Good Friday Ketam Cruise 2022

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The easing of SMMs and overall relaxation of restrictions has been a positive influence on the sailing community. A good example would be our recently concluded Good Friday Cruise, which involved a fun race circumnavigating pulau ubin against wind and tide. Slingshot positioned herself at Serangoon Buoy to finish the fleet, a spot which rewarded the captain and crew with an unexpected catch! (refer to photos).

Apart from a call from the authorities to remind our sailors not to enter Malaysian waters – the afternoon went smoothly. Thankfully the weather wasn’t too terrible, and most boats successfully made it to the finish line and subsequently the anchorage before sundown. Special mention goes to Clytie – for sailing single-handed with spinnaker up silently into the anchorage, after dark!

We had a total of 15 boats on water, with 9 boats staying overnight in Ketam Channel. Thank you all who joined us, at some point or another:

  1. Red Rum One
  2. Bolina
  3. Sequin
  4. Marut
  5. Miss Visayan
  6. SDF
  7. Kaze
  8. Jaza Too
  9. Annupuri
  10. Clytie
  11. Birregurra
  12. Olmeto
  13. Bula
  14. Ganesh
  15. Slingshot (that’s us!)

With the rubber dinghy tagged along, it served as a convenient transport for team Slingshot to visit some of the boats in the channel after dark, in what was likened to a traditional pub crawl. Fantastic to see 3 solo sailors which stayed overnight, all confident sailors, on very different boats. Basil Byrnes on Birregurra (Hanse 415) was snuggled in nicely at the eastern corner, and the two under 25ft boats (Marut & Clytie) side by side in the main bay. We hear one of them had to make 51 tacks and 5 gybes in total to get to the finish line – what a feat!

As I made my way through the channel, hopping from boat to boat, I realized that these were all maiden visits for me! It was such a treat, visiting Birregurra, Ganesh, SDF and Marut – with each captain so accommodating to have us onboard and share stories of their travels. Time passed quickly (no doubt hastened by the immersive conversations), and the night ended close to midnight for us.

We were woken up by the sharp patter of rain in the early morning, resulting in temperatures going down and shelters going up. Though fleeting, it was a welcome relief from the heat, as we slept well in the remaining hours of the morning. After a hearty breakfast of wraps and leftover pasta, Slingshot departed for CSC, bringing an end to this short but satisfying cruise.

Once again, thank you all for joining us – Happy Good Friday everyone!

Results

Keelboats

Multihulls

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