Race Report | WHITEHEAD 6 & 7 | Etchells Class Series | 7th March 2026

The end of WHITEHEAD 6 & 7 | Back home at our KI Home

Whitehead Races 6 & 7 – Gonzo Edition

The weekend cracked open like a tequila bottle at 3 a.m. - ugly seas, confused skies, and the kind of wind that makes you question your life choices. The Whitehead Series was down to its final showdown: 1458 Madness versus 1476 Bloody Brilliant, two Etchells snarling at each other like junkyard dogs. 1458 was missing Marty Kaye, the Sensei in the Centre, while 1476 had Frank van Kempen back at the helm, grinning like a man who knows the storm is his playground. Nailbiter? More like a fistfight in a hurricane.

The fleet gathered off Lamma Island, committee boats rolling like drunks in a Kowloon back alley. Fifteen knots of raw monsoon energy, the kind of breeze that slaps you in the face and dares you to blink. 912 Shrub and 1193 Diva Deux II went for the pin like lunatics, 1457 China Girl sniffed opportunity further up, and 1476 punched mid‑line with the confidence of a kamikaze pilot. The left shift came screaming in like a bad acid trip, seemingly putting 912 and 1193 well clear, but as boats overstood and angles warped, suddenly 1476 was surfing the chaos straight into second at the top mark.

Down the run it was bloodsport. 912 ahead, 1476 breathing down their neck, both boats locked in a death‑grip duel. Gybes were thrown like Molotov cocktails. 912 tried to cross, 1476 nearly slid through, then the kite wrapped itself around the forestay like a boa constrictor. Six lengths gone in a heartbeat. The Shrub escaped, Bloody Brilliant cursed the gods, China Girl danced into the bronze medal, and - crucially - Madness limped home fifth but somehow clinched the series. WHEW indeed.

Then came the Passage Race - a nautical odyssey through Stanley, Beaufort Channel, Tung Lung Chau, and back into the city’s steel‑and‑glass maw. The start line was a surrealist joke, head‑to‑wind and crooked as a politician’s smile. But 1463, 1457 and 1458 made it look easy. Boats scattered, fluky gusts under Chung Hom Kok shafted 1463, and 1047 Incoming made their move, clawing high like a paranoid cat. Broaches, water inhaled, cockpits flooded - pure maritime mayhem.

Beaufort Channel was a knife fight in 18-20kn: 1047 Incoming nailed the left shift, 912 clawed back with a vengeance, and 1476 Bloody Brilliant slithered into third. At TCS3 the bear‑away was too tight for a kite - unless you were Bloody Brilliant, who (as is becoming their trademark) threw caution to the wind, popped the chute, and slid under Incoming like a psychedelic eel. The run into the harbour was pure narcotic bliss: flat water, sunshine, kites flying, drinks served on deck as if the apocalypse had been postponed. Mainland side? Disaster. Island side? Salvation. Shrub and Brilliant danced home, Madness stormed in for bronze, and the harbour swallowed the fleet whole.

And so, the Whitehead Series ended in a blaze of wind, spray, and lunacy. Lamma proved itself a racetrack for the damned, the kind of place where chaos thrives - ugly seas, epic wraps, and a Prizegiving Pantomime waiting to roast the guilty.

Next stop: Ladies’ Helm, Saturday 14th March. Sisters are doing it for themselves… Also, keep an eye out for two HK boats taking part in the Victorian State Championships down in Melbourne Fri 13-Sun 15 March: Mark Thornburrow and team on 1482, and your reporter, Peter Austin & Rachel Yip on 1382. https://rbyc.org.au/etchells-states-2026/