The 2020 CSC Trimaran Championship saw a healthy fleet of 9 boats participating on day 1 – this was despite some of the regular contenders (Kaze, Jaza Too, Cicak & Miss Visayan) missing out due to schedule conflicts and boat repairs. Consisting of 4 Corsairs, 3 Wetas and 2 M23s, it was nice to see such a varied fleet on the start line! The NE Winds delivered on time, greeting sailors at a more forgiving wind strength compared to last weekend’s big blow.
Skipper of 2019 champions Dash Two Scott McCook returns to compete at the helm of the recently high-flying Ding Hao, determined to win this championship 2 years in a row. She starts off right for this regatta, claiming a comfortable victory in Race 1. However, she will have to be in top form going into Day 2, after surrendering her bullets in Race 2 and 3 to Buay Kaola and Itchy-Go respectively after corrected time, keeping things very tight in the top 3.
Despite missing out on the first 2 races of the day due to a snapped halyard, Baloo came back strong to place third in race 3. The Multi23 skippered by David Stanton could possibly be a strong contender for podium should she continue to perform well for the remaining 3 races tomorrow.
Good luck to all participants – rest well and see you for more racing in Day 2!
Day 2 of racing for the catamarans saw only 3 boats returning – the NE Monsoon taking a toll on the participants.
Shananikins retired halfway into race 3 of the regatta, effectively making it a match race between the 2 surving F16 vipers Bad Influence and Madfish II. The former clinched 3 bullets to secure the 2020 title, enduring the brutal 20-25 knots winds to outlast Madfish II.
Despite the small fleet and eventual 2-horse race, the weekend was made more enjoyable by the strong camaraderie amongst the remaining sailors, and participants are looking forward to a renewed rivalry over the Commodore’s Cup on 7 & 8 March. Congratulations to all the winners, we look forward to more exhilarating racing next week when we host the Singapore Trimaran Community for the CSC Trimaran Championships.
Plenty of thrills and spills took place at the 20th CSC Catamaran Championships, from spectacular capsizes to painful collisions, sailors and boats came back battered and bruised. The unrelenting NE Monsoon was a little too much for the participants to handle, with wind speeds hitting 20-25 knots in the afternoon.
After only 2 races, defending champions Madfish II sit pretty on top, being the only boat to finish the 2 races available. Bad Influence scored arguably the most spectacular capsize, and ended the day on 2nd place, bouncing back to win race 2. Shananikins, one of 2 Nacra Carbon F20s participating, did well to complete the podium in 3rd – but faces an uncertain day 2 after suffering some serious damage on her starboard hull.
With many of the fleet tapping out after today, it looks like the already small fleet of 7 will shrink even further tomorrow. All the best to the remaining participants – press on!
Fresh from completing the Two-Island Race on Saturday, sailors returned to compete in the Felkin Buoy Race, the 3rd and final instalment in our 2020 Signature Sunday Series. Greeted with the first major squall for the year, participants had an interesting mix of conditions throughout the journey to Felkin and back.
Waka Tere continued on their winning streak, taking the weekend double with line honours and a comfortable lead over Invictus in the IRC Class. Invictus was a shadow of their usual self, struggling to keep up with Waka Tere for the whole race. A nagging luff track problem could have been a significant contributor to their woes – we hope to see them get back on track soon! In the overall standings, a poor attendance by the IRC Fleet meant that Waka Tere had no real challenge enroute to taking the Signature Sunday Series 2020 IRC Title, winning all 3 races available.
In the PY Class, leaders Minx and Shardana thrived on the course, with the latter pulling away from the fleet on the return leg and eventually clinching line honours. She settles for 2nd on corrected time, edged out by Minx. Ikaroa completed the podium in 3rd, another successful outing after their 2nd place finish in the Two-Island Race. Brio’s 5th placing in yesterday’s race was good enough for her to secure 2nd overall for the Signature Sunday Series, just 1 point behind champions PY 2020 Champions Minx. Winning the Round Tekong Race helped to secure 3rd overall for Ikaroa, as they survived a poor showing at the Round Ubin and a late push from Shardana in the Felkin Buoy Race to take podium just 1 point ahead of the Dufour 34.
