Singapore Straits Regatta Day Two

by Scott McCook on 16 Jan 2004 Day Two. The new race area to the east of Nongsa Point Marina was tested today and as it turned out, was a test of crews and equipment as the short, sharp chop made for a bumpy ride over the three windward/leeward courses. The other two regattas in the Asian Yachting Circuit trifecta have produced different winners. As it’s stacking up now, we might see a different winner for the Singapore Straits Regatta.

There was plenty of action in the A Class as Karakoa carried the battle to Hollywood Boulevard exchange blows on the upwind legs only to have Hollywood Boulevard claim it back downhill.

But perhaps the biggest and most costly battle was between the Malaysian yacht of Peter Ahern YO and Neil Pryde’s Team Hi Fidelity. Yo had rounded the top mark with a slight advantage only to have Hi Fidelity sneak around the inside.

Yo appeared to have a slow hoist as Hi Fidelities well practiced crew had the spinnaker heading up in moments. A small luff from Yo soon changed the course of events as Hi Fidelities spinnaker soon parted company with the proceedings!

Seemingly Yo had the advantage but further down the course, Yo’s spinnaker pole hit the forestay with dire consequences!

If ever there was a giant-slayer, it would be in the B Class where John Ramsden’s JS9000 is showing what a ‘monohull wave piercer’ is all about. The very streamlined 30’ is cleaning up the class.

Starting 5 minutes behind the A Class she is easily overhauling the bottom half of the A Class boats. On one of the downhill legs she even managed to tag a free ride off Hollywood Boulevard’s quarter wave – all the way from the top mark to the leeward one!

The regatta’s most beautiful boat Vera Linda after having such a sterling performance on the way over to Batam, jumped the gun in her excitement to get going and, scored a couple of OCS’s, unfortunately.

C Class has a new leader in the form of Daisy.

All in all, it was a harder slog for the smaller boats and a nice romp for the bigger boats. All crews agreed though, that the three windward leewards and four laps were a lot of work. Although promises last year of a ‘bigger and better’ regatta this years one is missing the traditional swimming pool sessions at the Marina. The whole Marina was booked for an Indonesian Government function and so all the sailors have been housed in the Turi Beach Resort.

Perhaps the Marina couldn’t bear the thought of 30 boat crews mixing it with officials. But whatever the reason, there is a distinct lack of organised partying going on – not a ‘norm’ on the Asian Yachting scene!

The saving grace of regatta is going to be the Northeast Monsoon winds. Last year, the Singapore Straits Regatta was elevated to one of Asia’s windy regattas after organisers shifted the dates to suit the NE Monsoon.

Ray Ordoveza was extremely pleased with Karakoa’s performance today winning three of the races with tidy boat handling and boat speed that didn’t allow Ray Robert’s Hollywood Boulevard enough margin to gain a corrected time win.

Day three’s racing will be conducted in the ‘traditional area’. Tering Bay is a large bay to the west of the marina and is somewhat more protected and so good winds and flat water should prevail. The fleet will also be out of the major flow of a severe tidal stream that flows east west across the top of the island.

Day three’s outcomes could see a different winner yet again as Stella the Sydney 38 has been annoying the large boats with good and consistent results. It remains to be seen whether she can spoil the party.…