January 2021 | Changi Sailing Club

CSC Two-Island Race 2021

31st January 2021/in Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing/by CSC

If we had to use 1 word to describe the series of events yesterday, it would be… Broken.

Under the intense 18 – 25 knots North Easterly winds, many things were broken during yesterday’s Two-Island Race:

Sangaree smashed the standing record for the keelboats by 12 minutes (Red Rum, 2020)
Buay Kaola rewrote the Multihull record (Ding Hao, 2020) by a staggering 42 minutes
Kaze Cat eclipsed the previous Beach Catamaran record (Taipan F16, 2020) by nearly an hour
Ripple V suffered a dismasting just east of Pulau Tekong
Miss Visayan broke their rudder right after a perfect start
Ding Hao snapped one of their lines/halyards during the race
Many more unaccounted equipment failures spread out over the entire fleet.

Despite the numerous mishaps, there was plenty to cheer about, with all participants managing to return to shore safely. Special mention to Baby Beluga – for rendering assistance to the dismasted Ripple V, effectively forgoing their opportunity to complete the circumnavigation of Pulau Tekong & Pulau Ubin.

With Born in Fire unable to muster a crew together and Red Rum + Jong Dee out of action for maintenance/repairs, the IRC Class was represented by Waka Tere & Adona, the 2 smallest boats of the fleet. Waka Tere thrived in yesterday’s conditions, crossing the line in 4 hours 11 mins – a record time bested only by Sangaree from the PY Class. Adona had to play second fiddle to the Nelson 10’s performance, taking a distant 2nd place 27 mins behind on corrected time.

The PY class flexed their muscles in the off-the-wind angles, with Sangaree not needing to put their kite up for the entire race and still emerging with a new record time for the fastest circumnavigation on the Two-Island Race for a keelboat. The rest of the PY Class were not far behind, with most boats completing the course under 6 hours. Even newbies Rumbottle crossed the line in a commendable timing of 6hrs 16mins. When the numbers were crunched, Remington yet again took the bullet – 8 mins ahead of the mighty Sangaree. Her start-line antics were bordering on reckless, nearly causing a collision at CSC 1. Despite a self-imposed handicap (OCS) at the start, she quickly recovered to catch up with the fleet on the approach to South Nelayan Buoy, paving her way to victory around the 2 islands. Ikaroa continued their winning ways from their triumph in the Signature Sundays, completing the podium in 3rd.

Equipment failure did little to stop Ding Hao on her quest to retain their 2020 Two-Island title, as they beat their previous timing by 41 mins to claim victory in the Multihull Class. Buay Kaola’s efforts positioned her just 30 seconds ahead of Ding Hao at the finish, a margin too small to see the Corsair 970 overtake Ding Hao on handicap. She can take comfort in knowing that her’s will be the timing to beat for all multihulls in future editions of this race. Tri Harder definitely seemed more polished on water yesterday, as she secured third on corrected time, ahead of fellow corsairs Jaza Too & Cicak across the line. It was a sad day for Miss Visayan, as a broken rudder left them without steerage just after a perfectly executed start, effectively ending their campaign for this edition.

With only half the fleet eventually successfully completing the course, the weather proved too challenging for some of the sailors and their boats. Kaze Cat now holds the timing to beat in the beach catamaran class, completing her circumnavigation in 2hrs 27mins 55secs. She took line honours, but could not shake off the chasing Madfish II – slipping to 2nd place on corrected time. Stray Catz struggled in the prevailing wind conditions, crossing the line about 45mins behind the leading pair. Kudos to these 3 boats, and the remaining 3 for their valiant attempts to conquer this iconic race in the prevailing conditions.

Congratulations to all winners – we look forward to another exciting weekend of racing on 6/7 February, as we commence the Trimaran Nationals at Changi Sailing Club. Nothing like a fleet of Multihulls blitzing through the East Johor Straits in a fresh NE breeze!

Results

CSC Felkin Buoy Race 2021

25th January 2021/in Signature Sundays, Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing/by CSC

The NE Monsoon continue to bless us with beautiful winds, as we successfully attempted the re-run of the Felkin Buoy Race on 24th January. Much excitement on the course as white caps started emerging, sending sailors on a gorgeous downwind journey to the west after rounding Changi Buoy.

In the PY Class, a botched spinnaker packing job saw Arbudhen‘s kite get hoisted the wrong way up – much to their horror. A quick drop to fix the problem saw them drop further down the pack, allowing some of the fleet to overtake her in the process. Despite the blunder, she made the most of a bad situation and finished a credible 11th in the fleet. Further up in the class, Remington sailed an outstanding race in wind strength and angles which were perfect for the S&S 42. Second across the line and first on corrected time speaks volumes of her performance. Ahead of the fleet by nearly 18minutes, Sangaree claimed line honours in clinical fashion – taking second place on corrected time. Ikaroa sits pretty in third – a result sufficient for her to complete the series comfortably on top with 7 points, etching her name on the Keelboat PY Challenge Plate for 2021. This was Lars’s first Signature Sunday Series victory at the helm of Ikaroa – previously won by Michael Kaus & crew in 2019. Sangaree is a distant second, amassing 15 points from 3 races, with the best being her runner-up position in the Felkin Buoy Race. Brio’s consistency places her third, scoring a podium place on Round Tekong was the highlight of her 3 races.