Ding Hao managed to make it a weekend double as well in the Multihull Class, successfully defending against close rivals Kaze and the rest of the fleet to secure 1st over the line and on handicap. despite their stellar performance, she surrenders the overall Signature Sundays Multihull title to Kaze, whose 1st place around Tekong and two 2nd place finishes round Ubin and Felkin gave her victory in a fleet of 8 boats. Ding Hao‘s absence at the Round Tekong Race also meant that her 2 bullets could not save her from the consistency of Itchy-Go‘s (3, 3 & 4), awarding the latter with second overall, 1 point ahead of Ding Hao.
Stray Catz made amends for her premature retirement during the Two-Island Race, sailing a uneventful race to win the Felkin Buoy Race and also the Signature Sunday Series Beach Catamaran Title for the 3rd year in a row! She puts herself in good stead for the upcoming CSC Catamaran Championships on 22 & 23 February, where she will be competing against defending champions Madfish II and other fast beach catamarans.
Congratulations to all the winners, please see below for results and photos.
The 2-Island Race returns in 2020 with some big shoes to fill, as the 2019 edition boasts many records for the fastest time to circumnavigate Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. To make it more challenging, sailors had to contend with a vicious outgoing tide and some uncommonly shifty wind conditions on the course, keeping them on their toes.
In the IRC Class, Red Rum did not disappoint, once again claiming line honours rewriting her own record by a massive 23 minutes! Taking full advantage of her enormous asymmetrical spinnaker and the strong outgoing tide, she pulled away from the rest of the fleet comfortably on the northern side of the islands. Despite her record-breaking performance, she just misses out on the victory after corrected time, surrendering to last year’s 2nd runner-up, Waka Tere. After a long break, Invictus was just glad to be back on water, sporting a new team uniform and a few fresh faces onboard. She completes the intimate fleet of 3 in the IRC Category.
No records were broken in the PY Class, but we are pleased to note that all boats finished the race well within daylight hours. Scoring the best start of her class, New Blue Eyes performed superbly from start to finish, even having to remedy a failing outhaul with a jury rig while sailing on the last stretch from South Nelayan Buoy to eventually win on corrected time! Closing in on her was Ikaroa, who eventually took 2nd on handicap. The biggest achievement would have to go to Simon Connor’s Sapphire Star. Simon sailed her solo throughout the entire race, not only earning a 3rd overall, but scoring line honours as well!
After a solid week of racing at the Neptune Regatta, Ding Hao returned home to smash the standing record for the Multihulls in the 2-Island Race, crossing the line in 3hrs, 52mins 50 secs – a staggering 36 minutes faster than Cicak‘s 2019 record. The rest of the fleet also finished well under 4hr & 20mins, with Buay Kaola and Kaze completing the podium in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Special acknowledgement to the lone weta on the course, The Striped One. Major feat taking on the 2-Island Race for his first race of 2020 – in addition, she crossed the line under 5hrs!
The Beach Catamaran Class was represented by 2 Taipan and 2 Viper F16s – making it a very close and nearly one-design contest. A broken halyard forced Stray Catz to retire prematurely, turning it into a 3-way battle. Louis Lim’s Taipan F16 emerged the first of the 3 cats to cross the line, but loses by a slim margin to Jeremy Nixon’s Bad Influence after corrected time. Both boats beat the timing set by Scott McCook’s Nacra Carbon F20 in 2016, finishing a good 4 minutes faster. Madfish II was all smiles on water, but did not sail her best today, trailing behind the 2 leaders in 3rd.
Congratulations all sailors for successfully conquering the 2020 2-Island Race! We look forward to more exciting racing today, as we conclude the Signature Sundays with the Felkin Buoy Race!
