Young sailors battle it out for honours
The Hong Kong Sea School and Jockey Club Ti-I College shared the honours with international schools at the Skandia Inter-School Sailing Festival.
The annual competition - organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club - was conducted off Middle Island over the weekend.
Sea School is one of the few local teams capable of battling it out with the strong international schools.
This year, they had a combination of veteran sailors and up-and-coming stars in their squad.
In the end, Sea School came second behind Island School and West Island School in the Feva and Q'Ba divisions, respectively. Sea School's Kwan Wing-ho, 17, said they gained a lot from the experience.
'The Middle Island race is conducted over a short distance. The wind is mild. It's not really the best place for a competition, but it's good for young sailors to gain experience,' he said.
Wing-ho, who joined Sea School five years ago, said the senior sailors trained him through competitions. Now, he is using the same methods to help his less-experienced teammates hone their skills.
'I like sailing more than other water sports because it not only requires energy, but also tactics to win. You have to learn to read and make use of the wind. This is the most interesting part,' Wing-ho said.
Ti-I is one of a handful of local schools with a sailing club. They came fourth this year, compared to last year's sixth place.
'We train only once in one or two weeks. Compared to international school students, we have much less experience. Therefore, we are really happy to come fourth,' said Ho Suet-ying, 14, one of the female members of the Ti-I squad.
'I believe our good result is due to our strong team spirit.'
Suet-ying said she likes sailing because both boys and girls can compete in the same event. 'I think sailing requires you to use your brains more than your muscles,' she added.