A 3-way fight between Adona, Waka Tere and Born in Fire took place in the IRC Class – as all 3 boats were separated by only a point each going into the Felkin Buoy Race. Adona and Born in Fire struggled to keep pace with Waka Tere on the return leg, as she pulled away to cross the finish line second only to Red Rum One. She claimed victory on handicap, successfully defending her title for the 4th time in 5 years! Born in Fire took 2nd place 8 minutes behind, and Red Rum One‘s efforts awarded her with a 3rd just 4 minutes adrift. In the overall series, Adona’s win in the Round Tekong Race helped break the tie between her and Born in Fire, securing her a 2nd place finish.

Having scored a first in Round Tekong and second in the Round Ubin Race, it was Kaze‘s series to lose, going into yesterday’s Felkin Buoy race. Close rival Jaza Too was definitely not going to give up easily, sailing hard to claw her way back from a poor start. Despite her poor start, she fought tooth and nail to climb up and just pipped Ding Hao by 11 seconds to claim line honours and victory on handicap. On the other hand, Kaze failed to grasp the wind shifts in the west, struggling to keep up with the fleet as the race developed. She placed 6th on corrected time, effectively handing the 2021 Signature Sunday Series title and Multihull Challenge Plate to Jaza Too. After taking a break from racing over the past 3 weekends, Cicak returned to racing on the podium, a good effort by Sasha Hill on the helm. Her no-show in the Round Tekong and Round Ubin races meant that she finishes the series in 6th place. Despite placing 5th in the Felkin Buoy Race, two 3rd place finishes helped secure Miss Visayan‘s overall series position in 3rd on 11 points. A fantastic result from the Corsair 28R.

Kaze Cat screamed through the course at a blistering pace, leading the beach catamaran class from start to finish – missing out on the bullet by 14 seconds after corrected time. The win went to the leader of the F16s, as Madfish II crossed the line just ahead of the chasing pack of viper and taipan f16 catamarans. Sporting distinct red sails and a yellow fist motif, new boat Red Riot (helmed by not so new Scott McCook) just missed out on podium position, as she was beaten to it by the remaining viper on the course – Ripple V. Skipper Nick Wakai credits their good performance to sailing a safe race with no capsizes, something so simple but totally relevant at all levels of racing. The beach catamarans will complete their Signature Sunday Series on 28th February, where the fleet will attempt to complete the Round Tekong Race which they missed on 10th January due to the poor weather conditions.

Thank you all for participating in our Signature Sunday Series races – see you bright and early this Saturday for the 2-Island Race!

Results

Signature Sunday Series Overall Results

IRC Overall 2021

PY Overall 2021_revised

MH Overall 2021_revised

BC Overall 2021

CSC Round Ubin Race 2021

18th January 2021/in Competitive Racing, Sailing, Signature Sundays/by CSC

The NE Monsoon has finally settled in (hopefully)! The 2nd instalment of the CSC Signature Sunday Series took sailors on a Round Ubin Passage in a glorious 10 knot NE breeze, with all participants completing the race in under 2.5hrs. The fastest boat was Kaze Cat, a Nacra 20, finishing the race in a blistering time of 1hr 8mins and 22 secs.

The Round Ubin Race is the perfect entry level passage race, a straightforward circumnavigation of the island which keeps sailors out of the shipping channel as much as possible and poses little risk of grounding on shallows and getting caught on crab pots/fishing net lines if sailed on the proper course. That being said, we’ve been informed of some boats missing out on one of the channel markers and cutting in-between the fish farms and Pulau Ubin. Please be reminded to sail the correct course; keeping the designated channel buoy course markers on the correct side and staying well clear of the waters in-between the fish farms and Pulau Ubin.

It was great to see an impressive total of 17 Mutihulls and Beach Catamarans circumnavigating Ubin yesterday. With Kaze Cat leading the pack, both fleets lapped up the wind conditions and crossed the finish line in a quick and orderly fashion. Despite the line honours, Kaze Cat settled for 3rd place on corrected time, unable to extend her lead on the chasing Madfish II and Stray Catz, both eventually securing 1st and 2nd just minutes ahead of the Nacra 20. New entry Nacra Carbon 20 (Sail no. 88) skippered by Antoine Nourrain sailed a safe race and completed the course in a commendable 1hr and 26 mins.

