Beneteau Cup Hong Kong Celebrates its Third Edition
On October 28th 2023, the third edition of the Beneteau Cup Hong Kong was celebrated. 19 yachts took part in the prestigious regatta, supported by generous partners who sponsored this sensational event.
The Beneteau Cup was created exclusively for Beneteau owners, a key annual event in the city’s sailing calendar. It is a day of competitive sailing with a chic French Riviera-themed award dinner, celebrating the Benneteau community in Hong Kong.
Simpson Marine organised the line-up of Beneteau yachts in conjunction with the title sponsor Beneteau Asia-Pacific and with the support of Aberdeen Boat Club. Richard Allen, Group General Manager of Simpson Marine, commented: ‘It was a pleasure to see 19 Beneteau's with their owners and crews taking part in the 2023 Beneteau Cup. We were blessed with perfect sailing conditions, a good easterly breeze and sunshine sailing. The racing was close and competitive as usual and the Beneteau Cup lived up to its reputation as one of the best fun sailing regattas in Hong Kong. With great on-the-water sailing and a spectacular après sail party with prizes galore. Thanks to all the teams and sponsors taking part, we all at Simpson Marine and Beneteau love this event and look forward to next year’s edition.’
With the intention to grow the event into an international regatta, this year’s regatta saw the event take a step in the right direction as the line-up of yachts reflected Beneteau’s universally popular fleet of sailing yachts. Among attendees was a Beneteau First 265, WHITE RABBIT and Sense 51, TRACY.
The long-standing support from the Aberdeen Boat Club made the regatta possible, and the club’s pride in being part of the event was shared by Graeme Brechin, Rear Commodore, Sailing and Marine: ‘Aberdeen Boat Club was as ever delighted to assist Beneteau and Simpson Marine in delivering their annual showpiece regatta event. Success is hard work alongside a world-class product, this is where we all sail together. We are very much looking forward to many more years of delivering success together.’
Local and international partners played their part in supporting the Beneteau Cup. Amongst these were China Mobile Hong Kong, enabling the crews to experience the future of maritime communication, ePropulsion, who shared their sustainable innovations and Aon, helping navigate better decisions with financial solutions and services.
A diverse range of luxury lifestyle brands also made up this year’s award partners; from Fortnum & Masons’ famous hampers to Frette’s finest Italian fabric designs, luxury was in no shortage.
The success of the event is highlighted in the winners’ reactions to the event. Gary Cheung, yacht owner of TRACY and winner of division A, shared his joy of winning: ‘Team Tracy had a fantastic time at the Beneteau Cup. We were truly impressed by the sportsmanship displayed by all the sailors and the staff at Simpson Marine, who went above and beyond to make the event successful.’
Splash Foundation, a charity that helps to raise funds to give more people from under-resourced communities the opportunity to swim, was welcomed by Simpson Marine as a long-term charity partner, aiming to add even more meaningful purpose and ambition to the regatta's community.
The third edition of the Beneteau Cup was truly a spectacular event, enjoyed immensely by all who took part. The future of the regatta looks bright, and we can only expect the next edition to be even more celebrated as it continues to grow as a stunning showcase of Beneteau by Simpson Marine.
"The racing was close and competitive as usual and the Beneteau Cup lived up to its reputation as one of the best fun sailing regattas in Hong Kong."