14th Singapore Straits Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 4 & Summary

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Ray's Quantum leap forward...
With the return of the North Easterly a promising final day of racing was in store. To gain maximum public exposure the courses were set in front of the east coast park in a small open space between the shore and the ships in the eastern anchorage. Race five got away briskly but the wind decided to play havoc with the race officials by swinging back and forth between North and East throughout the afternoon. Turning the track into a soldiers course halfway through race five and again during race six. Just after relaying all the marks and starting the sequence for race six the breeze swung back and everything had to be redone again before the race could get underway. Consequently time ran out and race seven had to be cancelled which may have been a bit ambitious to have three races in one day.

Racing Class
On the second round Ray Roberts elected to do a gybe set on Quantum Racing at the top mark and found more pressure to seaward of the leaders that chose to hug the coast. By the bottom mark they had overtaken both Mandrake and Foxy Lady IV plus closed the gap on Hi Fi Team Pryde. That was the decisive moment in the yacht race and regatta series all sown up after five races. Neil Pryde's Hi Fi Team Pryde proved once again they are a force to be reckoned with by taking line honours and two second places today to claim second overall. Newcomers on the track the Bremner/Cocks/Singh owned TP52 Foxy Lady IV showed some good bursts of speed to give Hi Fi some hurry up and take third overall. This steep learning curve will benefit the crew immensely. Ray Roberts and Quantum Racing also took home the annual Sir Thomas Lipton Perpetual trophy which is awarded to the yacht which cumulatively places best at the Raja Muda, King's Cup and Singapore Straits regattas.

IRC Class B
While Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic and Pierre Mas' Thompson 6.8m Longtze Premier White went blow for blow at the front of the fleet, lurking in the wings and ready to pounce was Renfred Tay's Platu 25 SMUve. After a disappointing race 3 and 4 dropping them down the order Renfred Tay's crew on SMUve rebounded with a first and fourth to lift them to second overall. Jeff Davison's Panic never deviated from there prime objective and after scoring second and first places today went home with the silverware. Pierre Mas' Longtze Premier White showed signs of sheer sailing brilliance to be at the front of the fleet in the smallest boat but the high handicap had the opposite effect of dragging them down to finish up a remarkable third overall in such a mixed fleet.

J24 One Design Class
Despite Borstnar Vladimir's Angel being recalled at the start of race five they had recovered the lead by the first rounding mark. Most the boats are crewed by trainees from various Singapore clubs that fall short of making a decent challenge on the defending champion and rather race for the minor placing's. After winning all six races Borstnar Vladimir's Angel becomes the 2008 champion and probably holds the record for the most races won in a row over two years. Winfrid Wong's performance on Quarterdeck earned them a narrow second overall by one point from Justin Tan Weizheng's vastly improved RSYC Dua who tied with Ong Chee Keong Alvin's Shengli and had to settle on fourth overall after a count back.

PY Class
Although Borstnar Vladimir's Angel won both the J24 and PY Class he did not have it all his own way when performance handicaps are applied. Justin Tan Weizheng's crew on RSYC Dua won race five and Raphael Phang's Hakuna Matata won race six to finish second and third respectively. It's consistency that counts and by never finishing worse than second earned Borstnar Vladimir's Angel the title.

Summary
The organising committee must be commended for taking on the task of having the entire regatta run in Singapore. I can assure the readers that it is not so easy. Being one of the worlds busiest shipping ports means there is practically wall to wall of ships on anchor, significant reclamation work underway, constant movement in the numerous shipping lanes that criss cross the chart and don't forget the stringent Port Authority regulations that must be complied with. Where to find a clear one square mile patch with deep enough water to conduct keelboat races? A daunting task indeed but the committee pulled it off. As it was the SAFYC's turn to conduct the event they are fortunate enough that the new club faces directly out onto the Singapore Straits and some open areas can be found nearby. With the breeze coming from all directions sheer persistence with a bit of good fortune saw most of the scheduled program satisfactorily completed. Next year the Changi Sailing Club take the reigns and as Commodore Bob Ashman was handed the wheel he vowed to return the regatta to its traditional format and has some surprises in store for next year.

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

14th Singapore Straits Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 3

Go directly to the SSR 08 Photo Gallery

A day of snakes and ladders...
After almost an hours wait the race committee started race 4 with barely enough wind to fill the sails. A light southerly made for a spinnaker start but a minefield of directional changes and parking lots lay ahead. The close to shore coastal course kept crews busy changing sails, moving from side to side with every puff and picking the right wind lines to keep the boat moving in the right direction. The city backdrop had the photographers snapping away furiously and for once the sky was clear and the land basked in brilliant sunshine. Constant fluctuations and eventually changing over to a land breeze saw fortunes rapidly won and lost.

