SINGAPORE: Marina Bay will stage a new international windsurfing event in January 2011, with Singapore being the first stop for the inaugural RS:One Asian Windsurfing Open.
On January 17, some 30 sailors will have a challenging time during the competition.
The RS One is a transition board between the Techno for the youth, and the Olympic class RSX.
The event will also see the launch of the RSX Evolution class, which will be contested at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Timothy Khoo, President of the Windsurfing Association of Singapore, said: "Windsurfing is traditionally not a very spectator friendly sport because it's out in the ocean, but it's great that we hold it here, everybody can see it's right in the heart of the CBD, so it's really good for windsurfing."
National sailor Audrey Yong took to the waters exclusively for Channel NewsAsia for a demonstration.
"The winds were really light and really shifty and it was a bit hard to ascertain where the wind is coming from, so it was overall a nice experience but I think if there was more wind it would be much better," she said.
Organisers said they got higher speeds at an earlier trial and that top sailors competing at Marina Bay could reach speeds in excess of 20 knots, if the winds are strong.
Organisers are also looking at making it an annual event.
The RS:One event will be held immediately after the Asian Windsurfing Championship which will be held off the East Coast.
The waters of Marina Bay will also play host to other sailing events next year like keel boat racing. The highlight will be the Extreme Sailing Series, to be held in December 2011, where spectators will be able to see 40-feet long catamarans racing against the backdrop of the Flyer and Marina Bay Sands.
