Signature Sundays | Changi Sailing Club

CSC Signature Sunday Series 2023 – Round Tekong Race

6th February 2023/in Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing, Signature Sundays/by CSC

Pulau Tekong, also known colloquially as Tekong or Tekong Island, is the second-largest of Singapore’s outlying islands after Jurong Island. Tekong is located off Singapore’s northeastern coast, east of Pulau Ubin. Since the 1990s, the island has been used by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and is generally restricted from public access.

The original 25 km² (6,178-acre) island has undergone extensive land reclamation works for military use on its southern and northwestern coasts subsuming many of its surrounding small islets, including the former 89-hectare (220-acre) Pulau Tekong Kechil (Small Tekong Island). Today the island is estimated to have grown 3 times its original size – reaching an area of about 75 km² (18,530 acres).

Did you know? “Tekong” also means skipper or captain of a small boat.

How fitting, as 19 skippers attempted to circumnavigate the island as part of the CSC Signature Sunday Series and overall NE Monsoon Sailing Festival. The wind arrived early from a northerly direction, that together with a slow rising tide in the morning meant that the fleet made good progress in the first leg towards the northeastern corner of Pulau Tekong. Despite the fluctuating conditions across the course, most of the fleet managed to successfully circumnavigate the island in under 6 hours!

In fact, the fastest boat completed the route in 3hr 50mins 29secs – well done Addiction! Skipper Jeremy Perrier and crew Daniel looked in high spirits going into next week’s catamaran championships, as they prepare to mount a serious challenge for both the F16 one-design and open titles. The defending CSC Cat Champion Doug Fimmell looked rusty on the course, sailing Madfish II to a distant 2nd around the island, just seconds away from Twisted Creature in 3rd, collecting the 3 participating boats in the beach catamaran class. The CSC Signature Sunday Series Challenge Plate for Beach Catamarans was undoubtedly awarded to Addiction, with the fastest times around both islands. Twisted Creature comes in a close 2nd by default, as the remaining 2 boats missed out on 1 passage each. Madfish II emerged slightly ahead of the Nacra 15, claiming 3rd overall with his performance around Tekong.

The bigger multihulls boasts the biggest fleet this weekend, with 4 Corsairs, 1 M23, 1 Firefly and 1 Weta coming together to compete for line honours! A costly blunder of not sailing south of the south cardinal mark (KEES) meant that both Jaza Too and AbracaDeborah score a DNF for this race despite crossing the finish line 2nd and 4th respectively. Meanwhile, huge congratulations to Skipper Freddy and his team on Phoenix! The M23 sailed well to surged across the finish line 1 second ahead of Jaza Too, claiming line honours and placing 2nd on corrected time. A big effort from arguably the most knowledgeable multihull sailor on the smallest boat (Weta) rewarded Scott McCook with a respectable 4hr 40min 2 sec passage timing and victory on handicap correction. After a long break, Damien Geoffray returns to sail with Xavier Glenard on Kaze. With their combined experience, the corsair carved out a good result, completing the podium in 3rd. In the overall results, consistency and attendance is key – Phoenix‘s 6th place finish during the Round Ubin Challenge and 2nd place finish in the Round Tekong Race was strong enough to earn her name on the Multihull Challenge Plate as 2023’s winner. She won the tie breaker with Miss Visayan, whose consistent performance (4th in both races) resulted in a desrving 2nd place. Missing KEES punished favourites Jaza Too, as she settles for 3rd overall just 1 point adrift.

Apart from a shock grounding by Brio (thankfully everyone safe and boat can be repaired), it was mostly smooth sailing from the Keelboat PY fleet. It was also exciting to see the tussle between Olmeto and Southern Light throughout the course, as both boats took turns to lead each other. While the former eventually finished nearly 20 minutes behind, she had done enough to score victory on corrected time, winning the Round Tekong Race in her class. Despite being the fastest PY boat on the course, Shardana did not have a sufficient lead over Olmeto and Southern Light, resulting in a 3rd place finish on handicap. In the overall standings, a 2nd place finish in the Round Ubin Challenge and a win yesterday awarded Olmeto with the 2023 PY Challenge Plate. Southern Light was a close 2nd and Brio earns a 3rd overall with a total of 6 points despite retiring in the Round Tekong Race.

