March 2021 | Changi Sailing Club

CSC Lady Helm Race 2021

28th March 2021/in Competitive Racing, Sailing/by CSC

The CSC Lady Helm Race was held on 27th March 2021, within the same month of International Women’s Day (8th March) Celebrations. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The first edition held in 2019 was conducted with white sails only, collecting a total of 14 Lady Skippers on the start line. This year, we allowed the use of spinnakers across all classes, and registered the same number of participants for the event, with 11 Ladies on the helm for the PY Keelboat Class and a trio of Lady Skippers in the Multihull Class.

Wind conditions did not fully cooperate, as the predicted 6-8 knot westerly breeze did not truly materialize. Coupled with a significant outgoing tide, sailors were faced with a challenging first beat to Squance Buoy, with some boats succumbing to the faint winds and strong tide – eventually retiring as they failed to make it to the start line.

It was a good day out for the small boats, as 2 of the 3 podium winners in the PY Class were under 25ft. In 3rd place, Sara Gorza’s Marut sailed well in the light airs to keep pace with the bigger boats. The Jeanneau Fun 23’s strategy to bang left and tack on a wind line approaching Squance Buoy paid off, putting her in a prime position to do well on corrected time. She eventually placed 3rd both across the line and on corrected time, just sneaking ahead of the other 2-up boat, Balqis. Helmed by Amy van Onselen, Balqis had a fantastic upwind leg, rounding Squance Buoy in pole position. However her lack of a spinnaker in the first half of the downwind leg may have cost her a podium place, positioning her just outside of the top 3. Racing and flying her spinnaker for the first time was the mighty Slingshot! Helmed by ex-national sailor Alyssa Lim, the nearly 42 year old westerly GK24 held her own in the fleet, scoring the best start of the 11 boats and exhibiting good boat speed to stay ahead of most of the fleet in the upwind leg. On corrected time, she missed out on the top spot by a slim 2min 46secs, playing 2nd fiddle only to Waka Tere. Skippered by Fidelis Tan, Waka Tere shaked off a poor start to regain composure and retake her lead on the downwind leg. Bouncing back to score line honours and the win on corrected time despite their initial errors reminded us exactly why she is a deserving recipient of the IRC Title for the recently concluded CSC Sailing Festival.

In the Multihull class, 3 became 2 as Tri Harder could not make it to the start line in the prevailing conditions despite trying their hardest. An executive decision was made to switch on the engine and return to the Club for early drinks – a choice possibly most welcomed by her crew. In the 2-way battle between the remaining boats, Cicak scored a surprise win over CSC Sailing Festival Multihull Champion, Jaza Too – making big gains in the middle of the course to round Squance Buoy with a significant lead. Skipper Lauren Hill helmed Cicak to victory with a margin of exactly 37 minutes over Jaza Too – an impressive feat in these challenging conditions! Although their hopes of winning were dashed, Anette was all smiles on the helm of Jaza Too, always ready for the media boat’s attention.

Congratulations to all the winners – not the easiest of conditions to race in, but we’re so pleased to see many boats pushing on with unwavering determination!

Next week (Friday. 2 April) a flotilla of 5-10 boats departs for a casual cruise-race around Ubin before anchoring off Ketam for an overnighter. Should you wish to register your keelboat/multihull for this cruise, do drop us an email at enquiry@csc.org.sg.

Results

Multihull 2021

PY 2021

CSC SailFest Regatta 2021 (Day 2)

22nd March 2021/in Competitive Racing, Regattas, SailFest Regatta, Sailing/by CSC

The final leg of the CSC Sailing festival was initially decked out with clear skies and a gentle north-eastern breeze, taking sailors to the usual pennant four and one courses for Races 4 and 5 respectively of the CSC SailFest Regatta 2021. The combined effects of a weakening E-NE wind, conflicting weather systems and a slightly uncompromising currents prompted hoisting of course flag pennant two in the last race, challenging sailors to start on a downwind towards Squance Buoy. that turned out to be quite an interesting race, as the building weather system in the East gave sailors a decent beat up the channel from Squance to finish the day’s racing at the club line in a 6-8knot breeze.

