On the 17th, 18th and 24th of august, BBBS took part in Raffles Marina’s Annual Western Circuit Sailing Regatta! Our sailors trained hard while keeping in mind the lessons learnt from RSYC’s sailing regatta, to prepare for this race. BBBS sent our SB20s namely, Sticky Beak and XOCO for this year’s regatta. 

For the first time in BBBS’s race history, XOCO had an all women’s team for the first day of the regatta!

XOCO preparing for a spin hoist nearing the downwind mark.

Here’s what Lyanna, a crew member of XOCO had to say about her experience during the regatta: “Sailing on XOCO for the first time was an eye-opening experience as this year’s Western Circuit Sailing Regatta brought us strong winds which pushed us to limits beyond what we were used to. The struggles of our crew taught us the importance of teamwork when the situation demands us to keep our composure and tackle one issue after another. With clear communication and instructions given by our helm, our team managed to conquer all races successfully. All in all, this year’s well-organized race earned us a memorable experience and we’re excited to participate again next year if the circumstances permit.”

XOCO saw a steady improvement in their performance over the 3 days though there were changes, approved by the race committee, in their crew due to unforeseen circumstances.

Sticky Beak did come in second place on the 2nd and 3rd day of the regatta. They showed steady improvement in terms of sailing technique and race strategies across all 3 days of the regatta. 

Sticky Beak preparing for a spin hoist nearing the downwind mark.

Here’s what Zunaied, a crew member of Sticky Beak has to say about his experience:

“The regatta was a great learning experience, sailing alongside very capable sailors. It fostered healthy competition among everyone, which for sure made everyone better sailors. Apart from sailing, the organizing group made the event better with unnoticed nuances, such as providing cold drinks for the sailors, after they made their way back to shore from a tiring day out at sea, and many others. Given the chance, I’d definitely take part in the WCSR once more next year.”

Overall Our BBBS had a fulfilling race experience with many new lessons learnt. Apart from sailing techniques, core values of BBBS together with skills such as effective communication were emphasized. Our racers hope to come back in better shape in future regattas!