce Wong.
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
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 Sunday’s Around Hong Kong Island Race, when results of the weekend of racing 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 on Saturday. Both teams will be determined to move up with a better result on Sunday.
The Around Hong Kong Island Race is scheduled to start at 11:30am local time in Hong Kong (0330 UTC). There will be live coverage of the start and finish of Sunday’s race on www.volvooceanrace.com, on Facebook and Twitter @volvooceanrace. Fans will be able to follow the full race on the tracker via www.volvooceanrace.com.
Vestas 11th Hour Racing will not race this weekend or on Leg 5 to Guangzhou next week as the team coordinates repairs to its boat – see more here.
Current Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race leaderboard Dongfeng Race Team – 24 points MAPFRE – 23 points team AkzoNobel – 18 points Team Brunel – 18 points Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 12 points Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag – 9 points Turn the Tide on Plastic – 7 points
*** Note: The above leaderboard reflects full points assigned from Saturday’s HGC In-Port Race Hong Kong. On Sunday, the results of the Around Hong Kong Island race will be combined with Saturday’s HGC In-Port Race to award the overall leader from this weekend’s racing a maximum of seven points from Hong Kong.
Everything you need to know about the battle in one of the world's most iconic cities... in a minute and a half:
HGC In-Port Race Hong Kong in 93 seconds | Volvo Ocean Race
MAPFRE wins the Around Hong Kong Island Race
MAPFRE takes the win on Sunday, but Dongfeng Race Team is the In-Port Series leader based on winning the weekend of racing in Hong Kong...
It was a challenging day for the Volvo Ocean Race teams as they tackled the Around Hong Kong Island Race on Sunday with a generously sized spectator fleet on hand to cheer them on.
Light and variable wind shortly after the start allowed the leading boats to break away as they found new wind pressure first. But it didn’t mean opportunities for passing later in the afternoon were completely closed off.
MAPFRE had the best start in the fleet and eked out ahead in light winds. Three teams broke the line early and needed to restart, with Team Brunel, Turn the Tide on Plastic and Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag all turning back.
It put them at an immediate disadvantage, but while Brunel had the best re-start, it was Turn the Tide on Plastic who moved up the fleet to challenge the leading pack over the next 20 minutes.
However as the race progressed, MAPFRE and Dongfeng Race Team found the new favourable wind first and built a commanding lead over the others.
"With these inshore races you never know, because just as you can have the advantage one moment, the next you can lose it," said MAPFRE navigator Juan Vila. "Fortunately today it was more of a race in which the one in front always seemed to have better pressure. The transitions have also gone a little better for us and of course, the start and the moments afterward were key."
"It was very tricky conditions today but we had a lot of good advice from local sailors and it helped us a lot," said Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier. "So I think we prepared it very well and the result is there, so that’s good."
Behind the leading pair, it was team AkzoNobel and Turn the Tide on Plastic battling for third place early. But a the teams rounded the southern shore of the island, Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag and Team Brunel slipped through in the middle of the channel with better wind.
Scallywag went from last across the starting line to a third place finish with Team Brunel just a couple hundred metres back.
That left AkzoNobel, who won Saturday’s HGC In-Port Race Hong Kong to take fifth place in front of Turn the Tide on Plastic, who had a frustrating weekend trailing the fleet in both races.
When MAPFRE crossed the finish line, they were flying a protest flag but later informed the Race Committee they would not be following through with a protest, making the results on the water final.
Sunday’s results mean Dongfeng Race Team has the best overall score on the weekend after two second place finishes. The team will claim a full 7 points from the Hong Kong series which pulls it into a tie on the overall leaderboard with MAPFRE, both sitting on 25 points. Dongfeng Race Team is ranked first based on winning the most recent series in Hong Kong.
"It is a very good result for us," Caudrelier continued. "We are in the same position as the MAPFRE crew which is full of inshore specialists, so I think we can be proud of the team’s performance."
Vestas 11th Hour Racing did not race this weekend and has announced it will not participate in Leg 5 to Guangzhou next week as the team coordinates repairs to its boat – see more here.
Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race Series Leaderboard Dongfeng Race Team – 25 points MAPFRE – 25 points Team Brunel – 17 points team AkzoNobel – 16 points Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 12 points Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag – 9 points Turn the Tide on Plastic – 7 points
*** Note: The results of the Around Hong Kong Island Race have been combined with Saturday’s HGC In-Port Race to rank the teams after the two weekend races. The overall leader from this weekend’s racing win the maximum seven points from Hong Kong.
Around Hong Kong Island Race ...in 90 seconds Watch the tricky race around the island in just a minute and a half:
Around Hong Kong Island Race ...in 90 seconds | Volvo Ocean Race
