Wind picks up

Lindsay Lyons reports from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's China Sea Race

Crews in the China Sea Race fleet must have heaved a collective sigh of relief last night as the promised 10-14 knot northeasterly breeze kicked in, carrying them away from the fishing grounds of Pratas.

Jelik and Boracay chewed up the miles overnight and are now just off the north coast of Luzon in the Philippines - as of 0800hrs this morning, they were averaging 10 knots boat speed and were expected to finish just after midnight tonight, however as Pong knows only too well, the race may well be decided by the vagaries of the Philippine coastal breezes which are likely to affect the fleet over the last 100nm. 40nm behind them, Mandrake also had a good night, with Siren and Drumstick a further 20nm back - all IRC A boats are expected to finish on Sunday.

In IRC Division B, only Walawala and Blackjack look likely to finish by midnight Sunday, with Barnstormer and Martin Tanco's Challenge due sometime in the early hours of Easter Monday and Polar Star III currently bringing up the rear of the division, with an ETA of Wednesday, which will surely improve when the 1800hrs positions have been reported.

IRC Premier Cruising has proved an interesting contest, with all six entrants due to finish on Sunday between noon and midnight - the final results will all come down to their corrected times, with Shahtoosh and Dream appearing to punch above their weight at present.

In HKPN, the current positions suggest that Forign Affaire and Zuma may arrive early on Tuesday, with the remaining boats expected in during the afternoon and evening, however these ETAs are expected to change after tonight's posiiton report.