12th Singapore Straits Regatta 2006
AY Race Report 5 & Summary

The final countdown...
The last race took the fleet from Batam in Indonesia back across the busiest shipping lanes in the world, to Singapore's east coast finishing up at the new SAF Yacht Club in Changi. Two classes relied on this crucial result to determine the eventual winner. The mixed placing's to date show how competitive the racing has been. Although the expected strong North Easterly monsoon is noticeable by its absence, quite miraculously right around start time a breeze has appeared each day which allowed racing to proceed and the entire eight race program has been completed.

Although Neil Pryde's Hi Fi Team Pryde did not have it all their own way this time around they managed to defend the title and cap it off with a fifth win in the final race. Nick Burns Mandrake scored a third place today but continues to play the bridesmaid role and need to improve their crew work if they expect to overtake the indomitable Team Pryde at future events. Bill Bremner's second place today lifts Team F5/Foxy Lady into third overall and nudged Robert Knight's DK46 Drumstick back to fourth despite them scoring two wins in the series. Drumstick's grounding in race three and a more consistent effort is required for them to climb to the top of the podium.

The win here for Neil Pryde gives them the Sir Thomas Lipton Perpetual Trophy which is a aggregate of points awarded on placing's in the Raja Muda Regatta, Kings Cup and the Straits Regatta. It also gives them a significant points advantage in the 2005 - 06 AY Grand Prix Championships which can be viewed at: http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP05-06.htm

It might have something to do with his name but Jesus Avecilla's brand new Selma Star / SK Shipping has steadily got better as the regatta went on and after closing in on the early leaders a second place today sees them march off with the title. The light conditions helped the slippery Platu 25's come to the fore with Richard Ahl/Tim Tans Platu 105 magnificent win today giving them a slight edge over Bob and Judy Howison's Teko who went out on a flyer to concede defeat in the jaws of victory and end up third overall. This left the door open for Graham Lind's Sumatra to score a welcoming third place in the final race.

After a bad start to the series, Simon Piff's Rainbow Dream cleaned up with four wins in Performance Handicap class despite only scoring a fourth place today. Jerry Lau's WYSIWYG started off well but mixed placing's in the windward leeward races and a third place in the final race relegated them to second place. Simon Conner's run of second and third places leaves Scarlet O'Hara in third spot. A win today for Chee Siong Yin's Red Baron came a little to late and leaves them in fourth place overall.

Coming into the final race with a one point advantage Vladimir Borstnar's SMUVE second place today to Wildon Goh's Quarterdeck sees them tied on points for first place overall in Class F One Design. With the final race win the tie was broken on countback in favour of Wildon Goh's Quarterdeck. Raphael Phang's gallant efforts on Hakuna Matata keeps them in third spot overall.

And so ends a very enjoyable Singapore Straits Regatta for another year. By tightening up on a few race management procedures the event will run smoothly and the racers will not have anything to complain about. The present format of racing in both Singapore and Indonesia organized by the yacht clubs on a rotating basis is quite unique and diverse in nature that more visiting yachts should consider taking part in.

Full SSR 06 results are posted at: http://www.straitsregatta.com/results.htm

12th Singapore Straits Regatta 2006
AY Race Report 4

Scrambling up the points...
As the regatta draws to a close a mad scramble to tally up the points and see what is needed on the last day of racing is taking place around the pool at Nongsa Point Marina. Similar circumstances to yesterday saw race six away after a short delay and the eager IRC 2 class have three general recalls before race officer Khoo Boo Sun called for a black flag start that caught three yachts over the line and told to leave the course immediately.

Robert Knight's DK46 Drumstick rebounded with a first place in race six and Bill Bremner's Team F5/Foxy Lady managed a second place in front of Neil Pryde's Hi Fi Team Pryde to draw high fives all round. Neil Pryde's crew were not rattled as they put the accelerator down and scored their fourth victory of the series in race seven. Nick Burns Mandrake scrapped back into contention with a well earned second place and Robert Knight's Drumstick had to settle for third place on this occasion.

Jesus Avecilla's Selma Star / SK Shipping continued on with beginners luck to claim race six although at time of going to press a protest was pending that may well effect the outcome. Jeremy Muller's Sydney 32 Scallywag slipped into second place and Richard Ahl/Tim Tans Platu 105 secured a place on the podium with a well earned third place. Race seven saw Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter II score a victory and overall leader Bob Howison's Teko stay in the lead with a second place. Jonathan Mohony's Mumm 30 Happy Endings has slipped down the rankings since his race one win but came back with a handy third place in race seven.

In Performance Handicap class Simon Piff's Rainbow Dream added a further two wins to his scoreline and Jerry Lau's WYSIWYG two second places elevates them into second overall above Simon Conner's Scarlet O'Hara that could only manage two third places today.

