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NewsAsia, 6 Feb 05 Seletar reservoir hosts first speed windsurfing event for 90 sailors by Patwant Singh SINGAPORE : The government recently opened up reservoirs for water sports like wakeboarding and canoeing. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is windsurfing. A first ever speed windsurfing event was held at the Seletar reservoir over the weekend, and the surfers really enjoyed the calmer waters. Two main events were held for some 90 sailors, including a few from Thailand and Malaysia. The calm waters certainly a breeze for the sailors as they got a taste of sailing in fresh water. On Saturday, sailors took part in the Seletar Speed Crossing to decide who gets the title of "Singapore speed king". Winning that tag, former national 470 sailor Tan Wearn Haw, who switched sports about a year ago. Tan recorded a speed of 47 kilometres per hour over the 300 metre course. Though tied with Wang Yew Peng, the 26-year-old won on countback, with Wang settling for second spot. But victory in the end really belonged to the sport...with its new venue. Tan said: "Nice backdrop, golf courses all around, something which we don't normally see at East Coast where we normally sail. "This is actually a world class venue. In Europe they actually do races in fresh water lakes, so it's not new elsewhere." On Sunday, a fun speed dash was held. Participants raced, not only on water, but also had to dash across a line on land to finish the race. Earlier in the day a similar race was held for the juniors, those under 19. Fun aside, the event is a precusor to more of such races in the future. Organisers, Seletar Country Club, have been running a windsurfing programme for a year now. Ismail Mohd Taha, Chairman of Sports Committee at Seletar Country Club, said: "We collaborated with the Board Sailing Association of Singapore to bring more live into the reservoir. We invited the board sailors to come try out sailing in flat waters, inland. And with the northeast monsoon blowing, the winds has been quite constant." And the winds of change are certainly sweeping across the sport. The use of the reservoir will also help the Board Sailing Association of Singapore promote the sport to more enthusiast. - CNA links Related articles on Re-creation in our wild places |
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