CSC Commodore’s Cup 2023 (Day 2)
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!
Results
Commodore’s Cup Results 2023 – Day 2
CSC Sailing Festival Overall Standings
2023 Sailing Festival Leaderboard_Final