Singapore Sailing Federation

Starting Out

In 1965, Singapore Yachting Association was founded, with Jack Snowden as its first president. He actively promoted the involvement of Singaporeans in sea sports. However, the history of Singaporeans sailing dates back all the way to 1956, when members of the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club, including Snowden, competed in the Melbourne Olympics.

The success of sailing prompted the government to reward the sailing fraternity by building the National Sailing Centre (NSC) at East Coast Park. NSC was slated to be established as a base for Singaporeans to enjoy sailing as well as to produce international champions. The ground breaking ceremony in 1997 was officiated by Ng Ser Miang, then Chairman of the Singapore Sports Council.

NSC was officially opened by the Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 1999. In 2000 the Singapore Yachting Association adopted the name of Singapore Sailing Federation, also known as SingaporeSailing. This marked the beginning of the corporatising and professionalising of the sport in Singapore.

Formalised Sailing in Schools

The National Optimist Sailing Scheme (NOSS), set up in 1987, actively roped in primary schools in the East Coast and Marine Parade area and devised structured sailing programmes for students with sailing as their Extra-Curricular Activity (ECA). In 1999, the rapidly growing Singapore Optimist Fleet formed a National Optimist Sailing Squad comprising 20 sailors and two coaches. This squad was to be reviewed every six months, and marked the start of a new era of sailing in Singapore where young talents were identified for intensive training.

Unveiled in early 2003, the High Performance Sailing Strategic plan formed the road map for Singapore’s Olympic quest. Teamwork was the essence of the blueprint and in 2004, SingaporeSailing launched "Power of One”, a conference.

A performance watershed occurred in mid-2005. The 420 pair of Teo Wee Chin and Terence Koh won the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships, the first Asian team to get the gold medal in the championships since its inception 35 years before.

Sustainability

The Federation believes that as custodians of the sea, they are responsible for raising the next generations of ocean ambassadors.

Following the General Assembly's adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the Federation committed itself to sustainability and actively spearheads programmes and initiatives to support the cause. One of its primary goals is to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas, and marine resources due to its proximity and close relationship with the sea and ocean. Careful management of these resources is a key feature for a sustainable future.

The Federation spearheaded its sustainability efforts and environmental initiatives in early 2018 with its Clean Regatta at the Singapore Youth Sailing Championship 2018. The clean regatta fulfilled 10 key initiatives and achieved Bronze certification from Sailors from the Sea – the world’s leading conservation organization that engages, educates, inspires and activates the sailing and boating community toward healing the ocean. Initiatives included a beach cleanup, minimising single-use plastic bottles, deployment of more water-refilling stations, composting food waste, and organising beach cleanups, among others.

Sustainability remains to be a critical part of the Federation’s DNA. With 2018 being the Year of Climate Action–an initiative by the Singapore Government–the Federation has made the Climate Action Pledge for a more sustainable future.