In the Keelboat IRC Class, 5 boats vied for the top spot, with Silhouette leading the charge. The Beneteau First 40.7 while comfortably placing first across the line, struggled to extend her lead on the fleet. Skipper Yimin had to settle for 4th place, behind Jellico, Adona and Waka Tere. Of the 3, Waka Tere emerged victorious by a slim 40 second margin over fierce rivals, Adona. Having won the Round Ubin Challenge back in January, the J29 skippered by Ad Smit had done enough to secure the Challenge Plate in the IRC Class. As the only 2 other boats which have sailed in both races, Waka Tere and Silhouette complete the series in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Thank you all for participating in the 2023 CSC Signature Sunday Series! We look forward to more winds and exciting sailing next week:

CSC Catamaran Championships (11-12 Feb)
CSC Two-Island Race (11 Feb)

Round Tekong Race Results

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CSC Signature Sunday Series Overall Results

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CSC Signature Sunday Series – LHK Round Ubin Challenge

9th January 2023/in Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing, Signature Sundays/by CSC

With the recent dry-ish weather and somewhat consistent NE winds, some sailors were hopeful for a big blow during the Lock Hong Kit Round Ubin Challenge yesterday – the first of 2 races constituting the 2023 CSC Signature Sunday Series. Sadly (and unsurprisingly), an atypical North-Westerly breeze greeted the fleet, coupled with an outgoing tide made the first upwind leg to Serangoon Buoy a most challenging uphill task for all 23 boats participating.

The smallest fleet comprised of 3 beach catamarans. Despite their size, this fleet also boasts the fastest boat to circumnavigate Pulau Ubin in 2023 – Addiction! Her time of 2hr 42min 46sec was sufficient to award her with the first victory of 2023 in the beach catamaran class. Twisted Creature (previously Bad Influence) is Kellie Twigge & Matt Ross’s latest acquisition, swapping one viper for another (presumably faster) to better contend for the 2023 season. They placed a commendable 2nd overall – but will have much to learn on their new machine. In 3rd and just out of podium contention was Zaheera Hashim’s Nacra 15! With the National Catamaran Championships taking place on 11 & 12 February, we look forward to seeing an increase number of catamarans sailing and training over the next few weekends.

In the Multihull Class, we witness the largest congregation of large multihulls since the Trimaran Nationals in 2022! Great to have Corsairs, an M23, a Firefly and a Weta all racing together on the same course. At the top, we welcome back Jaza Too – Skipper Graham Horn has returned after a long break, and is looking forward to being more active in the coming weeks. Coming in a close 2nd is last year’s best Multihull performer, Bula! With most of 2022 being mostly a match-racing series between Bula and Miss Visayan, the return of Jaza Too and introduction of new additions Ragnarok and Kublai Khan to make up 8 boats on the start line certainly bodes well for the Multihull fleet in 2023.

The Keelboat PY Class also had a strong attendance, with 8 boats signing on for the challenge. Unfortunately a rigging issue forced Jonty J to retire, reducing the starting line-up to 7. Despite their best efforts, the strong tide and tricky wind conditions resulted in 2 more boats unable to complete the challenge in the alloted time. Kudos to Nel Blu and Windflirt for giving it their best shot! For the remaining 5 that finished, it was not the top 3 winners that caught our attention. In 5th place, Jen’s Jaunt‘s afternoon jaunt around pulau ubin took a total of 4hr 27min 24sec, only over 2mins short of the time limit! On handicap correction, she missed out on 4th place by a mere 6 seconds to Ikaroa, a Beneteau 381 skippered by another new sailor (Christian Guese) looking to race more often with us. At the peak of the fleet, the smallest keelboat was also the fastest. Brio claimed their first win for the year, beating Olmeto and Southern Light in the process.

It was an intense battle for line honours between Silhouette and Adona. For most of the race, Adona sailed beautifully to lead the fleet around the island. The action began on the northern side of pulau ubin, with the tricky conditions and technical mistakes allowing for overtaking maneuvers on each other all the way to the finish line. Silhouette eventually crossed the line seconds ahead of the J29, but had to settle for 2nd on corrected time – awarding Adona with the LHK Round Ubin Challenge Challenge Trophy 2023. In a distant and comfortable 3rd, well done to Kurt and Gill for circumnavigating Pulau Ubin with Waka Tere 2-up!

Uncle Kit

Many of us knew him as the no-nonsense International Jury that presides over all of our Regattas – maintaining discipline amongst the sailor s during major events such as the Commodore’s Cup and Ambassadors’ Cup. Armed with a glass of his favourite Red Wine, he regularly takes to his “throne” in a comfy corner of the Ubin Lounge, watching the sailors race along the Johor Straits.

