It seems the weather is now slowly returning to normal, as the North East Monsoon failed to make an appearance for the weekend. In its place, gloomy skies and sporadic showers greeted sailors on saturday, possibly signaling the end of 2023’s NE Monsoon season.
The unpredictable weather and glassy conditions mid-afternoon prompted some beach catamaran sailors to sit out the first race of the Twilight Series, choosing instead to chill on land. Despite their absence, it was still a decent attendance on Saturday, collecting 12 boats across 3 classes for the first race of the series. The wind steadied itself from the north, that coupled with a strong outgoing tide prompted the race committee to put up the green course flag – sending sailors to squance buoy first.
Being the only IRC boat did not stop Kurt and Gill from having a good time on water, as they sailed Waka Tere splendidly to lead the keelboat fleet for most of the race. She was being chased relentlessly by a refreshed Remington – returning from extensive repairs to commence her campaign in the 2023 Twilight Series, PY Class. With the wind on the beam, she had nearly unparalleled speed sailing the course, keeping ahead of traditionally faster boats such as Invictus and Birregurra. Undoubtedly, the S&S 42 secured her first victory for the series, placing ahead of Olmeto in 2nd and Brio in 3rd after corrected time. Bravo Zulu to Olive Oyl for their first foray into club racing – their valiant attempt to complete the race while unsuccessful, will serve as a springboard for the enthusiastic skipper and crew.
The Multihull Class was represented by a trio of Trimarans – Bula, Miss Visayan and Sirius Swift. While it was a close fight between the Dash 750 and Corsair 28, the former’s solo attempt eventually prevailed, placing a comfortable 4 minutes ahead of her larger rival to score the first bullet for this series. With the disadvantage of not having her spinnaker, the Orange Corsair 880 could not mount a serious contest for this race – unable to keep pace with the leaders. We are confident that with her sail wardrobe completed, she will be Siriusly Swift for future races.
Thank you all for participating in the first race of the Twilight Series I – see you next week for Race 2 of the Sunday Series I!
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The Sunday Series I 2023 resumed on 19 March, with a total of 7 Keelboats, 2 Multihulls and 3 Beach Catamarans participating. The winds continue to blow strong and steadily from the North-East, an atypical phenomenon which many sailors are certainly not complaining about. The first race of our club racing season commenced with some thrills and spills on water, thankfully with no major breakages / injuries.
A-loft from the start, Uli Braun’s A-class speedster sailed well ahead of the chasing Viper and Nacra 15. Unfortunately her mast did not stay up for the entire race, with the abrupt dismasting ending his campaign for Race 1. By default, Twisted Creature took line honours, with Balqis II a close 2nd. When the numbers were crunched, Zaheera’s Nacra 15 edged ahead of the Viper F16, clinching the first bullet for this series.
In the Multihull Class, a match race developed between close rivals Bula and Miss Visayan. After an intense upwind battle between the Corsair Dash and Corsair 28, the former obtained a narrow lead rounding Tekong Buoy. She however encountered a strange twist of fate, as her spinnaker formed an hourglass on one of the gybes – providing an opportunity for Miss Visayan to overtake. The Corsair 28 subsequently held her lead and claimed the first victory in her class.
After a poor start during last week’s Lady Helm Race, Birregurra made amends – scoring a near-perfect start in the Keelboat PY Class. Lapping up the 15-18 knots of wind, the Hanse 415 made light work of the course, staying comfortably ahead of the fleet to score first place ahead of Olmeto and Shardana in 2nd and 3rd respectively. On the flipside, the IRC Class’s Waka Tere were missing a few of their regular crew, resulting in a poor start behind the 6 other keelboats. She subsequently clawed her way back into contention, overtaking the under-crewed Minx and putting just enough distance between them to secure the win for Race 1. Special commendation for Minx – a 2-up configuration for most boats definitely would not have considered flying the spinnaker. She carried her kite well during the race despite being short-handed.
Congratulations to all the winners – a great start to the series! We now look forward to commencing the first race for the Club’s Twilight Series I on 25th March. See you then.
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International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. Commemorated in a variety of ways worldwide; it is a public holiday in several countries, and observed socially or locally in others to celebrate and promote the achievements of women.
The IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme seeks to get the world talking about why “equal opportunities are no longer enough” – and can in fact be exclusionary, rather than inclusive. You may find out more about this year’s theme here.