Racing class
While Quantum Racing, Foxy Lady IV and Hi Fi crowded the pin end, Mandrake chose closer to the boat end to start. Even this small separation could prove fatal as the patchy breeze saw the three leaders sail away into the distance leaving Mandrake in her own private parking lot. Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi Team Pryde set the early pace but the Bremner/Cocks/Singh owned TP52 Foxy Lady IV was quickly closing in by the Siglap mark. At one stage Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing got dumped by the way side but made a miraculous recovery when the breeze turned to the north and favoured the yachts closer inshore. After the city rounding mark Neil Pryde eventually had to give in to the unrelenting pressure that the Foxy Lady IV crew were exerting. For the first time Foxy Lady IV helmed by Andrew Crombie with Asian Andy calling the shots hit the lead with rounds of applause and high fives from the assembled Singaporean supporters. With the land breeze picking up in there favour Foxy Lady IV kicked up her heels and made a bee line for the finish taking her first line honours in Asian waters. Ray Roberts is very used to a few ups and downs during yacht races and kept Quantum Racing chipping away at the leaders to record there third handicap win of the regatta. Foxy Lady IV claimed second place and Neil Pryde's Hi Fi dropped to third place. Mandrake disappeared of the radar and eventually scored Did Not Finish.

IRC Class B
Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic led off the startline and took a central course towards the first mark. As the breeze switched on and off the rest of the fleet lay becalmed for a while as the lightweight performance boats managed to keep moving. By the half way point Pierre Mas had pulled off a wonderful coup for the Chinese Thompson 6.8m Longtze Premier White by hugging the shore and picking up the northerly breeze first to establish what was to be an unbeatable lead. This earned the smallest boat in the fleet a first and fastest. Not to be outdone Jeff Davison drove Panic on regardless to make up for the lost ground and secure second place thereby taking top spot on the overall leaderboard. Keith Dunn managed to pick his Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter 2 way through the minefield to score third place and lift them in the overall standings.

J24 One Design Class
Borstnar Vladimir's defending champion Angel just seems to go on relatively unchallenged and claimed his fourth first and fastest in a row. Justin Tan Weizheng's crew on RSYC Dua pulled something out of the blue to finish second and not that far behind Angel. Only three seconds separated third and fourth places with Winfrid Wong's Quarterdeck taking third from Ong Chee Keong Alvin's Shengli with whom they are having a close and exciting tussle for second overall.

PY Class
Organising chairman Jerry Lau has had a few worrying days but found time to take his Ericson 28 WYSIWYG around the course in good time to score the daily double in the PY class. After some handicap corrections Raphael Phang's Hakuna Matata was close enough to topple his J24 buddies to take second place. A big performance by Justin Tan Weizheng's crew on RSYC Dua gives them third place and relegates the overall leaders down the order on this occasion.

Three windward/leeward races are scheduled for Day 4 and the final day of racing. Some overall class leaders maybe feeling comfortable with a couple point advantage but with three races remaining anything can and will happen when your at the mercy of the wind gods. This evening it looks as if the North Easterly has reestablished itself and all going well will produce some good racing for the finals.

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

14th Singapore Straits Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 2

All praise to the wind gods...
A very ambitious 68 mile passage race was set for the racing class and 38 mile course for the rest of the fleet. At 8:30 for the breakfast muster the sea was like glass. By 9:00 a few whispers appeared from the North East and by 9:30 skippers were recalling the crew or rail meat they had left behind as fifteen knots was being recorded across the deck. The starts went off in reverse order and after a short windward work the yachts headed on a long downwind leg into Indonesian waters. No problems crossing the busy shipping separation lanes where 10 ships at any one time are plying there trade in different directions. The racing class quickly sailed through the fleet, rounded the mark and set off on a close reach across the top of Batam Island. That is when the fun started as the fresh North Eastly died completely and left the yachts wallowing on the bumpy sea. For a while there it did not look to good but a promising line of breeze appeared on the South West horizon. A welcome sigh of relief to all concerned when the new breeze quickly built and had the yachts completing the rest of the course in record time.