With a no-show from Madfish II in Day 2, only 6 boats graced the start line for the beach catamaran class. Despite the reduced numbers, competition was still very exciting, as the fight for first position saw tempers flare on a few occasions. After a jarring upwind to Changi Buoy caused by the bumboat traffic in Race 5, the downwind start to Squance in Race 6 was a welcomed respite for the fleet. Emerging on top after 6 races, Nacra 5.8 fought off valiant attempts to unseat her from challengers Kaze Cat and Nacra 15 in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The unsettling effects of the upwind leg in Race 5 may have been too much for Skipper Uli of the Nacra 15, as he called it a day at the end of the Race, effectively throwing Race 6. In the Overall CSC Sailing Festival Leaderboard, Madfish II secures the Challenge Trophy on 5 points, despite her no-show for Day 2 of the SailFest Regatta. With Kaze Cat and Stray Catz tied on 12 points, the former broke the tie to take first runner-up with her superior number of 2nd place finishes this season.

The trio in the Multihull class consisting of Jaza Too, Cicak and Tri Harder formed the multihull fleet this weekend. A no-show from Tri Harder in the last race suggests a mini match racing between Jaza Too and Cicak, with the former claiming victory by a mere 25 seconds! The final win gave her a clean sheet, as Jaza Too made it 5 points from 5 races in this series. Owing to her stellar performance this season, Jaza Too also laid her hands on the trophy that celebrates CSC Sailing Festival Overall Leader in the Multihull class. Consistency certainly helped with Tri Harder‘s eventual 2nd place finish in her first ever participation in our Sailing Festival! Having only missed out on the East Johor Straits Race, and scoring three 3rd place finishes from the 2 Island Race, Commodore’s Cup and SailFest Regatta, she takes 2nd comfortably ahead of Ding Hao in 3rd.

The IRC class was down to three as Red Rum One faced a faulty jib after Day 1 of the SailFest Regatta. Represented by Waka Tere, Adona and Minx, Adona’s premature start for Race 4 meant playing a serious game of catch up against Waka Tere for the remaining races. The rather coordinated trimming of the spinnaker on the downwind by the crew onboard Waka Tere in addition to the light winds that did not play to Adona’s favour, secured her victory. Owing also to her consistency, Waka Tere nailed the CSC Sailing Festival Overall Leaderboard in the IRC class, with a near perfect score of 6 points from 5 races. Adona‘s overall 2nd place overall is nothing short of impressive, as she is also the only boat that has stolen a victory from Waka Tere this season – having won the 2021 Commodore’s Cup. Red Rum One‘s consistency and a 2nd place finish for the East Johor Straits Race rewarded Steve Manning and his crew a well deserved 3rd overall.

In the PY class, although Invictus have maintained a steady footing by claiming line honours in all the races for the SailFest Regatta, they were eventually tied with Marut for the first position on handicap. Marut’s bullet in Race 6 upon corrected time, paved her way to the top and possibly, some sweet bragging rights. Little Brio’s diligence in keeping pace with the fleet also earned her well-deserved 3rd place, with the returning Southern Light tagging steadily behind her. With 3 of the top contenders for the Sailing Festival Leaderboard absent this weekend, we expected some major changes to the standings. However, 1st and 2nd remain unchanged, with Ikaroa winning the PY Class Sailing Festival Challenge Trophy and Sangaree placing 2nd 4 points adrift. Brio’s consistent attendance for all events this season paid off, as her 3rd place finish in this Regatta propelled her into 3rd place, just 1 point ahead of Remington.

Thank you everyone who participated in SailFest Regatta 2021 and congratulations to all the winners of this Regatta as well as the overall winners of this year’s CSC Sailing Festival! With this we conclude a season with all kinds of conditions, and we are just glad that racing continues despite the ongoing pandemic.

In celebration of International Womens’ Day, we will be running the Lady Helm Race on 27th March, Saturday. We missed out last year due to the Circuit Breaker Measures – So we hope you share the same excitement in witnessing our lady bosses sizing up against each other next weekend!

