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Published on : 16th Jan 2007
Article by: Sabrina Chew

Splashing through to victory!
StarHub 30th Singapore Laser Open & 4th SAFYC Byte Championship

Proudly organised and hosted by the SAF Yacht Club, the StarHub 30th Singapore Laser Open and 4th SAFYC Byte Championship was arguably the most highly anticipated national ranking regatta this year. Strongly supported by StarHub ever since 2004, this year's regatta saw very spontaneous participation from more than 130 sailors, with more than 15 sailors originating from up to five different countries, including a sailing contingent from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN).

From 8 to 10 December, the three days of regatta saw bustling activity throughout the Club, as sailors arrived in droves to prepare themselves for the ensuing competition while supportive parents stood ready with their binoculars on shore. To the relief of the organising committee and the sailors, the weather for all three days was better than expected during the Northeast Monsoon and it was relatively a breeze through all the races. On the first day, sailors contested in a passage race all the way to Bedok Buoy and back in a test of endurance and strength. It was ultimately won by Herman Nurfendi from NOSS for the Byte Passage Race Open & Byte Ladies Passage Race by Valerie Chia Ying Ying. Subsequently for the remaining two days, fleet racing commenced where sailors had to compete on a trapezoid course each day to achieve the best position and timing. The winds picked up on Day Two between 12 - 15 knots of wind and stretched the sailors' adaptability to the max, resulting in a temporary halt between races. Picking up from a slight disruption of races from the second day, the good conditions of Day Three enabled all races to carry out smoothly.

By the end of the thrilling competition, the sailors have not only tested their wits against weather change, they have also triumphed against the elements of sea and wind.

The Club was a sea of green as the sailors donned the apple green StarHub regatta t-shirt after the regatta came to a closure on 10 Dec at around 5pm. The official closing of the competition was followed by a prize presentation ceremony and dinner buffet. Mr Alex Siow, Senior Vice President for Corporate Sales from StarHub, graced the evening with his presence. He also presented the prizes for the Byte Class while RADM Chew Men Leong, Commodore of SAFYC, presented the prizes for the Laser Class.

There were relaxed smiles all around the tables as the sailors finally let their hair down after three days of intense competition under the blazing sun. Triumphant grins were flashed and victories were bellowed out when the winners were announced. Big winners of the night include the sailors from the RTN contingent, as well as SAFYC sailors who won the first prize for the team award, beating out others like NOSS and RTN. SAFYC sailors such as Joanne Tay and Valerie Chia, just to name a few, also had their hands full of prizes that night. After clinching the third-place honours for the Byte Open and second-place honours for the Byte Ladies Open, Joanne also walked away with the top prize for the lucky draw - a $120 StarHub voucher.

Already in the third year since SAFYC first collaborated with StarHub on this regatta, this year's competition has seen the most number of sailors taking part to vie for the top honours. Gathering feedback from the participants, they felt that the regatta was "truly smoothly run" and that they would "definitely take part again next year".

In sight of this, SAFYC would like to extend our gratitude to StarHub for their supportive sponsorship and assistance in the preparation of the event since two months ago and also all participants who have taken part in the regatta enthusiastically.

Congratulations to the winners, adios until next year!

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