In conjunction with IWD 2023, this year’s CSC Lady Helm Race is held on 11th March, gathering 13 of CSC’s best Lady Skippers for a day of sailing. The weather cooperated, and sailors were treated to clear skies and champagne sailing conditions courtesy of the NE Monsoon. With the breeze blowing consistently, race organizers decided to send participants on a short jaunt to Tekong Buoy and back (Pennant 4).
A is for amazing! Leading the pack were the 2 multihull participants – Miss Visayan and 2022 winner, Jaza Too! Skippered by 2 amazing sailors, Aspiah and Anette – Miss V and Jaza Too kept the competition close throughout the course, with the former finishing ahead by a mere 40 seconds across the line.
The biggest fleet of the course saw 4 J24s and a mixture of various keelboat designs making up the Keelboat PY Class. Amazing Skipper Zaheera Hashim was at the helm of Balqis, sailing the entire course solo! It was a successful attempt, and we are glad to see her holding her own and finishing 6th on corrected time. The podium also featured 2 quick and nippy J24s, RSYC Dua & RSYC Tiga – skippered by Lisette Sens and Nicole Godresse respectively. Their results are their namesakes, with RSYC Dua placing 2nd and RSYC Tiga placing 3rd. Shardana had a great day out, with Claire Canning at the helm. The Dufour 34 sailed a superb race to claim line honours and handicap victory in her class.
Completing the fleet are the trio of Waka Tere, Silhouette and Minx in the IRC Class. All boats have had their fair share of silverware over the past few years, with Waka Tere being the most recently crowned Sailing Festival Champion, Silhouette as the 2022 winner for the Lady Helm Race in the PY Class and Minx the winner of the 2022 Sailing Festival – these boats are not short of achievements! Sailing her way to first place would be Waka Tere, skippered by Fidelis Tan. Shaking off a port-starboard incident at the start, Skipper Laura Pascazio put up a good fight at the helm of Silhouette, earning the Beneteau First 40.7 a deserved 2nd. At the helm of Minx would be Ms Claudette Van Maarschalkerweerd, who sailed the X342 to her best abilities and completing the race successfully despite being under-crewed.
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you all for joining us in celebrating Womens’ Achievements and commemorating IWD 2023 with the CSC Lady Helm Race.
What a most exciting Commodore’s Cup weekend! After the incessant rain on Saturday, Day 2 of racing in the rain felt almost normal. The breeze however did not kick in as early as we’d like, with an abandonment shortly after the start due to the light winds and strong current. When the north-easterly breeze finally settled into position, a pennant 4 course was set for the Keelboats, sending them to Tekong Buoy and back. Sailors new to the area were treated to the infamous tekong tango, as strong currents and light winds from the same direction meant that a significant amount of time was spent tacking in the vicinity of Tekong Buoy. Multihulls and Beach Catamarans were spared the journey, sailing on a shorter course to NP1 instead. After a long and arduous day of varying weather conditions, the race committee managed to secure 2 races each for the IRC, PY and J24 One-Design Classes and 3 races each for the Multihull and Beach Catamaran Classes.
Plenty of thrills and spills across the classes – from ripped spinnakers to mounting CSC 1 at the start line, there was never a dull moment on the course. Post-race, there was much chatter amongst the fleet, with organisers collating down-downs for the evening presentation. The skies cleared on schedule for the prize-giving ceremony held at Tekong Cove. In addition to the Commodore’s Cup, the overall CSC Sailing Festival Leaderboard Results were also to be announced on the same evening, consolidating over 2 months of CSC sailing events in the prevailing NE Monsoon. The Club is thrilled to have Georges as supporting sponsors for this event, providing light bites and finger food on the same evening.
In the IRC Class, Waka Tere kept their composure to complete a clean sweep of the series with 2 more victories in races 4 and 5. The team battled hard to maintain a sufficient lead over an unrelenting Adona, and prevailed. The J29 while out-sailed by Waka Tere, did a commendable job for the weekend despite the challenges, finishing the series as first runner-up with a total of 8 points. Completing the podium would be the exciting X342, Minx. She sailed well to score a best placing of 2nd in race 1, and a total of 11 points overall to place ahead of revered rivals Silhouette and Simba. For the Overall CSC Sailing Festival Results, Waka Tere edged out Adona on tie-breaker! With boat teams scoring equal number of firsts and seconds across all events after discard, this weekend’s victory tipped the scales in the Nelson 10’s favour, awarding Kurt and Gill’s team with the Sailing Festival Challenge Trophy. Despite placing 4th for the Commodore’s Cup, Silhouette’s 100% attendance and consistency across all events have awarded the Beneteau First 40.7 with a well-deserved 3rd.
