25th Ambassadors’ Cup 31 October 2026
25 Years of Bringing The World Together – The 25th Ambassadors’ Cup, Silver Jubilee Edition
25 years of Bringing The World Together!
Changi Sailing Club pulled out all the stops to put on a memorable show for this milestone edition, and the weather certainly played its part, putting on a spectacular display of the varying wind conditions that the Club experiences throughout the year. From gusts exceeding 20 knots to completely becalmed, glassy waters, all 41 participating boats experienced a day of sailing like no other.
This year’s event welcomed 16 Ambassadors and representatives from a total of 24 Embassies. The Embassy of Panama and H.E. Sebastian Breton Perez returned to preside over our Silver Jubilee edition, following the resounding success of last year’s event under his stewardship. Recent geopolitical developments and unforeseen circumstances had affected diplomatic attendance, but despite the smaller turnout, the energy and camaraderie throughout the event remained as strong as ever.
Adding a new dimension to this year’s celebrations was the introduction of the Best Dressed Boat awards. Sailors came dressed in their finest nautical attire, while boats were adorned with colourful decorations to mark the occasion. It was wonderful to see everyone embracing the spirit of the Silver Jubilee!
Of the 41 participating boats, seven were visiting from other marinas and yacht clubs. A big thank you to Millennium II, Majabelle, Firstlight, Intrigue of Stornoway, Pascal Go, Sea Monster and AestheSea for making the journey to sail with us!
On the Race Course
Sailors were certainly given a challenging day on the water. An easterly squall brought fierce winds, with some boats battling gusts exceeding 20 knots for up to 30 minutes, making for a thrilling and rather eventful passage towards North Angler.
Once the winds subsided, a significant outgoing tide added to the returning fleet’s woes, slowing progress to a crawl. While most of the light and nimble multihulls managed to navigate the course successfully, much of the Non-Ambassadors’ and Keelboat Open fleets struggled to complete the race within the allocated time limit.
Ambassadors’ Division
Nine boats managed to complete the race, with Team Colombia initially looking to have the upper hand. H.E. Margarita Manjarrez sailed skilfully aboard Firstlight, an accomplished Beneteau First 50 owned and skippered by Simon Piff. Despite crossing the finish line first, she had not established enough of a lead over the chasing pack to hold on to the top spot.
That honour went to Team Panama, led by H.E. Sebastian Breton Perez aboard Adona. The Dehler 38, recently refurbished and helmed by owner/skipper Ad Smit, handled the heavy breeze impressively, establishing an insurmountable lead over the rest of the fleet to claim victory for Panama at the 25th Ambassadors’ Cup!
Completing the podium as the best of the rest was Bound To Please. The Corby 29 sailed with H.E. Damien Cole of the Embassy of Ireland onboard, with skipper Colin Clark providing the Ambassador with a genuine and thoroughly enjoyable sailing experience.
Non-Ambassadors’ Division
In the Non-Ambassadors’ Division, only two boats managed to finish within the time limit: Skybird and Shardana.
Of the two 34-footers, the Dehler 34 Skybird emerged triumphant, sailing an excellent race to take line honours in her division and even catch up with the Ambassadors’ fleet!
Skipper Edwin was quick to commend the Thai delegation for their hard work on the winches, contributing to excellent boat speed and an overall wonderful experience for the crew.
It was double jubilation for Southeast Asia, with Team Philippines aboard Shardana finishing as the only other boat to complete the race in under three hours.
Of the remaining fleet, Team Mexico aboard the beautiful Remington came closest to the finish line and was also the quickest around North Angler, earning a well-deserved third place.
Keelboat Open Division
In the Keelboat Open Division, it was another two-boat affair at the finish line, with IMP and Notus battling it out for line honours.
In a nail-biting finish, IMP crossed the line just four seconds ahead of Notus, but ultimately relinquished the top spot on corrected time. Wild Thing took third place as the best of the rest, finishing just two minutes after the time limit had expired.
Multihull Division
Among the fast multihulls that completed the race, Yeah Baby was the fastest!
Veteran Scott McCook once again demonstrated why he remains one of Singapore’s finest catamaran sailors, taking his Nacra 17 around the course in an impressive 1 hour, 22 minutes and 49 seconds.
Second place went to Twisted Creature, sailed by Kellie and Matt. The pair survived a scare following a near collision with another boat during the squall, but quickly got back into the groove to maintain their position ahead of Chop Chop.
Skipper Jesse Treharne sailed Chop Chop single-handed in the challenging conditions, so kudos to him for completing the course, albeit just outside the time limit!
A special commendation goes to Aether, skippered by Ron Chua. The father-and-daughter duo aboard this compact TwinCat 15 were taking part in their very first regatta! With the support of Jhing and the Operations Team, Aether successfully made the start, stayed safe through the squall and navigated her way around North Angler – all while having fun along the way!
We hope to see much more of Aether at future events!
Trimaran Division
A trio of Corsairs represented the Trimaran Division at the 25th Ambassadors’ Cup. Of the three, Dot Dot Dot was the quickest, while Miss Visayan took home the honours for Best Dressed Boat!
Back racing after a month of maintenance work, it was great to see skipper David Steel back on the water. An unfortunate incident involving Rainbow Dream on the race course was the only blemish on Miss Visayan’s otherwise colourful outing. We were certainly impressed by the effort put into dressing up the boat!
Completing the trio was Soluna 880, helmed by skipper Roy Phua. As an occasional racer, we’re simply glad to have Roy and his team taking Soluna 880 out for a spin and enjoying a day on the water with us.
Celebrations Ashore
Back on shore, the drinks flowed and the entertainment brought everyone to their feet!
The evening commenced with an eloquent address by our Commodore, Deborah Barker, who acknowledged the significance and prestige of the event, as well as the many individuals and groups who came together to make it happen.
Sailors and guests were then treated to powerful vocals and infectious tunes by the charismatic band 10.seconds, while the evening’s food and drinks were expertly provided by the experienced team from Georges.
In a wonderful affirmation of the event’s continued legacy, H.E. Sebastian Breton Perez also confirmed his return to preside over the Ambassadors’ Cup in 2027!
Our Sponsors and Supporters
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the following sponsors for their generous contributions towards making the 25th Ambassadors’ Cup, Silver Jubilee Edition, a success:
- Marine Technology & Construction
- Thiam Building Construction
- Mr KC Chng
- Friends of Simba
- The Handy Expat
- United Airlines
- Georges
- The Luxury Network & Diplomatic Council
Your continued support means a great deal to the Club and helps us keep this wonderful tradition alive.
A Big Thank You to Our People
To the Management Team, staff and student volunteers from SMU Sailing Club who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of the event – a very big thank you!
From the administration and logistics to race management, on-water operations, event preparation and hospitality, every contribution played an important part in bringing this milestone celebration together.
The success of the 25th Ambassadors’ Cup would simply not have been possible without your dedication, teamwork and commitment.
Until We Meet Again
Just 48 hours after the event, I find myself back at my desk, reflecting on Saturday’s festivities.
There is no doubt that the Ambassadors’ Cup is much more than just a sailing race. It is a reflection of the spirit of Changi Sailing Club, our dedication to the sport and, above all, our commitment to bringing people and communities together.
It is the people who truly embody the spirit of this event. From the sailors and diplomats to our sponsors, volunteers, staff and members, everyone has played a part in keeping this tradition alive for 25 years.
As we celebrate this Silver Jubilee milestone, we are once again proud to say that we have successfully brought the world together.
Here’s to the next chapter, and we’ll see you again in 2027!
Changi Sailing Club
Bringing The World Together.
Results
