Email from Simpson Marine:

"This year Simpson Marine will once again sponsor the Asia’s most toughest sporting challenges – Four Peaks Race.

Quick fact of Four Peaks Race:

- Extreme sport challenges – a mix of ocean sailing and hill climbing on four Hong Kong most famous peaks
- Embodies the Corinthian spirit of yacht racing in Hong Kong
- Race duration - 24 Hours
- 50 yacht race teams expected this year
- Attracted people of all ages – youngest sailor was 8 years old (Timothy Metz) and the oldest was 75 years old (Graham Cooper) in race history
- More than 4,000 participants in its history
- Race course varies from 55 to 90 nautical miles, depending on the racing division
- Minimum crew is 5 people, with a minimum of two runners climbing each peak"

Press Release:

The Simpson Marine Four Peaks Race 2016 ready to set off

The 32nd running of the Hong Kong Aberdeen Boat Club's challenging, annual extreme sports race is to be sponsored for a second year by Asia's premier full-service yacht brokerage company. On 23rd January The "Simpson Marine" Four Peaks Race will set off from Tai Tam Bay, in the south of Hong Kong Island, on one of the world's classic yacht races.
It's a classic with a difference – yachts and their crews sail and paddle and run. In peaks races yachts race from the start to a shore landing place. They put a running team ashore to run to the top of a mountain and back. Then they race on the water to the next peak…and the next…and the next, before the final sailing race to the finish.
The Hong Kong race began life in 1985, the second of its kind in the world. There are still only four others. Three are in Britain, including the original 1977 Three Peaks Race. One is in Australia. The Hong Kong race is tailor made for hard working, hard playing Hong Kong. The 170 kilometres on the water, 30 kilometres running and 2,350m of climb are completed within 33 hours.
Simpson Marine's sponsorship of the race is an ideal fit. Well known Asian boating personality Mike Simpson set up the company he has built into the present, Asia-wide, industry leader in 1984., the year before the first Four Peaks Race.
The Beneteau yacht range for which Simpson Marine was soon the Hong Kong agent has proved an excellent fit for the race. From the first 'works' entry Beneteau 345 in 1986 until today, some twenty different Beneteau yachts have competed in twenty-one of the thirty-one races.

In 2015 six Beneteaus, from two First 31.7s to a First 50 made up 15% of the fleet. In the upcoming 2016 race all Beneteaus entered will vie for the newly presented Simpson Marine Beneteau Cup.

Last year's Simpson Marine campaigners on the Oceanis 45 Wonderwall, Hong Kong brokers David Walder and Eric Chan, found the race "a tough experience – big physical effort" but loved it. That's typical of almost every comment heard after the race whether it has been cold, wet, windy and rough or a challenging drift in light airs. "Awesome." "We're already planning next year." "Totally addictive." "The best race in Hong Kong."
What is it that works the magic? The answers are as many as those who are asked. For the competitors they boil down to the adventure. The hard challenges. The need for meticulous planning…but total flexibility in execution. The demands on a full range of seamanship. The close camaraderie created by teamwork under pressure.

There's nothing like a peaks race. It's not for everyone. But for those who know it's a rush.
Watch the race with us. Book your space on the Simpson Marine spectator boat.
RSVP before 18 January to wilse.lo@simpsonmarine.com


About Simpson Marine

SIMPSON MARINE was founded in 1984 in Hong Kong by Mike Simpson as a yacht sales and charter company focused on meeting the needs of the developing marine industry in Asia. By the end of the 1980's the company had been appointed regional distributor for several leading European yacht brands, and had recruited an expanding team of sales and after sales service professionals around the region.

Today the company employs over 100 professional staff and has a well-established sales and service network across Asia with seventeen offices spread within: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Simpson Marine represents some of Europe's and the United States' most prestigious yacht brands and with 30 years of experience in Asia, has developed a reputation for delivering exceptional service for prospective, current and past clients in all aspects of yacht purchase and ownership.

