Please select your home edition
Edition
April May June Leaderboard Q2 2023
Product Feature
TEMO-450 Electric Outboard
TEMO-450 Electric Outboard

Singapore Straights Regatta - Race 1 & 2 Sydney 38 leads.

by Jonathan Hebert on 11 Jan 2001
The new Hong Kong based Sydney 38 Stella leads after first two races of the 7th Singapore Straights Regatta.

Race 1 and Day 1 of the 7th Singapore Straits Regatta kicked off in slight to medium airs approximately 2nm southwest of Raffles Marina at 1200 hours. After a brief 3 hours and 31 seconds, DK 42 slid across the finish line, taking home line hours bragging rights and an overall 2nd place finishing on handicap for Racing Class A. DK 42 is Malaysia's latest high-tech entry to try her luck in the Perpetual Cup Series, following hot on the heels of Gotcha Lagi, another Malaysian entry that has fared well on the circuit over the past few years.

With a solid breeze building consistently out of the northeast throughout the morning, it appeared as though the 25-strong fleet of yachts was due for a rare treat, and that the organisers of the Regatta really knew what they were doing by moving the event back to a mid January start when the northeasterlies are generally consistent and strong. However, it was not to be. As the time inched nearer to the noon start, the previously strong airs began to weaken, almost as on cue from the ghost of Regattas Past. While white caps and frothy spray were not quite the scene on the race course, a moderate breeze fluctuating between 7 and 9 knots was just enough to give the racers a fair kick in the stern and set them on their way. Jumping out to an early lead was a wise tactic today, as the predictable drop in wind that often rolls around during the mid afternoon did not disappoint. By 1430 hours the wind was fluctuating between 4 and 7 knots and the bulk of the cruising yachts found it tough going in the slackening airs.

The course for Race 1, thanks to a last minute change courtesy of the MPA, was a slightly disappointing and very common windward / leeward sausage course that saw the fleet tacking upwind and flying kites downwind a few too many times. Regardless, the standard track was in all likelihood an appropriate beginning for many of the yachts whose crew members hadn't logged in too many hours on deck together. The Singapore Straits Regatta, like most sailing events in the region, sees a real mixed bag of sailing talent in the crew make-up, with just enough rock-stars, bankers, lawyers, publicans and freeloaders to make it an enormously interesting crowd, both on deck and really in the pub.

While the less than strong airs might have had a sobering effect on the photographers and observers, the competition was still red hot, with 5 boats in Racing Class A finishing within 2 minutes and 15 seconds of each other. Even tighter yet, Neil Pryde's Hi Fidelity from Hong Kong NARROWLY nipped Ray Roberts' Australia Challenge over the line by a single second, with Stephan Ludwig's 80-foot Swan, Sayonara, sneaking in just 12 seconds ahead of Hi Fidelity.

While the Gods did not bless this day with the freshening winds that every sailor must have been praying for, nor did they abandon the fleet altogether. The airs were moving - just enough - and the overwhelming majority of the fleet finished well within the allotted time permitted. The best start ever? No. But a good one anyway? You bet!

Provisional Results Prior to Protests:

Racing Class A

Place Yacht Name Skipper Name Country Time Corrected Time Race 1 Overall

First Place Stella Warwick Downes Hong Kong 03:00:47 11964.241 1 1
Second Place DK 42 Johannes Waimer Malaysia 03:00:31 12953.876 2 2
Third Place Hi Fidelity Neil Pryde Hong Kong 03:03:16 13074.244 3 3
Fourth Place Jenny III Jeffrey Leow Singapore 03:15:33 13410.819 4 4
Fifth Place Australia Challenge Ray Roberts Australia 03:03:17 13504.316 5 5

Related Articles

Salcombe YC Sailing Club Series race 6
A brilliant course set within the harbour Race officer Paul Engelmann set a brilliant course within the harbour, wisely avoiding the temptation of sending the fleet into the Bag.
Posted on 4 Jun
14th CIC Normandy Channel Race underway
A spectacular start as the Class 40s put the pedal to the metal After a little less than a week on show in the port of Caen in northern France, the crews were more than excited to put pedal to the metal! In teams of two, ultimately some 60 sailors set sail today on the 14th edition of the CIC Normandy Channel Race.
Posted on 4 Jun
Allianz Regatta 2023 overall
Hosts Netherlands win four gold medals and France do the Formula Kite double Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken had 49er gold in the bag heading into the final day of the Allianz Regatta and were joined on the top step by Duko Bos (ILCA 7), Maxime Jonker (ILCA 6) and Luuc van Opzeeland (iQFOiL).
Posted on 4 Jun
11th Hour Racing Team completes podium
In The Ocean Race Aarhus In-Port Race 11th Hour Racing Team has finished in third place in the Aarhus In-Port Race, extending its lead on the In-Port Race leaderboard by 2 points over rivals Team Malizia.
Posted on 4 Jun
Celebrate with Henri-Lloyd
60th Anniversary Collection Join Henri-Lloyd as they mark their 60-year journey with an exclusive limited edition collection, meticulously crafted to embody their enduring commitment to innovation and quality.
Posted on 4 Jun
The Ocean Race In-Port Race in Aarhus, Denmark
Biotherm and WindWhisper are the winners on a day of comebacks The sun was shining on Sunday, as it has been throughout the entire Aarhus stopover, and that meant a building sea breeze would be the order of the day for the In Port Racing programme.
Posted on 4 Jun
J/70 Corinthian World Cup overall
White Hawk by Gianfranco Noè wins first edition of the event Unusual conditions for Lake Garda have dictated the fate of the last two days of the J/70 Corinthian World Cup which, after the six races held in the first two days, comes to an end with a "double" no-race due to lack of wind.
Posted on 4 Jun
Ancasta News: Beneteau GT Offer
Yachts for Sale | Prep your Boat | Sell Your Boat If you are looking to get afloat this season, this is a fabulous way to redress the balance of current higher interest rates, and enjoy an easier first year of happy ownership!
Posted on 4 Jun
Team Holcim-PRB announce Leg 6 crew
A sprint to The Hague; 800 miles to get back to the lead The Leg 6 of The Ocean Race will be the shortest of this edition, with only 800 miles from Aarhus to The Hague, rounding a buoy in front of the German city of Kiel.
Posted on 4 Jun
Winners crowned in GKA Big Air Kite Worlds
Untouchable Losserand rides out of her skin to land stunning victory Swiss rider Camille Losserand was the architect of a remarkable upset when she won the world title in the Surfboard division at the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships in Tarifa, Spain.
Posted on 4 Jun