Keelboats raced in Singapore

Over the years, fleets have waxed and waned until recently the Swedish, designed X99 and the J24's have had strong fleets which met the requirement for six entries to have their own prizes for races within the race. The following boats are regularly raced in Singapore; X99, J24s, J36, Platu, Mumm 30, Mount Gay 30, Young 840, Magic 25, JS9000, X332, Dehler 39, Reflex 28, Sydney 36, Farr 40.

In the past, RSYC sent a Dragon and crew to the Melbourne Olympics. The last of a once strong Dragon fleet only stopped sailing in the 1990s.

Can anyone tell us where to find an example of the once popular local cruiser, the Hong Lim?


Keelboat racing calendar

Keelboat Racing Calendar

Regattas:

 Singapore Straits Regatta (January) www.straitsregatta.com
 Monsoon Cup (February) www.csc.org.sg
 RSYC Regatta (July) www.rsycregatta.org
 Western Circuit Sailing Regatta (August) www.rafflesmarina.com.sg

The season is governed by the weather with the Singapore Straits Regatta being held in early January to catch the NE monsoon breezes. The NE monsoon is supposed to start in November and end in March but over the last few years due to global warming elNino and more the monsoon has started late and finished late. CSC is well placed to enjoy NE winds so they hold their Monsoon Cup regatta in February. When the winds swing to the southwest the clubs on the western side of Singapore enjoy better winds.

RSYC holds its regatta over two weekends in July and Raffles Marina hold their regatta known as the Western Circuit Sailing Regatta in August over three weekends. All clubs are invited to participate in each other’s regattas which are good fun with lots of camaradie.

Footnote on the seasons

North-East monsoon season - November to March
Northeast winds prevail, sometimes reaching 20 km/h. Cloudy conditions in December and January with frequent afternoon showers. Spells of widespread moderate to heavy rain occur lasting from 1 to 3 days at a stretch. Relatively drier in February till early March. Also generally windy with wind speeds sometimes reaching 30 to 40 km/h in the months of January and February.
Inter monsoon season, pre South-West monsoon - April to May
Light and variable winds with afternoon and early evening showers often with thunder.
South-West monsoon Season - May to September
Southeast/Southwest Winds. Isolated to scattered late morning and early afternoon showers. Early morning " Sumatra " line squalls are common. Sumatras form on the leward side of the main mountain range after midnight. The line of thunderstorms can stretch for 30 to 50 Nm bringing strong winds and heavy rain. Hazy periods.
Inter monsoon season, pre North-East monsoon - September to October
Light and variable winds. Sea breezes in afternoon. Scattered showers with thunder in the late afternoon and early evening.


IRC Handicap Certs

Yachts must have either a PY handicap, given and administered by the clubs and/or a valid IRC Certificate to enter races. Here is how. Please complete the form and return it to info@singaporesailing.org.sg and the office will contact the RORC office in the UK on your behalf and obtain a certificate which is valid for one year . It takes about at least 2 weeks and there is a charge.

With effect from 1 July 2005, the Asian IRC countries ( Brunei , Hong Kong , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore and Thailand ) the certificate year will change to ‘South', the same as Australia and South Africa .

2009 SOUTH IRC certificates will be valid till 31 May 2010.

More information from http://www.rorcrating.com/

Weighing & Measuring

To obtain an IRC certificate you do not need to get your boat weighed and designers numbers suffice. However for a major regatta you may wish to get your boat weighed to lower your rating noting that boats with time get heavier rather than lighter. The host club will normally arrange for weighing and SingaporeSailing owns a load cell which they hire out to clubs for this purpose. Clubs should contact SingaporeSailing at 64444 555 for further details. The charge for the loan of load cell is S$52.50 for each boat. (inclusive of GST).

Singapore sail number allocation

SIN 1, SIN100, SIN 101 and many of the lucky 8s have been taken. Here is how to get your legal number.

Contact SingaporeSailing, they will get your details register you and forward you a number. There is a nominal charge to cover administrative costs.

You may also ask your club to get the number from SingaporeSailing on your behalf.

In the past, the issuing of numbers has been somewhat adhoc so there has been no record kept but SingaporeSailing has researched all the Clubs and is aware of most of the numbers currently in use. With effect 1 April 2003, the standard keelboat numbering system will be SIN followed by 3 digits. The first digit will be 2. The 2nd will be the year that you registered (3 for 2003) and the 3rd will be a sequential number.

Sail Number Application Form

SingaporeSailing Keelboat Certification

With the help of the Clubs, SingaporeSailing has produced a scheme for certifying the competency of keelboat sailors similar to the RYA schemes but tailored to suit our tropical sailing conditions. The scheme will be administered by SingaporeSailing and driven by the Clubs. Watch this space for further updates

Private Power Boat Driver's Licence - a must have for boats with an engine

A must if you want to take charge of a boat with an engine. Courses are held at CSC, RSYC, SAFYC and RM. Contact the Clubs for further details, you must if you want to take charge of a boat with an engine.

Regional Builders

If you would like a traditional timber built yacht, then go to Pulau Duyong in Kuala Terengganu or for a hot racing machine DK Composites www.dkyachts.com in Malacca.