Sailors turned up at the National Sailing Centre this morning, eager and fresh to compete with 430 others like themselves for the Sentosa Byte and Optimist Championships. Much to their dismay, ominous grey clouds greeted them and it was Category 1 status. Many began rigging up their boats but no sooner had they finish doing so, it began to drizzle and everyone had to seek shelter in the main hall.

The brief shower only lasted a while and the storm blew past yet the damage was done. The wind was simply too light and shifty for the race committee to start the race hence the sailors were kept ashore. However, it was rather heartening to see sailors of all nationalities interact with one another. While many of them sat at the tables and chatted, others occupied their time by playing cards or their PSP. A key highlight was the table tennis table in the main hall where Optimist sailors tried their hand at a different sport. The competition was so intense that it seemed that a mini-Olympic Games was going on.

It was only until past lunch did the wind picked up a bit and the racing committee allowed the Byte-class to launch. They managed to start a race but despite the valiant attempt, the wind was simply not complying; hence the race committee was forced to abandon the race even before the first boat rounded the upwind mark. The Optimist boats launched and were just about to reach the racing area when the wind died down completely. It was then that the committee decided to allow the sailors to head back to shore and retire for the day. Although there were no races conducted today, the sailors did not appear to be disgruntled as they believe that the wind will be more obliging in the next few days to come.

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