Singapore Straits Regatta - Riding the waves on day 2

by Icarus Sailing Media on 1 Feb 2013 The beginning of day two of the 19th Singapore Straits Regatta found participating sailors at the Nongsa Point Resort and Marina. Built around a natural cove on Batam Island, Indonesia, this is truly a unique waterfront destination offering facilities like no other – sail and power boat charters, skiing, fishing, even a private beach.

From the impressive berthing facilities of the Nongsa Point Marina, sailors set out to ready themselves for the day ahead, and the two inshore races that were scheduled. The sunny weather included some really strong winds, and so those most skilled and experienced athletes would benefit from this combination. The extent to which this would prove a challenge to some participants became obvious early in the day, when one of them was injured and had to be transferred to Singapore for further treatment – which included several stitches on his hand!

Two races were completed today, across all five categories. After four consecutive starts were given, the boats started riding the waves in front of the Resort, some of them achieving speeds that can only be described as truly impressive. Yet for many, this was one tough day – handling a boat and effectively hoisting those spinnakers proved to be especially tricky tasks in today’s weather conditions. For SMUmad team, there was further drama even, when one crew member fell overboard! But the safety boat soon picked her up.

Despite these problems, the races continued as planned, and the very best performances were indeed rewarded. Windsikher was the boat prevailing in the IRC A category, continuing their sterling performance from yesterday with two wins today. In the IRC B category, it was Shoon Fung Too that pulled ahead in the leaderboard by winning today, following a less than stellar performance yesterday.

Later in the afternoon the trophies were awarded to the winners of today’s races at the Resort, and a beautiful reception was organized for participating athletes. And following this brief respite, further competitions were put together towards the evening, this time with makeshift boats! It was a really fun race as everybody would admit afterwards, and effective as a bonding experience, too.

Tomorrow’s schedule includes a coastal race alongside the Batam coast – and after this one is over, the many boats taking part in yet another successful Straits Regatta, will head back to base in Singapore, as the last day of the event looms in the horizon.