We now celebrate his life and achievements with the annual LHK Round Ubin Challenge (His all-time favourite passage race!), one of three signature passage races that make up our club’s Signature Sunday Series.

Thank you all for participating in this signature event, we now take a break for SailGP, Chinese New Year (and Neptune Regatta) before we resume our overseas racing activities with the inaugural Bintan Regatta on 27-30 January 2023. See you in Indonesia!

Results

SignatureSun_LHKRoundUbinChallenge_Results_2023

CSC Round Tekong Race 2022

24th January 2022/in Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing, Signature Sundays/by CSC

After 2 consistent weeks of unbridled NE Monsoon winds, we knew something was going to happen to the weather for the Round Tekong Race – be it a drop in wind strength or a thunderstorm, the conditions are never a 100% guarantee. True enough, the conditions became abruptly becalmed in the vicinity of North & South Angler Buoy, against a significant incoming tide – setting the stage for a thoroughly challenging hook around the southeastern tip of Pulau Tekong. As if that was not enough, sailors had to beat the turning tide around the corner, failing which, participants will have to contend with the outgoing tide on the northern coast of the island, making it a truly uphill task of completing the race within the 7 hour time limit.

In the IRC Class, Born in Fire was one of 3 boats which managed to turn the corner in time, catching the remaining incoming tide to stay within sight of leaders Red Rum One throughout the course. She sailed well to complete the course approximately 25 minutes behind the Archambault 40 – a sufficient margin for her to take the victory on corrected time. Red Rum One‘s efforts rewarded her with the first runner-up position, followed by the 3rd boat which escaped the doldrums, Jong Dee. The remaining 3 boats which struggled in the glassy waters saw an early retirement from Jellico. Her decision to retire immediately placed her outside of podium contention in the overall series. Minx and Waka Tere continued their upstream fight around the Obstacle (Tekong, directly translated – how apt!) – eventually finishing the race in 4th and 5th respectively. The day’s result saw a tight finish in the overall standings – Born in Fire taking the 2022 Challenge plate by winning a tie-breaker with Jong Dee, and 2021 defending champions Waka Tere relinquishing their position to settle in 3rd just 1 point behind.

We see the most casualties from the PY Class, as the challenging conditions resulted in only 4 finishers out of 12 participating boats. Congratulations to IMP, for producing a stellar performance to circumnavigate Round Tekong with the quickest time of 04:42:08. Her victory completes the series on 11 points and an overall 2nd position for the Signature Sundays. Silhouette continues her fine form in the series, notching her second 2nd to also complete the series with 11 points. The Beneteau First 40.7’s lack of a bullet in the Series results in losing the tie breaker and setting for 3rd overall. Sangaree‘s 3rd place finish in the Round Tekong Race was her best performance thus far! It was however not quite enough for the Holland 44 to break into the top 3, cementing her position in 4th with 13 points. Despite finishing last around Tekong, Simba had done enough to seal her win for the PY Class, completing the Signature Sundays on 7 points to take home the 2022 PY Challenge Plate.

Registering speeds quicker than most monohulls, the multihulls and beach catamarans had no issues with the speed bump at north angler, completing the course largely with ease. in the Multihull Class, Jaza Too and Kaze had plenty of tit-for-tat racing throughout the course, as they took turns to take the lead all the way to the finish line. Jaza Too came out on top, completing the Series with an unblemished record to take the 2022 Challenge Plate. Kaze was a deserving 2nd, scoring three 2nds to complete the series with 6 points. Phoenix was the best of the rest – her consistent attendance and a 3rd placing in the Round Tekong Race confirmed her position in 3rd overall.

In the Beach Catamaran Class, we had an inspiring total of 9 boats participating in the Round Tekong Race. Kaze Cat led the fleet from start to finish, completing the circumnavigation in a time of 03:44:51. Her performance awarded her with a 3rd on corrected time, just behind Blue Bomb and Addiction in 1st and 2nd. 2 bullets from 3 races meant that Scott McCook’s Blue Bomb (Nacra 5.0) wins the Series and 2022 Beach Catamaran Challenge Plate despite retiring in the Round Ubin Race. He edges out Uli Braun’s Nacra 15, who slipped to 2nd just 1 point behind after a poor performance around Tekong. Bad Influence‘s 4th place finish brings her series tally to 11 points, just 1 point adrift and enough for an overall podium placing in 3rd. Special mention to all non-regular beach catamaran racers (N15 SGP 117, Cocque-a-cocque, Red Riot) who came out to race today! Glad everyone succeeded in overcoming this obstacle course with little problem.

