Invisiron 21st Ambassadors' Cup 2022

After a tumultuous 2 years of Covid restrictions, Changi Sailing Club is delighted to finally resume the annual Ambassadors’ Cup in 2022, celebrating its 21^st Anniversary on Saturday, 5^th November. First introduced in 1999, the event was the brainchild of the late H.E Tony Siddique, a sailing enthusiast and renown figure in the Diplomatic Corps. Now firmly established as the Premier Sailing-Social Event in the local sailing calendar, the Ambassadors’ Cup gathers the Diplomatic and Sailing Community together for a day of sailing and revelry at one of the most scenic locations in Singapore.

H.E Carlos Vasquez of Peru is the presiding Ambassador for the latest edition, and like his predecessors, spared no effort to organize a most memorable celebration of international friendship through sailing.

Racing

A record number of 32 Ambassadors and 44 Embassies participated, spread across the 46 Keelboats in the Ambassadors (32) and Non-Ambassadors Divisions (14). Inclusive of the Cruising Catamaran, Trimaran, Weta and Beach Catamaran Divisions, we had a grand total of 54 boats participating.

In true Ambassadors’ Cup fashion, the day was fraught with a heavy downpour and very light winds. Sailors and Guests were put to the stern test of the Singapore doldrums. Although the skies cleared in time for racing in the afternoon, the winds struggled to gain any momentum, leaving the fleet of 54 on a slow crawl to North Angler and back. The Race Committee eventually made the decision to shorten the course at North Angler – hopeful that the remaining outgoing tide from 2pm-3pm would help most of the fleet to finish.

While effective for the first 11 boats in the Ambassadors Division, the trailing fleet struggled to make it to North Angler, with many retiring once the tide had turned. Placing first both across the line and on handicap correction, H.E. Magdalena Bogdziewicz of Poland sailed a superb race on Born in Fire, skippered by Thomas Reckefuss. Coincidentally, Born in Fire was also the winning boat at the 20^th edition, making it 2 consecutive wins! H.E. Agustin Garcia Lopez Loaeza of Mexico raced hard on Red Rum One, but did not manage to overtake the X99. They however did well enough to score 2^nd place, placing ahead of H.E. Ms Rukhsana Afzaal of Pakistan aboard the majestic Firstlight after corrected time.

In the Non-Ambassadors’ Division, despite the shortened course route, none of the boats were able to finish within the time limit, resulting in executive decision being made to extend the time limit by 20 minutes. With the time extension, Balqis and Team Philippines were the first to cross the line, followed by Team Indonesia on the nimble Notus. Both boats excelled where the cruisers could not – in flat waters and sputtering winds.

Collecting the Multihull divisions was the Cruising Catamaran (Firefly), Beach Catamaran (Addiction), Trimarans (Annupuri, Miss Visayan and Snark) and Weta (Tantrum, Gogga and Delta Flyer) classes. While the Miss Visayan and Snark made a valiant attempt to complete the course, only 6 boats managed to successfully overcome the challenging conditions to finish in their respective classes. Bravo Zulu to Addiction, Annupuri, Firefly and Tantrum for winning in their respective classes.

Unravelling the Revelry

At 4.30pm, with most of the flotilla back on the moorings, a cocktail of Pisco Sours and ice-cold beers awaited on shore, much to the delight of the thirsty sailors. What followed was the Prize-Giving Ceremony – graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr Albert Chua, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before the Prize-Giving Ceremony commenced, a photo montage tribute for the late H.E. Tony Siddique was share with all in attendance, serving as a heart-warming reminder of his contributions to this event, greater diplomacy and sailing in Singapore.

Fast-forward to the Party, the FJD Band consisting of an international team helmed by lead vocalist Helga turned up the tempo on the dance floor, belting out popular latinx numbers to get participant grooving through the night – a fitting conclusion for the 21^st Ambassadors’ Cup!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following sponsors:

Title Sponsor: Invisiron

Gold Sponsor: Odyssey Marine
Co-Sponsors:

ACE Fish Market
Alexseal
Oceanlink
Asia Pacific Breweries
Mr KC Chng
Mr Patrick Ang
The Luxury Network + Diplomatic Council

Finally, a huge thank you to all sailors and distinguished guests for celebrating the 21^st Ambassadors’ Cup with us!

A special shout out to the visiting yachts for sailing from Clubs and Marinas across the island (and Batam!) to participate, we hope you had a most enjoyable race and party.

Once again from all of us at CSC, thank you for joining us in Bringing the World Together.

Results:

21st AMBASSADORS CUP RESULTS_updated9Nov22