Sailing Yacht Dorade to Compete in 2018 China Sea Race

The famous classic yacht Dorade will race in the 29th edition of the Rolex China Sea Race from China to the Philippines, beginning on 28 March 2018, one of the premier ocean races in the RORC.

Dorade Captain Matt Brooks, who co-owns the yacht with Pam Rorke Levy has long wanted to enter the Rolex China Sea Race, saying,

'We are delighted to usher in a new chapter in Dorade's illustrious history, bringing her to oceans where she has never sailed or raced before. We are also looking forward to getting to know a new community of sailors, and sharing our experiences bringing a venerable classic yacht back to her intended use. Our hope is that we will inspire the owners of other classic ocean racers to take to the sea again."

Dorade at the 2015 Transatlantic Race, image: Billy Black

Since Dorade’s launch from the Minneford Yacht Yard in May 1930 she has built up an impressive score card winning more ocean races than any other yacht in history.

Under Olin's command she won the 1931 Transatlantic Race in sixteen days and an hour, beating the next boat by two days, finally winning on corrected time by over four days. The win etched her name in yachting history, changing the face of ocean racing yacht design.

Dorade in Cowes after the 2015 Transatlantic Race, Image: Paul Wyeth

In 2015, Dorade completed a four-year campaign retracing the steps of all the major ocean races she had won in the 1930s, beating her own previous records and winning the 2013 TransPacific Race overall, 77 years after she first won that race in 1936. Dorade also took part in the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in 2015.

Now the legendary yacht and crew, including Brooks and Levy, are travelling to Asia for the first time later this year, competing in several events in Australia including the Rolex Sydney Hobart in December, before the team makes its way up to Hong Kong for the Rolex China Sea Race in March 2018.

Despite the passage of time, Dorade’s superb design keeps her competitive against modern fleets. With her deep keel with external ballast, a narrow beam of just 10’3”, and a generous sail plan, it will be fascnating to see how she fares against her modern counterparts in the 565nm voyage across the South China Sea.

The 2018 Rolex China Sea Race Notice of Race.

Dorade racing in the 2015 Rolex Fastnet Raceimage: Rolex / Daniel Forster

About Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) is one of the oldest sports clubs in Hong Kong with a rich, colourful history spanning over 160 years of social and competitive sailing and rowing. RHKYC organises a full calendar of local and international racing for keel boats and dinghies, and provides sailing courses for members and non-members at various levels. 

The Swiss watch makers, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, is actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, exploration, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities, as well as philanthropic programmes.