Racing Class
Neil Pryde managed to scrape Hi Fi Team Pryde around the south cardinal mark before the wind died and ended up being in the best position to take advantage of the new breeze. Almost game over. The rest of the leg turned into a long windward beat but as the breeze steadily increased to 16 knots they looked forward to a 20 mile downwind spinnaker leg with a slight chop to surge them along. In a procession like manner the skippers took different downwind lines and tacking angles into and out of the current which had a tendency to slightly widen or close the gaps but the dice had already been rolled in favour of Neil Pryde's Hi Fi that took the daily double by a healthy margin. Although Ray Roberts finished over forty minutes behind it was enough for his DK46 Quantum Racing to take out second place on handicap. All day the Bremner/Cocks/Singh owned TP52 Foxy Lady IV had a good tussle with Nick Burns and Fred Kinmonth's Farr/Mills 51 Fortis Mandrake with the latter eventually holding there time by a couple of minutes to score third place.

IRC Class B
Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic rounded the first Indonesian mark together with Pierre Mas' Chinese Thompson 6.8m Longtze Premier White. Jeff Davison decided on a course slightly to seaward before the wind petered out while the others were forced to go closer to the shore. When the new breeze came in Panic was in the perfect position and left everyone in their wake. As they rounded the South Cardinal mark the rest of the fleet were either blips on the horizon or lost in the haze. Finishing a massive fifteen minutes in front of the next competitor Jeff Davison's Panic also claimed the daily double. Stuart Williamson's mainly all British team on the Beneteau First 34.7 Endeavour of Whitby either stepped up a notch or lucked in to take second place. Although usually found mid fleet Renfred Tay always has his Platu 25 SMUve wound up on the pace to add third place onto the 1,2 they earned yesterday to lead the overall class standings.

J24 One Design Class
Once again Borstnar Vladimir's Angel took the lead from the start line and increased it at every mark to claim his third first and fastest in a row. Despite getting caught up in the start boats anchor line Winfrid Wong's crew recovered quickly to score Quarterdeck in second place. Ong Chee Keong Alvin's Shengli was always close on there tail and in the end had to settle on third place.

PY Class
Although the J24's are mixed in with this class and carrying different handicaps the result remained the same as the J24 class results. Borstnar Vladimir's Angel way out in front of Winfrid Wong's Quarterdeck and Ong Chee Keong Alvin's Shengli in third place.

Race day three is another passage race. This time allot shorter and along the each coast stretches of Singapore. Spectators wanting to take in some of the action the best vantage points are at Bedok, Siglap and the approach marker area where the boats will be going up and down close to the shore. Providing the wind gods are once again favourable this is the first time the general public will get an opportunity to see racing yachts in action on there doorstep.

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

14th Singapore Straits Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 1

Weaving in and out of the anchored ships...
Five to seven knots from the south west saw the yachts away on two windward / leeward races for day one of the regatta. The SW direction is not predicted this time of the year but stayed long enough for both races to be completed. Several ships are anchored nearby for refueling and a few movements took them directly across the course including the massive MV Kaptanoglu dropping anchor near the middle of the race course. With a bit of skillful maneuvering the yachts managed to weave there way in and out of the traffic and stay out of trouble on the leeward side.

Racing Class
Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing started of where they left off in Langkawi by posting two bullets out of two races. There main aim seems to be to hit the start line with speed, take advantage of every wind shift, keep on the pace throughout the race regardless of placing then cross the finish line as close as possible to the leaders to score a handicap win. Neil Pryde's newly converted Welbourne 52 Hi Fi Team Pryde took both line honours but after handicaps have been applied had to settle on two second places. The Bremner/Cocks/Singh owned TP52 Foxy Lady IV were a little slow to start on there first aggressive outing but as the race wore on they displayed bursts of speed to close in on the leader to finish with third and fourth places and show signs that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming races. Third place in race two for Nick Burns and Fred Kinmonth's Farr/Mills 51 Fortis Mandrake sees them juggle the order and expect a close tussle with Foxy Lady for the podium places.

IRC Class B
A little mix up in the changes to the racing rules had the leading boats going onto complete four laps instead of three. Consequently they ran out of time playing follow the leader and scored Did Not Finish (DNF). Renfred Tay did not make any mistakes and guided his Platu 25 SMUve across the line to take victory in race one and second place in race two. Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic rebounded quickly from there race one DNF to triumph in race two and put themselves back in the running. The Chinese Thompson 6.8m Longtze Premier sportsboats had a good day leading the fleet at various stages allowing Pierre Mas to put Longtze Premier White in second place in race one and third place in race two. Following in her sisters footsteps Thierry Barot placed Longtze Premier Red third in race one to reinforce there dominance in light airs.

J24 One Design Class
Borstnar Vladimir's defending champion Angel is proving a hard act to beat and by scoring the daily double twice today puts them in the box seat at this early stage in proceedings. Ong Chee Keong Alvin's Shengli traded second and third places with Winfrid Wong's Quarterdeck to be the only ones to come within a bulls roar of toppling Angel.