SailFest Regatta 2021 Results

Overall IRC class_sailfest2021

Overall Multihull_sailfest2021

Overall PY_sailfest2021

OverallBeach Catamaran_sailfest2021

2021 CSC Sailing Festival Leaderboard Final Standings

Overall Beach Catamaran 210321

Overall Multihull 210321

Overall PY 210321

Overall IRC 210321

CSC SailFest Regatta 2021 (Day 1)

21st March 2021/in Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing/by CSC

The waning NE winds was apparent for Day 1 of the SailFest Regatta, which consolidates 3 month’s worth of racing at CSC in the prevailing NE Monsoon. Sailors were hit with a myriad of wind and weather conditions, resulting in some participants struggling to complete the scheduled races.

After 3 races, the IRC Class appears very evenly contested – with Waka Tere, Adona and Red Rum One each taking a victory from the 3 races completed. Waka Tere was the most consistent of the lot, finishing 2nd in her other 2 races to set herself in pole position going into the final day of racing. Although tied on 9 points, it looks like the little J24 (Adona) will be the nearest challenger to Waka Tere on Day 2, following a reported damaged tuff-luff forced Red Rum One to retire in Race 3 and possibly for the rest of the regatta.

The PY Keelboat Class welcome the return of long-term absentee Southern Light – who managed to successfully wrestle herself free from Malaysia amidst this ongoing pandemic and return to CSC for some much-needed racing therapy. She performed over the 3 races, scoring a total of 10 points to tie with Brio on 3rd. Mini Marut stole a bullet from the mighty Invictus in Race 3 to keep the fight for first place very much alive, placing 2nd at the end of Day 1 just 2 points behind the Mumm 30.

The Multihulls were represented by a trio of Corsairs, a sprint, a dash and a 760R pit their sailing skills on the course, with some very close match-racing taking place. The near-zero winds later in the afternoon meant that none of the Multihulls managed to finish within the time limit for the 3rd race, resulting in a DNF for all 3 boats. Looking dashing on top, Jaza Too leads the trio with 6 points. Cicak and Tri-Harder share 2nd place with 9 points. With a discard in hand, anything is possible when we return to racing tomorrow.

With 7 boats representing the Class, the beach catamarans were the largest fleet on water! It was an excitingly close contest as well, with the Nacra 5.8, F16s and Nacra 15 all in red-hot form. After 3 races, Scott McCook’s Nacra 5.8 leads the fleet with 5 points, just 2 points ahead of Uli Braun’s Nacra 15. Uli will be looking to forget the blemish which is Race 3, after 2 consecutive victories from Race 1 & 2. Separated by only a point, the fight for 3rd place is between a Nacra 20 (Kaze Cat), Viper F16 (Bad Influence)and Taipan F16 (Stray Catz). All 3 boats have a poor race to discard, setting the stage for a possible reshuffle in Day 2.

Stay on this page for further updates – see you tomorrow for the final day of racing and CSC Sailing Festival Finale!

Results

BC R1

BC R2

BC R3

Beach Catamaran_sailfest2021

Multihull_sailfest2021

CSC Signature Sunday Series – Round Tekong Race (14 March Beach Catamaran Re-Run)

14th March 2021/in Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing, Signature Sundays/by CSC

Third time’s a charm!

After 2 unsuccessful attempts due to poor weather conditions, we finally completed the Round Tekong Race for the Beach Catamaran Sailors this weekend, concluding all 2021 Signature Sunday Series races. In attendance was a total of 7 boats, a healthy fleet consisting of 2 Taipans, 1 Viper and 4 different Nacra design catamarans. As if blessed by the weather gods, Sailors were treated to beautiful winds and weather, even though thunderstorms plagued the rest of Singapore from 12noon-3pm.

Having won the Round Ubin Race and Felkin Buoy Race, Madfish II was the boat to beat going into this race. However, equipment/rigging issues in addition to a capsize on the course marred their performance, finishing a forgettable 6th after corrected time. In 1st place was the unstoppable Nacra 5.8, taking line honours ahead of the fleet by a staggering 12 minutes. When the numbers were crunched, the solo-sailed Nacra 15 placed 2nd, ahead of defending champions Stray Catz in 3rd. Her record of 2hr 24min 27 secs from the 2018 edition still stands, a consolation as she loses the overall Signature Sunday Series Title to Doug Fimmell’s Madfish II by 2 points. Despite her poor result in this race, Madfish II hung on to her lead 2 points ahead of runner-up Stray Catz, earning her a place on the Challenge Plate. Uli Braun’s Nacra 15 completed the podium in 3rd, also 2 points apart from the Taipan F16.

