The SSF Annual Awards, which was inaugurated five years ago as part of The Next Leg – the blueprint for advancing sailing in Singapore – is the Federation’s effort to recognise not just outstanding sailors and coaches, but also officials, volunteers and clubs who have contributed to sailing development in Singapore.

This year’s edition, which saw some five generations of sailors gathered together including past SSF Presidents Col Seah Peng Yong and Mr Low Teo Ping, was graced by several prominent figures both from and outside of the local sporting and sailing industry, including Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong; Mr Ng Ser Miang (Patron of the Singapore Sailing Federation); Dr Ben Tan (President of the Singapore Sailing Federation); Mr Peter Lim (Advisor to the Singapore Sailing Federation) and many others.

The special evening opened with a welcoming speech from Dr Ben Tan who delivered a very heartfelt message before the guests. Shortly after, the 28th SEA Games Singapore Sailing Team was unveiled by Mr Rupert Ong, Vice President for High Performance.

The sailing team representing Singapore in this year’s games, which will be held in June, comprises:
· Elisa Yukie Yokoyama & Samantha Neubronner – (420 Female)
· Loh Jia Yi & Matthew Scott Lau – (420 Male)
· Colin Cheng – (Laser Standard Male)
· Victoria Chan – (Laser Radial Female)
· Colin Cheng, Scott Glenn Sydney & Ryan Lo – (Laser Standard Team Racing Male)
· Victoria Chan, Elizabeth Yin & Jessica Goh – (Laser Radial Team Racing Female)
· Darren Choy & Jeremiah Yeo – (470 Male)
· Savannah Siew & Amanda Ng – (470 Women)
· Leonard Ong – (RS:X Male)
· Audrey Yong – (RS:X Female)
· Anthony Kiong, Stanley Chan, Colin Ng & Roy Tay (Reserve) – (Keelboat Fleet and Match Racing Male)
· Jovina Choo, Daniella Ng, Dawn Liu, Terena Ng & Chrislin Lee (Reserve) – (Keelboat Fleet and Match Racing Female)
· Griselda Khng & Sara Tan – (49erFX)
· Bernie Chin – (Laser Radial Male U19)
· Samantha Yom – (Laser Radial Female U19)
· Daniel Ian Toh – (Optimist Male)
· Jodie Lai – (Optimist Female)
· Daniel Ian Toh, Jodie Lai, Muhammad Daniel Kei, Koh Yi Nian and James Koh – (Optimist Team Racing)

The night continued on with Mr Rodney Tan, current Vice President of the Singapore Sailing Federation, going on stage to share the storied past of the Singapore Sailing Federation; how the Singapore Yachting Association came about in 1966 and how it developed over the years, and he also introduced the various key pioneers whose decisions and actions back in the 70s, had set the firm foundation for what sailing was built upon.

Next up, the highlight of the night – the awards presentation ceremony – took place onstage, with the Guest of Honour Mr Goh Chok Tong handing out the awards to the respective winners. This year, nine categories of awards were included, and the nominees for these categories were carefully selected by the SingaporeSailing Awards Sub-Committee.

Sailor of the Year: BERNIE CHIN CHEOK CHIN
Most Improved Sailor of the Year: FINIAN LEE TZE YANG
Rookie of the Year: JODIE LAI XUAN YI
Coach of the Year: JACKSON HO GUO WEI
Club Coach of the Year: XU XIAO DONG
Official of the Year: MERVYN KWOK CHAN PHONG
Volunteer of the Year: JUSTIN KOH SEE GHEE
Team of the Year: TEAM RED DOT (Maximilian Soh, Christopher Lim, Russell Kan, Justin Wong, Andrew Paul Chan)
Club of the Year: SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES YACHT CLUB

Apart from celebrating the successes of SingaporeSailing’s sailors as well as recognising their coaches, the Annual Awards Night is also dedicated towards acknowledging the selfless commitment and efforts of their volunteers and officials, who have all played vital roles in the development of sailing in Singapore – as it is also through their contributions that the sport is able to grow and flourish.