Class F One Design saw Vladimir Borstnar's SMUVE add two more wins to his tally and elevate them to the top of the leaderboard by a mere point over Wildon Goh's Quarterdeck who could only manage two second places today.

Raphael Phang's two third places on Hakuna Matata keeps them in third overall and can only watch on as SMUVE and Quarterdeck fight it out for the title on the final race tomorrow.

Full SSR 06 results are posted at: http://www.straitsregatta.com/results.htm

Once again, if you found this AY Race Report enjoyable, please forward it onto your sailing friends or better still get them to freely Subscribe to the fully automated Online AY Circulation List at: http://asianyachting.com/subscribe.asp

12th Singapore Straits Regatta 2006
AY Race Report 3

Sorting the men from the boys...
A long port biased start line with a untoward cross current played havoc with the competitors today. Several yachts were caught over the line early and two general recalls resulted in the IRC 2 class before race five got underway. A light North Easterly sprung up almost like clockwork for the twelve o'clock start time which picked up through the afternoon for the scheduled two races to be completed.

Neil Pryde's Hi Fi Team Pryde rounded off a good day by adding a further two wins to their tally and take a commanding overall lead in IRC 1. Nick Burns Mandrake followed suite with two second places that drops them down to second place overall. Bill Bremner's Team F5/Foxy Lady and Robert Knight's DK46 Drumstick exchanged third and fourth places during race four and five to respectively keep them in that overall order on the points table.

It was a different story in IRC 2 with Jesus Avecilla's brand new Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star / SK Shipping taking the honours in race four and Bob Howison's Teko in race five. Keith Dunn's Lunchcutter II sailed a good fourth race to finish up in second place in front of Richard Ahl and Tim Tans Platu 105. A second place for Platu 105 in race five keeps them within striking distance of the leaders in the overall points standings. Jesus Avecilla's Selma Star / SK Shipping finished the day with a third in race five to complete a very successful day on the water for the new boat owners.

In Performance Handicap class it is a case of follow the leader. Simon Piff's Rainbow Dream scored two wins and Simon Conner's Scarlet O'Hara two second places. Yesterdays leader Jerry Lau's WYSIWYG could only manage two third places that drops them down to third overall in the standings.

The gang on Vladimir Borstnar's SMUVE pulled two wins out of the bag to break Wildon Goh's winning run on Quarterdeck and put themselves within one point of the overall leader in Class F One Design. Raphael Phang's Hakuna Matata traded second and third places with Quarterdeck to improve their position and open the door for SMUVE to even up the standings.

Full SSR 06 results are posted at: http://www.straitsregatta.com/results.htm

12th Singapore Straits Regatta 2006
AY Race Report 2

Painted ships on a glassy sea...
Once again the north easterly failed to materialise and crews sat around in the steamy heat for over an hour before enough breeze appeared for race officer Khoo Boo Sun to get the fleet away. It was an early start to the day as the sailors had to clear customs and immigration then make their way across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world to the start line laid in Indonesian waters to the north of Batam. Thankfully the breeze filled in across the course for a running start to take place and slowly switched over to a afternoon seabreeze as the storm clouds built up over in distant Singapore. Good advantage for the big boats at the front of the fleet.

Neil Pryde's Hi Fi Team Pryde rebounded after yesterdays disappointing two third places to pick up the daily double of first and fastest. The big boats got richer as the smaller ones were becalmed during the change over and could only watch on as they disappeared into the distance. Nick Burns Mandrake claimed second place and Bill Bremner's Team F5/Foxy Lady in third to make the three leading boats all tied on seven points after three races. For Robert Knight's DK46 Drumstick it was a case of the vessels draft exceeding the depth of water (Drunstuck) who remained stuck on the reef and watched most the fleet sail by before retiring from the race.

In IRC 2 the slippery Platu 25's came to the fore with Bob Howison's Teko taking the honours over Richard Ahl and Tim Tans Platu 105. Jeremy Muller's Sydney 32 Scallywag sprung back into contention with a handy third place. Although Jonathan Mohony's Happy Endings finished in sixth place today, they are presently tied for the overall lead on 10 points with Bob Howison's Teko.

The Performance Handicap class saw Jerry Lau's WYSIWYG get back on their winning ways with Chee Siong Yin's Red Baron entering the equation with a handy second place. Simon Conner's Scarlet O'Hara scraped though to finish up in third spot.

Wildon Goh's Quarterdeck added another win to their tally to make it three in a row to lead Class F One Design by the proverbial mile. Vladimir Borstnar's SMUVE in second spot has traded places with Raphael Phang's Hakuna Matata to have a slight advantage but both will have to do allot better to catch Quarterdeck in the overall standings.

