Bintan Regatta (rerun) 29-30 April 2023

/in , , , , /by

Not too long ago, Changi Sailing Club decided to organize a Regatta off the Lagoi Bay, Bintan, partnering with Bintan Resort Cakrawala and Grand Lagoi Hotel to bring sailors to a new racing destination. Alas, the weather on the weekend of 27-30 January was a little too rough for the participating boats, resulting in the reluctant decision to postpone the race to a later date.

Read all about the event in Bintan here:

Bintan Regatta 2023 (27 & 28 Jan)

Bintan Regatta 2023 (30 Jan)

The rerun of this event took place over the last weekend of April, in the humble East Johor Straits. It was a great opportunity to give the event and its organizers more exposure, as sailors which originally could not take part in January were also invited to participate, totaling 9 Keelboats and 1 Multihull. The wind while unpredictable was sufficient for the race committee conjure 5 races over 2 days, an incredible feat despite the challenges that come with the inter-monsoon season.

In the IRC Class, both Silhouette and Waka Tere raced all 5 races available, keeping the racing close and exciting on the circuit. The former managed to cross the line in 3 out of the 5 races, but did not put enough distance in front of the Nelson 10 for 2 of them, resulting in only a single bullet from 5 races. Nevertheless, the silhouette crew were in high spirits, content with their improved performance over Day 2. Waka Tere were clinical in their technical maneuvers, but squandered the opportunity for a clean sheet having to escape an outbound commercial vessel in race 5 and subsequently incurring a 47 second time penalty. She completes the series with 4 points, winning the Bintan Regatta Challenge Trophy for the IRC Class. Special thanks to old hand Jong Dee, for joining the fray on Day 2 and supporting the event in the IRC Class!

The light breeze were to the little boats’ advantage, as Marut and Brio excelled over the weekend, taking 1st and 3rd place respectively in the Keelboat PY Class. The former survived a late surge from her rivals, securing a much needed win in race 5 to claim 1st position overall on 5 points. Shardana was sandwiched in between on 2nd place, scoring 2 bullets (races 3 and 4) to complete the series on 8 points. Brio was arguably the most consistent of the fleet, scoring podium finishes in 4 out of 5 races, cutting a comfortable figure in 3rd. The Bintan Regatta Challenge Trophy however went to the best performer which participated in the original event in Bintan – Olmeto! The Beneteau Oceanis 320 struggled in the light air, and had a down-down moment in race 1, hoisting the spinnaker upside-down, Despite the hiccups, Olmeto completed the series in a respectable 4th with a total of 17 points.

Last but not least, we greatly appreciate Bula’s continued support for our events despite being the only Multihull in attendance. She takes home the Multihull Challenge Trophy, and we hope she is joined by her multihull friends in subsequent events.

Back on shore, Changi Sailing Club had the honour of hosting key officials from Bintan Resorts Cakrawala, namely:

  • Prakash (GM, Operations)
  • Azmi (Head of Business Development & Operations)
  • Rinto (Marketing / Social Media)

Thank you everyone for joining us over the weekend for the rerun of this event, we look forward to planning the 2nd edition of this event together with Bintan Resorts Cakrawala next year.

Results

Bintan Regatta_MH Results 2023

Bintan Regatta_PY Results 2023

Bintan Regatta_IRC Results 2023

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Load more

Bintan Regatta 2023 (30 Jan)

/in , , , /by

After a night of anxious rest, hopeful sailors were greeted by further rain, dampening the mood at breakfast. The traditional Jong Display scheduled to take place at 8am was unfortunately postponed, as was the scheduled departure for the Marina due to the unfavourable weather.

The weather forecast predicted a few hours of dry weather from 12 noon to 5pm, providing renewed enthusiasm for the Race Committee and participants. However, when the Race Committee departed BBT to scout the route and test the conditions, the short sail revealed that poor visibility was not the only issue for the sailors. upon arriving at the northwestern corner of Bintan, Skybird encountered  20-24 knots of wind with a rough sea state of 3-4 metre swells. The yacht struggled with just half a headsail, and was relentlessly battered by the conditions attempting to head east to the race location. Over at the Lagoi Bay, the operations crew were also face with rolling seas, conditions ill-suited for laying the marks of the course.