PY Class
To facilitate the sole PY entry Jerry Lau's Ericson 28 WYSIWYG has been bundled in with the J24's and a separate handicap system devised to calculate PY results to keep this class alive. It did not make any difference for Borstnar Vladimir's Angel who picked up both races but a change of handicap may see a different result in the races to come. It also gives the slower J 24's mainly crewed by trainees a chance at taking home a trophy. Justin Tan Weizheng's RSYC Dua scored second and Winfrid Wong's Quarterdeck third place in race one. A mixture of placing's continued with Ong Chee Keong Alvin's Shengli second and Raphael Phang's Hakuna Matata taking third in race two. Unfortunately Jerry Lau's WYSIWYG fell short of the mark in the light conditions and finished up down the order.

Race day two sees the yachts on a long passage race across the Singapore Straits separation zone through Indonesian waters to Buffalo Rock and back again to finish in front of the SAF Yacht Club where it all started. Several gates have been strategically placed so if the wind conditions are not favourable the race can be shortened as required.

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

14th Singapore Straits Regatta 2008
AY Pre Regatta Report

New format for Singapore Straits Regatta...
The regatta is a Singapore Sailing Federation event and this year its the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Yacht Club turn to organise and run the 14th Singapore Straits Regatta (16 - 19th Jan). In previous years the fleet sailed to Batam, Indonesia but in view of the marina reconstruction this year it was decided to hold all the races in the waters off the SAF Yacht Club. A variety of new courses including two passage races in the Singapore Straits have been created to ensure the highest level of competition. Twenty five yachts are lining up in five classes and the North-East monsoon is expected to provide good winds for these top class racing yachts.

Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing and Neil Pryde's newly converted Welbourne 52 Hi Fi Team Pryde have made a quick dash down from Langkawi and they will be joined in the racing class by Nick Burns and Fred Kinmonth's Farr/Mills 51 Fortis Mandrake and the highly anticipated first outing for the Bremner/Cocks/Singh owned TP52 Foxy Lady IV. Both Quantum Racing and Fortis Mandrake are also vying for the annual Sir Thomas Lipton Perpetual trophy which is awarded to the yacht which cumulatively places best at the Raja Muda, King's Cup and Singapore Straits regattas. Our commiserations go to Bill Bremner who would rather be here helming his new boat but instead is in a business meeting in Paris all week and given the reigns to Andrew Crombie who is rather stoked at the idea and a bit nervous at the same time. Don't worry Bill we will keep you informed...

With thirteen entries the IRC B class is the biggest and has a very diverse range of boat designs. David Ross's Swan 53 Frangipani Girl is the biggest and Renfred Tay's Platu 25 SMUve is the smallest. Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic has been on fire lately with relative newcomers Steve Manning's Beneteau 44.7 Walawala from Hong Kong and Stuart Williamson's Beneteau First 34.7 Endeavour of Whitby (Skandia) down from Malaysia having managed podium places at recent events. Leading the Singaporean charge is Hellmut Schutte's Elan 340 Aquavit IV and Gordon Maxted's Young 88 Shoon Fung Too that have won here before. Timo Bretschneider's Reflex 28 Wild Thing, Esben Poulsson's ESSE 850 IMP and Bob Ashman Van Der Stadt Simba are all looking for big performances throughout the event. The first time an entry all the way from Korea has been received from Harold Shim's Admiralty 30 Glory 121 from the 700 Yacht Club. late entries include Lim Cheng Liang's Judy and Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter 2 that won in Langkawi last week expecting to continue with there success here.

Five J24's are contesting the one design class. Borstnar Vladimir's defending champion Angel will be the one to watch. Raphael Phang's Hakuna Matata has been breathing down their neck and Winfrid Wong's Quarterdeck is over due for a win. Ong Chee Keong Alvin's Shengli and Justin Tan Weizheng's RSYC Dua will be out to spoil the party.

The two Chinese Thompson 6.8m Longtze Premier sportsboats that made there debut in Langkawi are making an appearance in Singapore. China Teams America's Cup skipper Pierre Mas will be helming Longtze Premier White and Thierry Barot Longtze Premier Red. Its a pity that some of the big fleet of Laser SB3's based at Raffles Marina don't come out to play and make a decent sportsboat class out of it. The likely hood is that these two Chinese boats will have to join the IRC 1 class on this occasion.

Only one entry has been received for the PY Class Jerry Lau's Ericson 28 WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) who is the busy organising chairman that expressed at the press conference just how hard a job it is to bring everything together including sponsors and run an event of this magnitude in a voluntary capacity. My heart goes out to them and the committee for the good job they have done so far.

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

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