More info and full results will be posted at:http://www.straitsregatta.com

12th Singapore Straits Regatta 2006
AY Race Report 1

We are up and running...
Although the predicted NE monsoon failed to show, after an hour and half delay a welcoming eight knot South Westerly appeared on the horizon and much to the sailors delight racing got underway.

The entrants have been further scrutinised and ended up being divided into four classes. Being the only premier cruising yacht here, Geoffrey Hill's Lyons 49 Strewth has been included with the big four that form IRC 1 Racing Class and to even up things the smaller yachts with a handicap rating less than 1.070 make up the 13 strong IRC 2 class. Four yachts are contesting Class E Cruising - Performance Handicap class and six J24's are in Class F for One Design competitors.

A short windward / leeward race was completed off Singapore's west coast which was followed by a passage race through the busy shipping lanes and around the land reclamation areas to the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club. An almighty thunderstorm gave the fleet a good drenching after the race as they made their way to the yacht club.

A change in the form book saw Nick Burns Mandrake win the first race and Robert Knights Drumstick take out the second race with Bill Bremner's Team F5/Foxy Lady filling two second places in front of Neil Pryde's formidable Hi Fi Team Pryde who usually excel in the short races. Only seconds separated the podium places which opens up the event and ensures that some close and exciting racing is yet to come.

A mixed bag of results filtered in from IRC 2 with Jonathan Mohony's Happy Endings taking the honours in race 1 with Bob Howison's Platu 25 Teko in second and Richard Ahl's Platu 105 taking third spot making it a small boat affair. Race 2 saw the bigger boats come to the fore with Kent Goeking's X-99 Solarmax scoring a bullet and Jesus Avecilla's brand new Beneteau First 36.7 claiming second spot. Jonathan Mohony's Happy Endings slotted into third place and leads the table with a slight points advantage.

The Performance Handicap class saw Jerry Lau's unpronounceable WYSIWYG (What u see is what u get) clinch first place in race one followed by Simon Piff's Rainbow Dream and Simon Conner's Scarlet O'Hara in third. Simon Piff's Rainbow Dream turned the tables in race 2 and ran away with the victory in front of Simon Conner's Scarlet O'Hara and Jerry Lau's WYSIWYG ended up in third.

All in all, a mixed day of results sees an interesting pattern emerging and makes for some exciting racing to come over the next four days.

More info and full results will be posted at:http://www.straitsregatta.com

12th Singapore Straits Regatta 2006
AY Pre Regatta Report

2005-06 Season roars back into life...
After a joyous festive season racing resumes in the SE Asian region with the 12th Singapore Straits Regatta. Twenty nine boats in six classes will go under starters orders on Wednesday 18th. Commencing at Raffles Marina on Singapore's west coast the racers will first have passage races to the Republic of Sing Yacht Club then across the Straits to the Riau Yacht Club at Nongsa Point Marina in Indonesia. After two days of concentrated windward/leeward racing they will then return to Singapore's east coast and finish up at the new SAF Yacht Club at Changi on the 22nd Jan.

The organising committee are looking forward to some awesome racing in Singapore and Indonesia's blustery Riau Islands over the coming week. In IRC 1 Bill Bremner's Sydney 40 Team F5/Foxy Lady, Jonathan Mahony's Mumm 30 Happy Endings and Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter II are keen to place well at their home regatta but may find the going tough as they face a formidable line up from Hong Kong. Neil Pryde's Farr 52OD Hi Fi Team Pryde, Nick Burns Farr/Mills 51 Mandrake and Robert Knight's DK46 Drumstick have shared all the podium places at earlier events and are expected to continue on with their battle royal.

With fourteen yachts entered in IRC 2 it is the biggest class by far competing this year. Mainly comprised of locally owned J24's, Platu 25's and various cruiser/racers usually plenty of action is expected and some individual grudge matches will be settled amongst the competitors. Tom Bonehill's Magic 25 Loaded should do well in the line honours stakes but handicap honours may well come down to Graham Lind's Oyster SJ35 Sumatra, Gordon Maxted's Young 840 Shoon Fung Too, Jeremy Muller's Sydney 32 Scallywag and Kent Goeking's X-99 Solarmax.

Seven one design J24's are lining up and it's anybodies guess who will come to the fore this time round. Bob Howison's Platu 25 Teko has out performed other Platu's over the years and yet again could well end up the best of the rest.

Geoffrey Hill's Aussie team on the Lyons 49 Struth have had allot of success and fun competing on Asia's major events this season and expected to put in another big performance in the Premier Cruising class.

A watch maker with a deep nautical heritage, PANARAI are welcomed onboard as the main sponsor and Indochine are hosting the final prize giving at its Forbidden City Restaurant plus Brewerkz, and Docusearch are supporting sponsors.

More info and full results will be posted at:http://www.straitsregatta.com

Follow your favorite teams progressive tally on the 2005 - 06 AY Grand Prix Championships at: http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP05-06.htm