Team Philippines claim DBS Marina Bay Cup for third time

by Singapore Sailing Federation on 18 Sep 2017 Team Philippines were crowned 2017 DBS Marina Bay Cup champions for the third time, beating Team Finland 2-0 in the final.

Eight international and local sailing teams competed in the annual DBS Marina Bay Cup, the biggest match-racing sailing event in Singapore. Into its third year and held from 14-17 September at the Marina Bay coinciding with the Formula One weekend, this year's edition included participants from Australia, Finland, Hungary, Japan, Philippines, USA and host Singapore.

Held in a round robin elimination format, teams had battled hard over the past two days, racing six matches each before the final day of competition.

Wind was consistent throughout the day, allowing the organisers to complete the round robin matches by noon before running the semi-finals/finals.

Team Finland, who finished the round robin competition with a 6-1 win-loss record, looked good for the title after sweeping aside Team Japan 2-0 in the semi-final. Helmed by Jon Eriksson, they were the most consistent on the waters of Marina Bay, taking out opponent after opponent throughout the three days.

In contrast, the road to the final was not an easy one for Team Philippines. Unlike in previous years when they were clearly one of the better teams in the field, they struggled through the round robin stage, losing to Team Finland and Team Japan. Following that, they needed to come from a point down to beat Team Hungary in the semi-final.

However, they turned up the style in the final, narrowly taking the first match in the best of three series before building on that confidence to take the title for the third time.

“After the round robin stage, we knew we were up against really good competition this year,” said Team Philippines skipper Ridgely Balladares, who also won the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore.

“But we stuck in there and the crew was focused on the task at hand. It is amazing to win again and it has been an amazing year for us. For sure, we will be looking to win the title for a fourth-time next year!”

Proudly sponsoring the third successful run of the event, Ms Myrna Poon, Senior Vice President, Group Strategic Marketing & Communications Division, DBS Bank said, “DBS would like to congratulate the participants of DBS Marina Bay Cup for a successful showing at the Bay. Together with the DBS Marina Bay Sailing Programme, we hope to provide the public with opportunities to enjoy the view of the bay from a different perspective, and showcase its possibilities!”