The 2026 Rolex China Sea Race, organized by the Hong Kong Yacht Club and proudly supported by Rolex, has officially completed all its racing schedules. This iconic offshore sailing event in Asia covers a distance of 565 nautical miles, starting from Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and crossing the South China Sea to Subic Bay. This year’s race was propelled by the northeast monsoon, with wind speeds generally maintained between 25 to 28 knots, and gusts reaching up to 30 knots, leading many teams to describe the overall pace as faster than in previous years.
This year’s line honors went to the R/P 66Team Alive – Rampage led by Philip Turner and Chen Weize. The fleet crossed the finish line at Subic Bay at 1:15:46 PM on March 6, completing the race in a total time of 49 hours, 55 minutes, and 46 seconds. Although they didn’t break the event record set by the fleet in 2016, they still managed to finish the entire course at high speed.
As for the IRC category that determines the overall champion of the event, the race uses a handicap system to calculate results. Different models and sizes of sailboats are assigned a performance-based handicap coefficient. Ultimately, the corrected time rankings are calculated by multiplying the actual sailing time by this coefficient, allowing various types of sailboats to compete under relatively fair conditions.
Ultimately, the Ker 42 CustomSeawolf led by Liu Yongfeng claimed the overall championship at the IRC. The fleet crossed the finish line on Friday night at 9:30:20, ranking first with a corrected time of 71 hours, 43 minutes, and 35 seconds. This achievement marks them as the first mainland Chinese racing boat to win such a title, setting a new milestone in the competition.
This marks the fifth participation in the 2026 Rolex China Race, with past results gradually improving, and last year we secured the overall IRC runner-up position. Captain Yan Yuye expressed that the team has always believed in their capability to compete for the championship, with each race providing opportunities to learn and progress from their experiences and mistakes. Although this year’s journey faced strong winds and some equipment wear, the overall wind conditions remained stable. Approaching the finish line, there was a brief encounter with a windless zone, but the crew maintained excellent cooperation, ultimately crossing the finish line successfully.
Navigator Campbell Murray Field also noted that the fleet is composed of crew members from different nationalities. They conducted thorough research on the route and strategy deployment before the race, and most segments proceeded according to plan. Although there was a slight decrease in speed during the final stages, the overall situation remains under control.
The IRC overall runner-up was the Solaris 60Fenice helmed by Franco Cutrupia, while the third place was claimed by the Neo 400+Neo One driven by Stefan Filip. Both teams consistently performed well throughout the entire journey, successfully maintaining their positions at the forefront despite fierce competition.
This year’s event marked a historic moment. Sailor Mo Junjie completed the entire journey solo, navigating a total of 565 nautical miles in 3 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes, making him the first-ever solo competitor to finish the Rolex China Sea Race 2026.
Mo Junjie stated that whether participating as a full crew or in pairs, offshore racing is already incredibly challenging, let alone taking on a solo challenge. The entire journey proved to be more difficult than expected, with the greatest challenge often stemming from mental pressure. Regardless of weather changes or the condition of the equipment on board, even with thorough preparations before the race, unexpected situations can arise during the voyage that require immediate attention. When he saw the finish line, he described that moment as feeling a bit surreal.
In the double-handed category, the champion was the Sun Fast 3600Zesst, helmed by Henning Mueller and Adrian Stromski. This boat was the only one in its class to complete the entire race course, finishing fourth overall in the IRC rankings. The two sailors took turns at the helm and managing the mainsail throughout the lengthy voyage, successfully tackling the offshore race challenge under intense conditions.
Image provided by ROLEX / Andrea Francolini.
