CSC Round Ubin Race 2021

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