Sailability
Asian Para Games—only months to go!
Ed Tang—self-confessed semi-retired engineering
consultant, but one of Hong Kong’s most experienced
dinghy sailing experts—is now getting down to the brass
tacks of teaching strategy and racing to Sailability’s Asian
Para Games dinghy team ‘Possibles’.
One of the first chances the ‘Possibles’ had was watching
the HKODA National Regatta on 8 December 2013.
Arni and Cam Highfield generously made their ocean-going
catamaran Jade available for the ‘Possibles’ to get an onthe-spot view during the day’s events.
The photographs show how they were able to watch close up.
It’s a Hong Kong first and as Mike Rawbone, Chairman
of Sailability (HK), commented when he accepted the
challenge, “We do not intend to come last!”
Ed reports that nearly all of the group had no previous
sailing experience but are all now proficient in setting up the
boats expertly and handling them in the water.
“Preparing for the Asian Para Games is very inspiring,”
Ed remarked, adding, “Some of our team are experts
at other sports but they are adapting well and enjoying
sailing—they are learning to read the winds and the skills
of strategy when practising. But there is nothing like the
real thing. Being out there matching your skills against
others and trying to out-think and out-manoeuvre the other
competitors is something else.”
58 Hebe jebes • Mar/Apr 2014
Derek Ko commented, “Just watching them race
made me really want to jump aboard and join them in
the competition. I found it so thrilling, challenging and
demanding.”
Albert Lam Kin Wah agreed, “Watching the racing made
me aware of how versatile one has to be and to be quick in
taking up advantages!”
Puk Chi Yeung stated, “It’s obvious that in a real
competition a sailor needs to balance all elements from the
start of the event through physical fitness and clearness of
attitude to make the right judgments.”
自稱半退休工程顧問的鄧炳輝阿Ed，其實為香港最有經驗
的小帆船賽艇手之一，我們有幸邀請到這位好好先生成為「
航能」(Sailability)首支代表香港出賽隊伍Possibles的教練，
可是Ed要回歸基本步，帶領隊員學習最基礎的賽艇技巧及
策略。
香港航能主席Mike Rawbone自去年接納南韓殘奧突如其
來的邀請後，便一直本著「我們不會包尾！」的信念，由
零開始，將一批差不多從未接觸過小帆船的傷健運動員，
訓練到可代表香港參與十月在南韓仁川舉行，並首次加入
亞洲殘奧的小帆船項目。
員帶到接近比賽現場，與教練Ed兩人即席解說。
船員Derek Ko說：「光看著他們作賽已夠令我想跳到他
們船上一起比賽，比賽非常刺激及富有挑戰性！」Albert
Lam則觀察到；「我們要很靈活而且要當機立斷，儘快把
握每個機會。」畢志揚則認為：「在真