With the safety of the participating yachts, sailors and supporting staff in mind, the decision was made to postpone racing for the weekend. The race winners will be decided on the weekend of 29-30 April (Labour Day weekend), where skippers came to an agreement to race in a make-up regatta at Changi Sailing Club to determine the winners for this year’s event. Yachts which did not participate in this event may also participate on 29-30 April, but only the 6 participating yachts will be eligible to win the challenge trophies and prizes kindly sponsored by Bintan Resorts Cakrawala and Grand Lagoi Hotel by Willson.

Sunday afternoon and evening was peppered with activities, from a exhilarating Jong Sailing display (finally!) at Lagoi Bay to rich cultural performances by the local communities at the closing dinner, participants were treated to a multi-sensory experience to conclude a wonderful weekend in Bintan marred slightly by the lack of racing.

Changi Sailing Club would like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing team from Bintan Resorts Cakrawala together with the team at Grand Lagoi Hotel by Willson for the outstanding support and hospitality throughout the weekend. We would also like to thank the participants: Bula, Waka Tere, Minx, Silhouette, Olmeto and Ikaroa for joining us for the inaugural edition of this event. Last but not least, all of this could not have taken place without the efforts and support from the governing authorities, agents and administrative staff responsible for clearing our fleet in and out of Singapore and Indonesia.

See you all on 29-30 April for the final conclusion of the 1st Bintan Regatta 2023!

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Load more

 

Bintan Regatta 2023 (27 & 28 Jan)

/in , , , /by

With the North East Monsoon scheduled to blow strong and true for the period of January to March, Changi Sailing Club was excited to organized a new event at a new location – Lagoi Bay, Bintan.

As part of the Club’s efforts to retain the Nongsa Regatta sailing dates, the Bintan Regatta was conceived as an alternative location and event to the regatta many sailors were accustomed to. traditionally held on the last weekend of January, the Nongsa Regatta could not happen this year due to a clash of dates with the Nongsa Neptune Regatta. As such, a quick turn-around to find an alternative racing location led us to Bintan, Lagoi Bay.

Despite the initial strong interest, lack of crew, leave and abrupt life plans meant that only a fleet of 6 boats could make it to Bintan for this inaugural event. Many thanks to Minx, Waka Tere, Silhouette, Olmeto, Ikaroa, Bula and Kaatabuggi for making time and coordinating crew to make this event happen!

On the day of arrival, wind conditions were near-perfect. North-Easterly breeze blowing strong, coupled with no rain meant that sailors had an enjoyable sail from Changi Sailing Club to Bandar Bentan Telani (BBT). Although the CIQP process took awhile, it was relatively smooth, eventually clearing all participants to take the transport to Grand Lagoi Hotel, the accommodation partners for this event.

At the Hotel, a welcome dinner greeted the sailors, hosted on the 7th floor at bar7 restaurant. the dining outlet boasts a great view of the island, a most appropriate introduction to the 1st Bintan Regatta! The evening was a well-coordinated one, attended by distinguished guests from Bintan Resorts Cakrawala (co-organisers), Bintan Tourism Office and other government agencies. Sailors were treated to traditional indonesian music and dance performances, paired with delicious food prepared by the culinary team from Grand Lagoi Hotel.

Fast-forward to day 1 of racing, the breeze came from a northerly direction, accompanied by a light rain and ominous dark clouds in the horizon. By the time sailors made it the BBT, the visibility had dropped to unsafe levels, prompting the Race Committee to put up the AP Flag, signaling a postponement. After almost 3 hours of waiting, the Race Committee eventually decided to pull the plug, raising the AP over A signal, inviting sailors to close up their boats and return to the hotel for an early rest. The weather showed no signs of letting up, with skies clearing for a brief moment in the afternoon before returning to poor visibility and foamy seas in the evening.

Plans were made to start the race earlier tomorrow, together with a traditional Jong Exhibition display by the locals at 8am. Fingers crossed the weather gets better, allowing for at least 3 races to be conducted before we conclude this inaugural sailing regatta. All the best to the participating teams!

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

No more posts