Singapore National Sailing Championships 2014 - Day 1
by Icarus Sailing Media 6 Jun 2014 17:58 BST
5-8 June 2014
Welcome to Singapore, a city state with a perfect blend of economic growth, infrastructure, life style and character. And what a place to enjoy outdoor activities. Sailing is one of the most well established sports here and the bustling waterfront has hosted numerous championships and world titles. The National Sailing Center is at the heart of this explosion of interest in sailing and we’re here for the national championships, which has attracted all the top names.
On day 1, grey clouds over the race courses signalled a difficult day for all the competitors. And so it was, with strong winds and gusts up to 15 knots, big clouds and a lot of rain. Tricky for the sailors, but not enough to dampen their spirits.
Singaporean sailors are particularly strong in the 420 class, with a recent string of top results on the world stage. Kimberly Lim and Savannah Siew have the experience and the talent while Yukie Yokoyama and Samantha Neubronner are keen newcomers already showing form in the class. Kimberly and Yukie were both Optimist World Champions, and a few days ago they raced together in the Singapore Youth Olympic Festival along with another World Champion , Bertha Han, so they are all friends, and rivals. But it was another World Champion among the fleet, Loh Yi with Jonathan Yeo, who took the lead using the strong winds and difficult conditions to their advantage.
The competitors in the singlehanded Laser Radial and Laser 4.7s rushed out to the starting line, keen to race. Boat to boat battles, full hiking, close rounding and intense moments under the grey skies were the order of the day. In the Laser Radial Alistair Young has the lead over the fleet with an astonishing 4 bullets back to back. In Laser 4.7 Bernie Chin and Matthew Scott are sharing the lead scoring two bullets each and two seconds both.
In the other race area, the RS:X riders ruled the waves. These guys thrive on strong winds. Leonard Ong blasted to the top of the leaderboard with a full house of bullets. A great performance.
Today was just the beginning of the fight for the title in all these classes. There’s a long way still to go with many races to follow, so stability and consistency will be the key for success. We’ll have more action in our next report. Don’t miss it.