Congratulations to all the winners – we now take a break for CNY, and will return with another passage race favourite – the Two-Island Race on 5th February. Wishing everyone good health, wealth and plenty of Sailing in 2022.

Results

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Overall Results

BC Signature Overall 2022

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PY Signature Overall 2022

IRC Signature Overall 2022

CSC Round Ubin Race 2022

17th January 2022/in Signature Sundays, Competitive Racing, Regattas, Sailing/by CSC

Following a sensational Felkin Buoy Race, the 2nd instalment of our Signature Sunday Series also did not disappoint, with a steady North-Easterly Breeze fueling sailors’ attempts to circumnavigate the iconic “Granite Island”. After Pulau Tekong, she is singapore’s second-largest natural island – serving as an easy entry-level passage route for our sailors.

Although the wind conditions were fantastic, the outgoing tide proved too much for exceeding personal best times, with only 1 class establishing a new Round Ubin record. Congratulations to Addiction, a Goodall Viper F16 skippered by Jeremy Perrier. She now holds the quickest timing for a Beach Catamaran in recent years, completing the Round Ubin Course in a record time of 01:07:21, beating Kaze Cat‘s 2021 attempt by a full minute. The class also saw 3 retirements – favourites Blue Bomb had to return to shore right after the start, having lost one of her rudders. Babe also suffered equipment damage after a capsize north of Ubin, resulting in retirement. The 3rd retirement was due to a finger injury – thankfully skipper John Simpson on his Nacra 20 managed to return to shore safely and is in stable condition after a quick stitch-up at the hospital.

The Multihull Class had their fair share of carnage, with Buay Kao La returning to their mooring early due to a hard grounding that most likely damaged their centreboard. A Man-Overboard situation from Kaze was quickly recovered, as skipper Xavier went swimming because of a broken tiller extension. Despite their troubles, she still managed to etch out a 2nd place finish, just behind Jaza Too. By default, Phoenix completed the podium in 3rd. In the overall standings, Jaza Too looks like the run away winner, with 2 bullets from 2 races, Kaze faces an uphill challenge to pry series victory from the leader.

More Man-Overboard action took place in the Keelboat PY Class, as Invictus scrambled to retrieve their bowman after their guardrail snapped. She subsequently retired, and it was all smiles back on shore. At the top end of the fleet, it was an exciting 3-way showdown for line honours between Silhouette, IMP & Sangaree. The little Esse 750’s defenses were IMPenetrable, eventually crossing the line ahead of the 2 larger boats. When the numbers were crunched, Silhouette scored their first-ever podium finish in second place. IMP and Sangaree placed 5th & 6th respectively. Simba continued their fine run from last week’s Felkin Race, scoring a victory in the Round Ubin Race to lead the series by 1 point in the PY Class. She will have to keep a close eye on Remington, whose 3rd place finish positions her as the closest contender. We also cannot write off Silhouette, IMP and Sangaree – their consistent performances over the last 2 weekends puts them only a few points adrift from the top 3.

Red Rum One led from start to finish, lapping up the delightful NE breeze in 1:42:04. This was however not enough to beat her personal best of 1:37:45, registered in last year’s edition. Her efforts rewarded her with a 4th place finish, just outside of podium. Jong Dee‘s non-spinnaker circumnavigation of the island may have proved advantageous after all, considering her 4-up crew configuration. She crossed the line just 8 minutes after Red Rum One, scoring her first victory for 2022 on corrected time. Jellico made it look effortless on the course, as the J24 sauntered into a comfortable 2nd place in just over 2 hours. On handicap, she only just edged out 3rd placed Waka Tere by 14 seconds. The same 3 podium finishers are the closest contenders for the IRC Signature Sunday Series Challenge Plate, with defending champions Waka Tere feeling the heat from Jellico and Jong Dee who are just 1 point behind.

Congratulations to all the winners, we are glad all sailors returned to shore safely with minimal casualties. We are looking forward to an epic conclusion this Sunday as we attempt to circumnavigate Singapore’s largest natural island, Pulau Tekong!

Results

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