Congratulations to all the winners – we look forward to concluding the CSC Sailing Festival with another full weekend of racing (SailFest Regatta, 20-21 March) next week. May we be blessed with a clear skies and consistent North-Easterly breeze – see you all on water!

Results

BC Tekong 2021

BC Overall 2021

CSC Commodore’s Cup 2021 (Day 2)

8th March 2021/in Competitive Racing, Commodore's Cup, Regattas, Sailing/by CSC

Rain! Sailors were treated to an exceptional storm building from a South-westerly direction on Day 2 of racing, chasing the IRC and Multihull Classes towards the finish line on the last leg of the Pulau Ubin Course (Race 5). Race Organisers sent the Beach Catamaran and PY Classes to Tekong Buoy instead, a move which saved the Beach Catamarans from getting caught in the heavy rain and poor visibility. Unfortunately the PY Class got the brunt of it, with nearly half the fleet eventually retiring. Scores were kept very close in 3 out of 4 classes, as the podium contenders’ positions get reshuffled after each race.

In the IRC Class, Day 1 leader Adona held on to her lead by the slimmest of margins – surviving an onslaught of good performances from Waka Tere and Born in Fire. Two 3rd place finishes in race 4 and 5 just managed to keep her ahead of 2020 winner Waka Tere by 1 point to secure her victory and IRC Challenge Trophy with a final tally of 6 points. Born in Fire‘s win in Race 4 coupled with runner-up position in the Round Ubin Race earned her the remaining place on the podium on 9 points.

The PY Class was closely contested all the way till the last race, with only a single point separating the podium finishers. Consistency certainly played a big part in Ikaroa‘s successful capture of the Keelboat PY Challenge Trophy, scoring her best performance of a 2nd in race 2 and three 4th place finishes to complete the series on 14 points. Despite retiring in the last race, her efforts were just enough to defend against close rivals and runner-ups, Sapphire Star. Skipper Simon Connor was left lamenting what could have been, considering they lost to Ikaroa in Race 4 by a mere 8 seconds – a result if switched around would have given Sapphire Star the 2021 PY Title. A 10th in Race 4 and retirement in Race 5 saw Day 1 leader Simba slip from 1st to 3rd, breaking the tie with Balqis using her 2 bullets from Races 1 & 3.

A strong finish from Buay Kaola in Race 5 earned the Corsair 970 her only bullet for the series, a sweet end to an exciting weekend. She placed 2nd behind a near-flawless performance from Jaza Too, who succeeds Witblits as the latest Multihull Commodore’s Cup Champion! Great effort and result from Tri Harder, despite a retirement in Races 3 and 5 coupled with being relatively new to the racing , she completed the podium in 3rd overall.

Experience triumphed youth in the Beach Catamaran Class, as Scott McCook’s Nacra 5.8 pipped defending champions Madfish II by a point to claim the Beach Catamaran Title on 5 points after a thrilling 5 races. Nigel Signal’s win in Race 4 threw a spanner into the mix, together with a runner-up finish in Race 5 secured Stray Catz a podium placing on 9 points. After a great first-time outing at the Catamaran Nationals, we are pleased to see the Nacra 5.0 returning for more racing; and placing 4th in a fleet of 7th is definitely an encouraging result.

Congratulations to all the winners, and big thank you to Commodore Deborah Barker for signaling the start of the first Race on Sunday. Additionally, she had also generously sponsored 4 bottles of Prosecco for the winners in each class – news which was without doubt positively received by the skippers and crew.

Thank you all 28 boats for participating in another memorable edition of the Commodore’s Cup – we look forward to welcoming everyone back for the grand finale of the CSC Sailing Festival on 20/21 March 2021 – where we conclude 3 months of solid racing in the prevailing NE Monsoon with the SailFest Regatta.

Results