There can't be a more exciting location to start a race than Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour: with local sampans, ferry boats, cruise ships, and steady stream of tug and barges to contend with in the narrow channel, it's not for the timid. The weather gods cooperated today, providing an easterly breeze of 15 -18 knots at the race start. The 24-boat fleet beat fairly quickly out the harbour, in front of the downtown skyscrapers, past the fishing village at Lei Yue Mun and the shoreside shrines, across Junk Bay, and out past the Po Toi islands into the South China Sea.

In the Racing Division, Neil Pryde's newly modified Hi Fi (HKG), with it's distinctive flared deck aft, was early at the pin end of the start line, but gybed around to restart and was quickly back at the head of the fleet with the other 50-footers. In fact, out through Junk Bay, the 2006 race winner Fortis Mandrake (HKG) and the TP52s, Geoff Hill's Strewth (AUS), and Sam Chan's Ffreefire (KG), were closely grouped together, crossing tacks.

Dockside before the start, Australian skipper Geoff Hill of Strewth said, "Conditions look like it will be slow. These boats go well in 15-20 knots, which I think we'll get the first day. 'Clouds' [Roger Badham], the Australian [weather] forecaster is calling for a transition from the two fronts coming through, so light conditions days three and four could get down to a stop. So we've catered until Sunday lunchtime and then the guys will be eating their toenails. I'd like to think we can get there Saturday afternoon, but that depends on what happens days two and three."

As far as it being the usual scenario for the Rolex China Sea Race, Hill continued, "It's pretty typical conditions except this time the two weather models -- the European model and the US model -- are showing differently. The EU model saying it's going to be really light, and the American model is showing we'll get breeze all the way. If that's the case, then we'll hae a fast race."

The Cruising Division (IRC Premier Cruising and HKPN) started at 1220 and enjoyed a similar fast trip up the channel. Both fleets encountered a drop in the breeze through Junk Bay, but outside the last of the islands and heading offshore the wind was still fresh and the boats reveled in the chance to click off some miles.

Gordon Blaauw, crew onboard Mark Thornburrow's Taswell 49 Dream (IRC Premier Cruising) has done 17 China Sea Races. He was looking forward to another one saying, "We did it two years ago (2006) with Mark and basically the same crew. We were second overall, only Mandrake beat us. We're trying to emulate that again."

Describing Dream, Blaauw said "It's a cruising boat: we've got air-conditioning, hot and cold water, desalinization and all the rest of it. So if we beat the racing machines with that, we'll let them know about it!" Outlining their strategy he continued, "We'll probably end up a bit south of the rhumb line most of the way and ten harden up as the wind swings north, which is what the expectation is. Our ETA is 90 hours (Monday morning), if we do it in that, we'll have done pretty well.

The updated weather forecast has the easterly breeze force 5-6 (17-27 knots) through tomorrow morning, then dropping to force 4 (11-16 knots) though Friday.

As of 1800 local time, Fortis Mandrake was leading the fleet, sailing at 9.7 knots in 19 knots of wind, with 500 miles to the finish.

Shore-based fans can follow the action online at www.rolexchinasearace.com as they are using PurpleFinder technology to provide satellite positioning from each boat, which will be updated every two hours during the race.

This Asian blue-water classic has become part of Rolex's distinguished portfolio of international offshore races under a long-term partnership between Rolex and the RHKYC that commenced in 2007. The Rolex China Sea Race joins other prestigious Rolex-sponsored 2008 events including the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Swan Cup, Rolex Middle Sea Race, and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.