2026 COA Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ
Event Date: Wednesday, 1 July 2026
Entry Deadline: Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Entry is open to Motor Yachts and Hobie Owners too!
The COA is delighted to introduce a brand-new addition to the racing calendar — the Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ — an event that combines culinary creativity with strategic sailing in one unique challenge.
The day begins with the Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ, where crews will prepare and present an original dish featuring Lee Kum Kee sauces as a key flavour component. Working entirely onboard, participants will have 45 minutes to transform fresh ingredients into a dish that showcases their creativity, technical ability and effective use of Lee Kum Kee products. Entries will be judged by a panel of professional chefs on flavour, originality, technique, presentation and adherence to the event theme. The Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ is open for participation by both sailing, motor yachts and Hobie owners.
Following the culinary challenge, attention turns from the galley back to the water for the Speed Cruising Session. Starting from Tai Tam Bay, boats will embark on a two-hour GPS-tracked speed sailing challenge, with results determined by each yacht's PHS-corrected distance sailed. Competitors may return towards Aberdeen, the Harbour or Sai Kung, balancing boat speed, route selection and prevailing conditions to maximise their performance.
Boats will also compete as part of three-boat teams, with combined corrected distances contributing to team rankings and prizes. Overall event results will be determined using a low-point scoring system that combines performances from both the cooking and sailing sessions.
Blending competitive sailing with culinary innovation, the Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ promises to be a lively and entertaining addition to the COA calendar — celebrating teamwork, creativity, seamanship and a shared passion for life on the water.
Boats registered for the COA 2026 Fun Series are automatically eligible to participate in this event at no additional entry fee.
For all other entrants, the entry fee is HKD 420 for COA members and HKD 840 for non-members.
For those wishing to participate in the Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ Competition only, the entry fee is HKD 100.
We welcome both sailing yachts, motor yachts and Hobie owners to enter the Cooking Competition.
Registration closed! Join us for the next edition!
Race Recap & Result
Race Recap: The Inaugural Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ
On Wednesday, 1 July, the COA added a brand-new flavour to its 2026 Fun Series with the inaugural Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ — an event combining culinary creativity, teamwork and strategic sailing in one unique challenge.
With a gentle to moderate breeze, temperatures around 30 degrees and a mixture of sunshine and cloud, nine participants made their way towards Tai Tam Bay, ready to put their culinary and sailing skills to the test. Unfortunately, MoHan was forced to retire before the competition got underway due to a jammed propeller, leaving eight teams ready to battle it out in the galley.
The Cooking Showdown
The first challenge of the day was all about creativity.
Each team had 45 minutes to prepare and present an original dish onboard, using at least one Lee Kum Kee sauce as a key flavour component. The contestants had received a selection of Lee Kum Kee products ahead of the event, and the pressure was on to transform these familiar flavours into something extraordinary.
With professional chefs – Chef Esther Sham and Chef Dicky Chan taking their places on the judging panel, the galleys quickly became a hive of activity. Knives were chopping, pans were sizzling and spices filled the air as crews worked against the clock to prepare their creations.
The variety of dishes was nothing short of impressive.
The Hobie Knights, cooking from the Hobie Club Hong Kong, were among the first to submit their entry, presenting two beautifully barbecued dishes: Chilli Garlic Chicken and Chu Hou Lamb, both generously marinated with Lee Kum Kee sauces. The judges were particularly impressed by the tenderness and flavour of the grilled chicken.
Across the fleet, the creativity continued to flow. The judges sampled everything from Peppered Pork Neck and an Asian-inspired Linguine Aglio ed Olio, to Green Peppercorn Lobster Mapo Tofu, Char Siu Noodles, oysters and beautifully presented Tomato Prawns. There were dishes with imaginative names such as Sail With Me and Lee Kum Kee, while others elevated the challenge with luxury ingredients including truffle.
Throughout the judging, Chef Esther and Chef Dicky took the time to speak with the contestants about their creations, asking about the inspiration behind each dish, the cooking techniques used and, of course, why they had selected particular Lee Kum Kee sauces. It was clear that every team had put genuine thought into its entry.
Judging was close, with flavour and balance, creativity, technique, presentation and the use of Lee Kum Kee products all playing a part in the final scores.
In the end, PT2 took first place in the Cooking Competition with its beautifully prepared Tomato Prawns, followed by Doris and its impressive Peppered Pork Neck. PT completed the podium with its Lobster Mapo Tofu.
The prize giving that followed ensured that nobody went home empty-handed. Generous Lee Kum Kee gifts were presented to the contestants, including a Lee Kum Kee gift hamper to the winner as well as a wonderful selection of sauces and other products to replenish their onboard and home kitchens.
From the Galley Back to the Water
After the cooking competition, attention turned from the galley back to the water.
Five sailing boats took part in the two-hour Speed Cruising Session, which started from Tai Tam Bay at 14:00. Using GPS tracking and the Waterspeed app, competitors were free to choose their route within the designated sailing area, balancing boat speed, route selection and the prevailing conditions in an effort to achieve the greatest possible PHS-corrected distance.
The session provided a completely different challenge from the morning's cooking competition. After 45 minutes of chopping, stirring and plating, crews now had to switch gears and focus on sailing their boats as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Redeye and Saphira both put in particularly strong performances, each recording a corrected distance of 14 nautical miles. Redeye took the Speed Cruising victory, followed closely by Saphira in second place. Fairmile finished third with a corrected distance of 12.8 nautical miles.
Doris and PT2 both started after the official start time and were therefore ranked behind all boats that had started on time, placing fourth and fifth respectively in the Speed Cruising Session.
A Close Battle for Overall Victory
With the overall results determined by combining the scores from both the Cooking Competition and the Speed Cruising Session using the low-point scoring system, the competition remained incredibly close until the very end.
In fact, Redeye, PT2 and Doris all finished with a total of six points.
With the tie broken by the better Speed Cruising result, Redeye claimed the title of the inaugural Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ Overall Winner, thanks to its first place in the Speed Cruising Session and fifth place in the Cooking Competition. Redeye's European-Asian fusion Linguine Aglio ed Olio had also impressed the judges earlier in the day, demonstrating that consistency across two very different challenges was the key to overall success.
PT2 finished as first runner-up after winning the Cooking Competition and placing fifth in the Speed Cruising Session, while Doris took second runner-up with second place in the Cooking Competition and fourth place in the sailing challenge.
PT2 had another reason to celebrate, taking home the Family Class award as well.
The inaugural Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ proved to be everything the COA had hoped for: competitive, creative, slightly unpredictable and, above all, enormous fun. From sizzling galleys and beautifully presented dishes to tactical route choices and fast sailing, the day brought together the very best of life on the water.
Most importantly, it demonstrated that competition does not always have to fit neatly into one box. Sometimes, the perfect sailing event involves a stopwatch, a GPS tracker, a frying pan and a bottle of Lee Kum Kee sauce.
Congratulations to all our participants, and a huge thank you to Lee Kum Kee, our judges Chef Esther Sham and Chef Dicky Chan, and everyone who helped make this first edition such a memorable one.
We cannot wait to see what the next Lee Kum Kee Cooking Champ will bring!
