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With 10-14 knots northerly breeze, Race Officer Ronnie McCRACKEN elected to forgo the laying of a windward mark, stating that the day offered 'perfect sailing conditions for a downwind start'. With sunshine breaking through, Fred KINMONTH's Farr-Mills 51 Mandrake made best use of the start, taking the pin end and immediately claiming position at the front of the fleet.

Other favourites for the SCMP Line Honours Trophy were not so lucky. Sam CHAN's monohull record holder, Ffree Fire, allowed herself to get boxed in by the smaller boats at the middle of the line and Robert KNIGHT's DK52, Drumstick, stayed clear of the melee, making a circumspect start at the Committee Boat end.

McCRACKEN observed 'apart from one boat, the fleet was well behaved with most boats about a boat length from the line at the gun'. Dr LEE Kai Hung's Koon Woon was the guilty boat, struggling against self-weight and the ebbing tide to get back across the line after being called OCS.

At 1800 (Hong Kong time) Mandrake was narrowly leading the fleet ahead of Ffree Fire, with Ant DAY's Sayer 13, Siren, a further five nautical miles behind.

Top Ten

Boat	Distance from Start	Distance to Finish	Distance Travelled	Average Speed	Estimated Hours to Finish
Mandrake	60	422	60	10	42.2
Ffree Fire	59	423	59	9.8	43.02
Siren	54	428	54	9	47.56
Moonblue	51	431	51	8.5	50.71
Jaywalker	50	432	50	8.3	51.84
Hocux Pocux 2	49	432	49	8.2	52.9
Shahtoosh	48	433	48	8	54.13
Ocean Girl	45	436	45	7.5	58.13
Outrageous	45	436	45	7.5	58.13
Polar Star III	45	436	45	7.5	58.13