The newly introduced J24 One-Design Class for this year’s Commodore’s Cup did not disappoint, as we witnessed a late surge and strong performance from Team Balqis in Race 4 and 5 on Sunday, scoring 2 bullets to close the gap with leaders, Jellico. It was however too little, too late, as Jellico’s two 2nd place finishes were sufficient to secure victory with 5 points for the series. A valiant effort from RSYC Tiga, as their consistent 3rd place finishes for the remaining races secured her the final spot on the podium – congratulations!
With 10 boats registered, the Keelboat PY Class was by far the biggest fleet on the course. Leaders at the end of Day 1, Birregurra finally scored the bullet which had previously eluded them, on the short course in Race 5. For the long course to Tekong Buoy, the mighty Brio emerged victorious, making it 5 different winners for all 5 races completed! When the numbers were crunched, Birregurra was the most deserving winner of the Commodore’s Cup Challenge Trophy, having placed on the podium for all races to claim victory with a total of 8 points. Olmeto broke a tie between her and Invictus to claim 2nd place overall on 12 points. Invictus’s performance was also noteworthy – considering the team have had no training this year in the lead up to the event. In the overall CSC Sailing Festival Leaderboard, 2 boats were in contention for top spot – Southern Light and Brio! The former had a slight advantage with her victory at the East Johor Straits Race – placing her just 1 point ahead of Brio to claim the challenge trophy for the PY Class. Strong performances at the Signature Sundays as well as this weekend’s Commodore’s Cup secured Olmeto’s spot on the podium with 19 points.
Apart from hitting CSC 1, torn sails and minor injuries, it was mostly smooth sailing in the Multihull Class. 4 became 3 on Day 2, as AbraCaDeborah retired from the remaining races scheduled. Miss Visayan found a chink in Dinghao’s armour during Race 5, preventing the latter from obtaining a clean sheet for this year’s commodore’s cup. Miss Visayan’s hard work awarded the team with a 3rd overall after a gruelling 6 races. In 2nd place, Jaza Too made do with a patchwork of crew to maintain her position – finishing the series on 10 points. Skipper Graham Horn was however all smiles during the evening presentation, as his full attendance for this Sailing Festival season bore fruit, the Corsair Dash 750 was awarded top multihull for the 2023 Sailing Festival, completing the season with 9 points overall. Miss Visayan was a close second, having completed all races, she claims the first runner up position with 11 points. Dinghao’s victories in the Two-Island, Trimaran Championship and Commodore’s Cup assured her a place on the podium in 3rd.
The fastest boats in the fleet also see a no-show from 1 team, as Madfish II forgoes the remaining 3 races for the event. After a shaky start, the Beach Catamarans lapped up a pennant 0 course, sending sailors on a 2-loop NP1 and CAAS2 upwind-downwind for Race 5. Impressively, it took the fleet less than an hour to complete the course. Despite the exhaustion, Addiction gamely took on the 6th and final race – a short course to changi buoy and back to CSC 1 for 3-loops. Having started after the other fleets have finished, the viper f16 switched into gear and completed the race in a phenomenal 25 minutes, just in time for the evening’s proceedings! Addiction’s endurance and skills prevailed, scoring 4 bullets from 6 races to claim the Commodore’s Cup Challenge Trophy for 2023. Kaze Cat was her biggest challenger, scoring the remaining 2 bullets, to earn her first runner-up on 8 points. Madfish II completed the podium in 3rd. For the overall CSC Sailing Festival results, persistence, endurance and consistency were underscored in Twisted Creature’s Sailing Festival campaign and overall 3rd place finish for the season. Scoring a best result of 2nd in the Signature Sundays, the team overcame multiple capsizes, breakages and injuries over the past 2 months to emerge with 13 points from 3 events. Bravo Zulu, Matt and Kellie! In 2nd place, Madfish II completed the season with 7 points, having participated in all events available. Last but not least, the overall CSC Sailing Festival Beach Catamaran Champion is Addiction! Despite missing out on the East Johor Straits Race, the amazing duo of Jeremy and Daniel conquered the Signature Sundays, Catamaran Championships as well as the Commodore’s Cup to finish this season with an outstanding 3 points.
With that, we conclude the 2023 CSC Sailing Festival and Commodore’s Cup – we hope all of you enjoyed the racing and camaraderie over the many weeks of sailing. Big thank you to our sponsors Georges for serving a delicious buffet for the hungry sailors, and to all participants for joining us over the weekend!
