FEATURES
Conduct of regattas
Most local regattas, and many overseas ones, are two-day
events held over the weekend. On the water, there will be a
Committee Boat anchored to mark the right-hand end of the
start line. A buoy is usually used to mark the left end. Aboard is
a Race Officer, who is essentially in charge of the whole show,
assisted by several others to manage the start signals, course
layout, recording of finishing places and much else. We owe a
huge debt of gratitude to these volunteers without whom we
couldn’t race, and if they occasionally get it wrong, we smile
and move on. They are human after all.
The courses vary but always start by heading to a buoy dead
upwind from the start line, which should be at 90 degrees to
the wind. A typical Optimist race takes 45 minutes to one hour,
but the Race Officer will set the courses depending on wind
strength and direction—and on how many races he wishes to
complete that day. Sometimes, in multi-class regattas, there
are simultaneous different courses and different fleets on the
same course. If five races or more are held, then each sailor can
usially discard his worst result, so the Race Officers really want
to achieve at least this many over a weekend.
Besides the Committee Boat, there will be several small
inflatables. Some are carrying the team coaches, who cannot
interfere during a race but will look after the sailors between
races and coach them. There are also safety boats there to
watch for and help any sailor in trouble, and at some regattas,
boats containing independent jury members watching for
infringements of the racing rules.
At major regattas the rules are very strictly applied, and there
will be careful boat and rig measurement beforehand to ensure
compliance with class rules.
If you want to watch, you can often get a place as a volunteer
on the Committee Boat or safety boats, or with your team
coach. Failing that, you can take your own boat and watch
from a place that does not interfere with the racing. At major
championships the organisers usually arrange for a spectator
boat to take parents and team managers out on at least one
day to watch the racing. International events are usually longer,
with perhaps six days or more of racing. Hong Kong Race
Week in February was six days with four days of actual racing.
The other two days will see boat and rig measuring and a
chance to practise.
40 HEBE JEBES • SEP/OCT 2015
FEATURES
香港在帆船運動中的競爭力，尤其是在青少年組別，似乎有所
提升。在近期國際賽事都看到香港選手在各級組別取得優越
成績，甚至在強勁對手中奪得數面獎牌。在我整理這篇文章之
際， Calum Gregor及Huge Christensen在420世界錦標賽
（World 420 Championships）中得第三名，而Laser成員在
主要帆船賽中取得高名次。另外，11名香港水手現正參與英國
Optimist錦標賽（UK National Optimist Championships）。
自去年香港帆船運動總會（HKSF）的年度大會以來，政府似乎
給予更多支持。小艇賽剛剛獲得精英體育的地位。我覺得是時
候要讓大家了解帆船運動。
一般背景
帆船賽的規則及行為守則一般都由國際帆船總會（ISAF）負
責。他們的網站是寶貴的信息來源，而香港帆船運動總會為他
們在香港的授權代表。本會的助理會長—賽事是在該組織的代
表。此外，個別級別協會在諮詢國際帆船總會後，可為他們的
級別訂立特殊的規則。據我所知，每個級別都有世界性組織，
並在該級別所在的每個國家都設有國家級協會。例如，世界上
最大的單一級別為Optimist小艇賽，國際Optimist級帆船協會
（IODA）為其國際代表。在香港，其當地代表為香港OP級帆
船協會（HKODA），一個現時由白沙灣遊艇會（HHYC）會
員Elberti Uiterwaal出任會長的協會，其兒子 Thorven在截至
2014年年底為香港排名第一的選手。
香港參賽隊伍
大多數的參賽隊伍來自三大遊艇會，即香港遊艇會（RHKYC）
、香港仔遊艇會（ABC）及白沙灣遊艇會，但香港航海學校
（HKSS）一直都有參賽隊伍，而近年一個私人賽船會J-Asia
亦有份參與。這是首次，上屆Optimist錦標賽（Optimist
Championships）包括一隊來自香港學校風帆協會（HKSSA）
的本地隊伍。香港風帆訓練協會（STA）亦有一些選手參賽。
大多部分參賽者都是年輕選手，在數個有年齡限制的等級參
賽，但成年人參加公開比賽則沒有限制，有些人參加公開比
賽，但我不知道有多少人現正積極受訓練。
本地帆船賽
香港有兩種類型的小艇帆船賽：一種為由相關協會舉辦、顯
然只限該級船艇參與的賽事，另一類是由香港帆船運動總會舉
辦，包括不同級別的賽事。這些比賽主要靠遊艇會及風帆學
校主辦及協助籌辦，而遊艇會會舉辦全國錦標賽，並有自己
的固定帆船賽。上屆由J-Asia和香港學校風帆協會聯合主辦的
Optimist錦標賽，是推廣此運動的首個積極嘗試 。
其他級別的選手參加香港帆船運動總會帆船賽，而它們的選拔
方法則取決於誰想參賽。就我理解，如果同一級別有三艘或以
上