Singapore Straits held in Indonesia
By AsianYachting MultiMedia

25:01:2011 Although the regatta is a SingaporeSailing event and this year Raffles Marina are the organisers, the entire event is run from Nongsa Point Marina Resort in Batam, Indonesia. This bold new racing format was experimented with last year and comes as a result of an over reactive Singapore Port Authority claiming that is not safe for yachts to race through crowded holding grounds and cross busy shipping lanes. As the land reclamation has almost reached the border it is difficult to hold decent length races in Singapore anymore. Despite having to obtain cumbersome Indonesian cruising permits, twenty yachts have made their way to Batam and are ready to race in five separate classes.

The two top contenders in the 2010-11 AYGP, Ray Roberts TP52 Evolution Racing and Neil Pryde's Welbourn 52 Hi Fi will have to duel it out match racing style as some late withdrawals have left the racing class with only two entrants. With only four events to go in the AYGP the final outcome here will put Ray Roberts and Neil Pryde in an unbeatable position and the 2010-11 Evolution Sails AYGP Skipper and Yacht of the Year awards out of reach of the other contestants.

The five entrants in the IRC B class will have a good battle as they reopen old rivalries. Sarab Jeet Singh's Sydney 40MOD Windsikher is considered one of the top ranked yachts in Singapore and should start favourite here. Rick Pointon's J130 Jing Jing is a newcomer to the region and has placed in the top order at the King's Cup and in Langkawi is expected to break through soon and this could be it. Guz Wilkinson / Chris Furness Elan 410 Rikki Tikki Tavi and Yazid Ramli's Beneteau 42.7 Rip Jaw made a good impression last year. Hellmut Schutte's First 45 Aquavit 5 has placed well before and if the conditions suite are in with a chance.

A very diverse range of yachts have fronted up in the IRC C class. The two SMU Platu 25's, SMUve skippered by Shaun Toh and SMUmad by Ang Yong Tat can never be discounted. Bob Ashman's Dehler 39 Simba and Adriaan Smit's X99 Power Partners are waiting in the wings and ready to pounce. Another newcomer is Glen O'Grady's Young 88 O' Blue Eyes could spring a few surprises. First they will all have to contend with Gordon Maxted's Young 84 Shoon Fung Too that has won here before and narrowly missed out last year with a last race mishap.

Four one design J24's are going head to head again in IRC D. Two Indonesian crews on Nova and Merdeka skippered respectively by A. Wahab and I. Wayan Rusdiana will be taking on the more experienced Singaporean teams of Christopher Lim's Jangan Main Main and Calvin Lim's Shengli. As the perennial winners Borstnar Vladimir's crew are missing this year it leaves the door open for the bridesmaids to capitalise on this occasion.

Three yachts make up the PY class. Malcolm Chang's Oceanis 46 Charlotte's Web, Polliart Roberts Joy, Deanna Adams Beneteau QI.

Weather Routing Inc. (WRI) is the world leader in marine forecasting, providing customized forecasts for a wide variety of marine clients. They are proud to be the official Weather Provider for the Singapore Straits Regatta and offer access to two of our products. The first is a detailed forecast that has been customized for the Regatta itself, with a full weather synopsis and forecast, highlighting potential issues, available at http://www.wriwx.com/races/4753.html Access a preliminary forecast on the morning of the 25th, then daily forecasts on the morning of the 26th through the 29th by visiting the web address. Also create a trial account at their supplemental weather website, Seaweather.net. A special section has been created for the Regatta itself which will show winds, seas, precipitation, and much more. Please setup a trial account at http://www.seaweather.net/raceregister.php?r=spore

This event also marks the conclusion of the three nations S.E.A. Perpetual Cup Series where the Racing Class winner is awarded the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy. As Ray Roberts TP52 Evolution Racing and Neil Pryde's Welbourn 52 Hi Fi have won a regatta each and placed second behind the other, the winner here will decide the eventual outcome.

More info can be found at http://www.straitsregatta.com

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