SIMPSON MARINE is Asia's leading international yacht dealership, brokerage and service company and is considered to have played a pioneering role in the development of the yachting industry in Asia. The company possess its own Superyacht Division based in Hong Kong and Charter Company in Thailand.

For more information on Simpson Marine and the Four Peaks Race, please contact:
Ewa Stachurska
Group Marketing Manager, Simpson Marine
Ewa.stachurska@simpsonmarine.com
+ 86 157 10 133 973
http://www.simpsonmarine.com

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Weather forecast is awful, can see the organisers having to cancel. It's not going to be very safe out there for runners or sailors and it's going to be pretty tough for the volunteers camped out on mountain tops all night too. You chose a good year not to offer your services L-G!

According to the organisers it's still on.

They just asked me this afternoon to join the media pack at 7:30am tomorrow morning to take their boat to the race start. I'd have joined with non-rainy weather, but my zoom photos tomorrow would be too bad for publication, I think.
Getting photos and hopefully a fe lines from the midnight top of Mt. Stenhouse volunteers.

See you at the prize ceremony next Friday?

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Not any more, race has been postponed due to the extreme conditions. Disappointing but sensible decision. Oh well, back to training...

From race website...
Communication to Competitors No. 2 - Race postponed

Dear All,

Having monitored the forecast over the past several days, the ABC flag officers, together with the 4PR race committee, have decided to postpone the event as scheduled.

This decision has not been taken lightly. We have looked at several factors, including the weather forecast, the terms of our race permits, the disparity of experience of participants, consideration of peak control and safety boat roles and the overall safety aspect of continuing with the race.

We do understand the effort in preparation that all boats have gone to and we seek your understanding on this decision. An announcement of a re-sail date will be made in due course.

For those of you that were intending to join the skippers briefing tonight and will still be coming to the club, there will still be the opportunity to enjoy some of the prize giving wines in lieu of an early night.

Tristan Stewart

2016 4PR Race Chairman

Wow! The organiser called me yesterday after 4pm to urge me to attend the race start today and assemble in Aberdeen at 7:30am today!

Thanks for the notification!

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The race is back on, it's been rescheduled for 27th-28th Feb.

The whispers I heard are that some leading voices on the committee wanted the race to go ahead whilst others were more cautious - the cautious votes prevailed. I'm pretty disappointed that it didn't happen, especially as I'm going to be out of town on the new race dates, but I'm sure it was the right call. The experienced sailors would have battled through the conditions but it would have been dangerous for the runners. Seasick on the boat, soaking wet getting to shore then freezing conditions on the mountaintops, there would have been casualties. It would have been horrid for the checkpoint teams on the mountains too.

From the main sponsor:

"To share the joy, I attached some photos of Simpson Marine Four Peaks Race 2016 which just finished last weekend (27-28 Feb), it was undoubtedly one of Asia’s most challenging races.
The race is a classic test of endurance and strategy combining ocean sailing with gruelling climbs up some of Hong Kong’s most famous peaks (including Lantau Peak, Mt. Stenhouse, Violet Hill and Ma On Shan)."

From the post-race report:

"But the biggest challenge proved to be for the poor souls manning the peak controls. Lantau Peak had expected to be done and dusted well before sundown, not hanging in until the small hours.
Lamma's Mt Stenhouse had expected their first business by late afternoon and for it all to be over by midnight or so…not nearer midday the next day. Teeth chattered. Supplies and water ran out…but runners were nonetheless met with a smile."

Wow, I'm so lucky NOT to have joined their Mt. Stenhouse peak team, waiting all afternoon, night and the next morning for the runners to arrive and check in!

Click for the full, well-illustrated post-race report:

"The Aberdeen Boat Club (ABC) worked wonders sorting out a re-run for this year’s Simpson Marine Four Peaks Race. Finding slots in Hong Kong’s overstuffed sailing calendar – leave alone ones that also fit the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) booking sheet for Country Park access – is a nightmare..."

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