In the Multihull Class, Ding Hao successfully defended their Round Ubin title, eclipsing their 2hr 48min efforts in 2020 by more than an hour, as well as smashing the previous record held by David Stanton’s M23 in 2017 (1hr 40min 25secs)! She finished the race in a record time of 1 hour 29mins 25 secs – a result which may be very hard to beat in future editions! It was great to see the rest of the fleet all finishing well under 2 hours, with Kaze & Miss Visayan separated by a mere 40 secs on handicap, completing the podium in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Starting amongst a collective total of 20 boats on the start line must have been pretty daunting for newcomers Windflirt and Sequin, which may have perhaps been the reason for their poor starts yesterday. A cautious attempt on the start line is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it is your first time racing. All things considered, great results from both boats, finishing an impressive 11th and 14th respectively. At the top of the PY class was Remington – the S&S 42 thrived in yesterday’s wind angles, blitzing through the course in 1 hr 57mins 16 secs, an effort sufficient to secure him the victory over Ikaroa on handicap. Simba completed the podium in 3rd, but only just; as Olmeto placed 4th a mere 4 seconds behind. Ikaroa is now in pole position, having scored two 2nd place finishes to make it her series to lose going into this Sunday’s Felkin Race. Brio sits comfortably in 2nd on 9 points from 2 races, but it looks like there is an exciting development just behind her on the standings, with 4 boats (Remington, Minx, Sangaree & Marut) tied for 3rd place on 13 points. We look forward to a nail-biting finale on 24th January.

The IRC Class also saw record breaking times, with Red Rum One rewriting the keelboat record (1hr 48min 49secs) set in 2017 by Born in Fire. The Archambault 40 finished in 1hr 37mins 45secs, but just missed out on podium by 4 seconds. We hear its largely because a crew onboard couldn’t figure out the difference between the tack and the clew of their asymmetrical…. hmm. Anyhow, first place on corrected time was defending champions Waka Tere, she placed comfortably ahead of the Round Tekong winners, Adona. Born in Fire had her fair share of mishaps, blowing their spinnaker block on the downwind. However, she took full advantage of Red Rum One‘s errors, completing the podium in 3rd. Waka Tere will be keeping a close eye on Adona in the Felkin Race, ensuring she stay well ahead of the slippery J24 to secure a win to have any hope of retaining their challenge plate.

Thank you all sailors for another wonderful outing on water – clear skies, consistent winds and speed records broken; it was indeed a good day of sailing! See you all for the Felkin Buoy Race this Sunday, 24th January.

Results

Signature Sunday Series Overall Standing

IRC Overall 2021

PY Overall 2021

MH Overall 2021

CSC Round Tekong Race 2021

11th January 2021/in Signature Sundays, Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing/by CSC

Its been a very wet start to 2021. From a postponed Hangover Race on 1st January to an abandoned Felkin Buoy Race on 3rd January, the La Nina phenomenon has certainly rained on our parade. 3rd time’s a charm, as we finally managed to secure a race this season, sending sailors on a challenging Round Tekong passage in poor visibility (due to the insistent rain) and shifty winds. The race was a true test of the skippers’ blind navigation skills, with the rain at times reducing visibility to less than 100 metres. Despite the scattered wind holes early in the race, sailors were eventually treated to a steady north-northwesterly breeze north of Tekong, carrying the fleet across the finish line at NP1.

In the IRC Class, the little J24 Adona suffered a minor setback early in the race, as they got stuck in a lull and got swept eastwards by the strong currents near south nelayan buoy. Despite that, they clawed back into the thick of the fleet behind Tekong, gaining much needed ground to close the distance between them and the faster competitors in the fleet. She drew first blood on corrected time, beating Born in Fire by 3 minutes and 23 seconds. Born in Fire‘s efforts were not in vain, taking 2nd place ahead of defending champions Waka Tere in 3rd. Despite crossing the line first, Red Rum One missed out on a podium finish, unable to stretch her lead over the smaller boats.

A DNS from Shardana due to engine problems and an early retirement from Remington & Simba meant that the PY fleet was whittled down to 8 boats on the course. Initially hesitant about sailing in the prevailing weather, Ikaroa eventually settled into the fact that the race would not be shortened any time soon. Staying positive and making small gains throughout the course, she earned herself a place on the podium, finishing in 2nd place just 2 seconds ahead of 3rd placed Brio. It was a happy day for the little boats, as Luke Doherty’s Marut made light work of the course, nailing the shifts to top the PY Class by a comfortable 10 minute margin on corrected time.

4 Multihulls attempted to circumnavigate Tekong yesterday, with only 3 finishers eventually. The 4th one (Tri Harder) retired early, vowing to try harder next time. Close rivals Kaze and Jaza Too were neck and neck for most of the race, with the former eventually emerging on top at NP1. Jaza Too placed a comfortable second, over 7 minutes ahead of the trailing Miss Visayan in 3rd. We look forward to seeing more multihulls back on water racing this season, with the Corsair fleet growing a little larger over the past year.

Poor visibility and no navigation lights meant that it was not a good idea to have the beach catamaran fleet racing yesterday. The fleet came to a combined decision to reschedule their Round Tekong Race to 28th February, Sunday.

Thank you all participants for braving the weather to complete the Round Tekong Race – you guys are truly #allweathersailors 🙂

Results

IRC Tekong 2021

PY Tekong 2021

MH Tekong 2021