By Benedict Teo
Siti Mariam Mengin won the gold medal in the Byte category with five points. (Photo 1 © Benedict Teo/Red Sports)
Singapore Armed Forces Yacht Club, Friday-Sunday, December 6-8, 2013 — Siti Mariam Mohd Yusoff Mengin won the Byte category with a total of five points at the 37th StarHub Singapore Laser and 11th SAFYC Byte Championship.
Lu Junrui, who also scored five points, had to settle for the silver because his best performance was a second-place finish in Race 2, while Siti’s best was a first-place finish in the same race.
Sailors from the Byte, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and Laser Standard category faced light winds ranging from zero to eight knots with strong currents. The light winds and overpowering current made it tough to carry out races at the regatta.
Only three races were held, out of the maximum of nine races. However, the third race for the Byte and Laser 4.7 categories was abandoned due to a sudden drop in wind strength, leaving the sailors with no wind to complete the race.
Siti commented: “I felt that there were stronger sailors than myself, but I managed to do well because I was really focused during this regatta. While I was out at sea and I just observed everything around me like the starts before mine and the wind pattern, which was highly beneficial for myself.”
Marcus Ng Yaojie claimed the bronze medal with six points.
Ryan Lo Jun Han, who won the Laser Radial category by finishing in first place for all three races for a three-point total, said: “The most important factor is staying in [wind] pressure, followed by playing [wind] shifts.”
Jillian Lee Sook Ying and Malone Pun Chao Jie came in second and third with nine and 16 points respectively.
In the Laser 4.7 category, Bernie Chin Cheok Khoon narrowly won the regatta with a total of six points after a protest. He edged out Samantha Yom Jingyi, who also had six points.
Even though both sailors were tied at six points, Bernie clinched the gold medal because he has a first-place finish in Race 1, while Samantha’s best performance was a second-place finish in Race 2.
Samantha said: “I feel that two races were too few to portray the skill level and mental ability of the sailors. On the other hand, since the conditions in this regatta were harsh and difficult, it allowed the mental strength of some sailors to shine.”
Following closely behind was Koh Yi Kun with eight points which gained him the bronze.
Joel Tay Wei Jie clinched the gold with nine points in total. Joel attributed his success to how he “reacted to the situation during the race – in pursuing the patches of gusts or reacting to the shifts”.
Caleb Chong took home the silver with nine points, while Jeremy Ong Teng Yuen won the bronze with 11 points.
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