SB20 Singapore National Championships at Raffles Marina
by Raffles Marina 18 Oct 2022 13:24 BST
15-16 October 2022
Cruising along the waters outside Raffles Marina - 2022 SB20 National Championships © Raffles Marina
The SB20 National Championship took place on 15 and 16 October 2022 at Raffles Marina. This is the second time the regatta was held since Covid-19 restrictions eased, comprising 10 races across two days.
Over the weekend, 43-odd sailors - 12 boats took to the seas to compete for the reign of the SB20 National Championship. This regatta was inaugurated in 2009 and has been organised by Raffles Marina for the past thirteen years and will continue to be as one of the marina's yearly signature regattas.
Raffles Marina, Singapore's premier mega yacht marina with country club facilities at the western tip of the island organised and hosted the event for the twelfth time. It has been the home of SB20 sailing since the boat class arrived in Singapore some 16 years ago. The Club plays host to frequent club races of the SB20 Association and other notable regattas such as the SMU-RM Western Circuit Sailing Regatta and Mayhem Regatta.
Boats who fought for the championship included last year's National Champions, the National University of Singapore's "Purple Patch", previously helmed by Riji Wong and now by Daniel Toh, and "Zorro", known for their consistent dominant performance, helmed by Nicholas Cocks.
Another boat eyeing the prize was "TARA" with Agoston Sipos at the helm this time around. They came in runners-up in last year's National Championship under Magnus Ekbom's helmsmanship and were raring to retake the crown they last wore three years ago.
Race officer Jonathan Kwek efficiently set the racecourse off the waters of Raffles Marina for this championship and the races started on time. Spectators and supporters got a full view of the race off Raffles Marina's breakwater, where their iconic lighthouse stands.
Both days of the competition saw superb weather with decent winds as the sailors gave their best to secure a lead in the race. The first day was a heated one as no one boat saw dominant performance throughout the six races they completed.
The first race was taken by TARA, the second by Luminus and the third by Xtra Mile 2. The winds were a boon for boats to sail faster, but also an encouragement for more competitive racing resulting in many heated moments between boats rounding the top mark.
The second day was eventually dominated by TARA, who clinched two out of four race wins and came in second for the other two races. Purple Patch showed great performance as well but fell behind Zorro for races 7 and 10. Luminus had a great first day but could not seem to keep their consistency in day two.
After the two days of intense racing, TARA successfully reclaimed the crown, close second was Purple Patch and in third was Luminus. It was an intense competition with a roller coaster of emotions with many teams clinching winners of respective races, showing the hunger the sailors brought out to sea to get ahead of the rest.
Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to sailors who took part in the SB20 National Championship and we look forward to the next edition in 2023.