15th
Singapore Straits Regatta 2009
“Another AY Grand Prix Championship Event”
|
15th
Singapore Straits Regatta 2009
“Another AY Grand Prix Championship Event” |
|
SSR 09 Photo Gallery Here
The Racing Class has the usual suspects in Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi-Fi and Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing, with Fred Kinmonth / Nick Burns Farr-Mills 51 Fortis Mandrake rejoining the fold after missing out in Langkawi. Bill Bremner / Andy Cocks TP52 Foxy Lady IV will be making there first appearance at Asian events this season after being foiled by engine problems on the way to the King's Cup. This will also be Sarab Jeet Singh's first racing class outing for his Sydney 40 Windsikher (formerly Foxy Lady III) and despite lacking in size has the advantage of sailing in home waters.
Class B has a mixture of designs ranging from Borstnar Vladimir's J24 Angel that has won here a couple of times before to Chairman of the organising committee Bob Ashman Dehler 39 Simba. Some exciting close racing is expected between the Platu 25's of Christopher Lim's SMUmad, Renfred Tay's SMUve and the three Longtze Premiers of Gaetan Verhegge's Exocet, Thierry Barot's Yellow Dragon and David Salembier's Chrisargo. Three other J24's of Fidelis Tan's Quarterdeck, Jovin Tan's Victory, Richard Ahl / Tim Tan's Juno have contested for many years and like nothing better than a good fight. In the middle size range Roy Tay / Lim Cheng Liang's Mum 30 Judy is capable of springing a surprise and some former Aussie rock stars were noticed on Kenn Eyears Nelson 10m Waka Tere. Simon Piff's Lavranos 34 Rainbow Dream steps up from the PY class and keelboat representative at Singapore Sailing is Gordon Maxted's Young 88 Shoon Fung Too has probably contested the most Straits regattas of all the boats and can be considered the sentimental favourite.
Race 1 starts directly in front of Changi Sailing Club and takes the boats down the Johore Straits, round past the Changi Naval Base and down in front of the East Coast beaches before finishing up at One Degree Fifteen Marina were the Volvo boats are berthed. The first party kicks of at the new Marina Bar and expected to be a big night as it is the last night before the big send off on Sunday. More SSR 2009 news and results can be found at: http://www.straitsregatta.com Online AY
Race Reports with photos can be accessed from: AY Race Reports are proudly sponsored by the following advertisers.
|
Wow!
The North Easterly tradewinds have been pumping in for over a week now
and if it holds true for the weekend both the Singapore Straits Regatta
and Volvo Ocean Race fleets will get off to flying starts. So much so,
that at the SSR race briefing the skippers agreed that an extra crew member
and spinnaker can be carried onboard the yachts throughout the regatta.
Amazingly enough this the second time in a matter of weeks that all the
race skippers have agreed unanimously on a matter of importance.
Racing
Class A 2 or Premier Cruisers will see Hellmut Schutte First 45 Aquavit
5 that did so well in Langkawi taking on David Ross Swan 53 Frangipani
Girl that won the class at the Phuket King's Cup last year. Guz Wilkinson
/ Chris Furness Elan 410 Rikki Tikki Tavi will be joining for
the first time and Brent Morgans First 40.7 L'autre Femme will
be only competing on the first races in Singapore.
Four
yachts are fronting up in the PY class. Leslie Fung's Hanse 315 Todak
2 has preformed consistently in the past. John Ramsden / Sharon Fe's
Elan 434 Sofa So Good have won at other events when the breeze
has been in. Newcomers on the block are Nigel Hopkins Oyster 48 Celere
and Jerome Lau's Bravia 37 WYSIWYG II that are capable of putting
in big performances.
