Raja Muda 2016 – round the cans in Penang

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 25 Nov 2016 For those of us who have been there before, the Penang Inshores have a fearsome reputation for being the day that you get nothing but sunbathing for several hours, and then a bit of sea breeze maybe, followed by a mad scramble to squeeze in two races to fill the card.

Lo! and behold, yesterday’s programme looked like starting on time with an uncharacteristic land breeze on offer – which then died, backed near 180 degrees, and re-established as a 10kts sea breeze from due west. Racing started just about a half-hour behind schedule, and PRO Jerry Rollin was very happy to get away two races for the Racing classes and one for the Cruisers, as per the ticket.

In order to make the most of the available on-water assets, the PRO set up a wide-ranging cruising course ‘around the outside’, and then put a 1.8nm leg windward-leeward course in the middle of it; a very effective arrangement.

Kevin Whitcraft’s TP52, otherwise known as a PT52, and still named THA72, came out to play in the new one-boat TP52 division. Having started with Class 1, they then hooked the top mark with their keel and dragged it 300-odd metres before cutting themselves loose and retiring. This may have been a unique occasion, with a boat scoring 2 points (fleet + 1) in a 1-boat race.

Meanwhile, on the outer course, some unscheduled mark moving caused some confusion at the sharp end of Class 2 (Antipodes) which was happily resolved when the big blue SC72 romped home to win by 7 minutes on corrected and took the view that a protest was strictly unnecessary.

Fujin, Popeye and Insanity raced to identical results on two races (1, 1; 2, 2; 3, 3) to make it nice and easy for the scorers. Anyone out on the race course spectating would have enjoyed the sight of Eveline picking up her skirts and powering home with a bone in her teeth. Nothing like a bit of nautical ankle to turn a sailor’s head – to mix as many metaphors as possible – but she wasn’t quite fast enough to stop Old Pulteney Blue Angel from recording another win.

Short results after Penang Inshores (for full results please see www.rmsir.com)

Class 1
1. Windsikher 1, 4, 2, 1 (8)
2. Mandrake 3, 1, 4, 2 (10)
3. Black Baza 4, 5, 1, 3 (13)
Class 2
1. Antipodes 1, 3, 1 (5)
2. Zuhal 2, 1, 2 (5)
3. Starlight 3, 2, 3 (8)
Class 3
1. Fujin 1, 1, 1 (3)
2. Insanity 3, 2, 3 (8)
3. NiJinsky 2, 3, 4 (9)
Class 4
(There is no Class 4).
Class 5.
1. Lady Bubbly 2, 1, 1 (4)
2. VG Offshore 1, 2, 3 (7)
3. Delite 3, 6, 2 (11)
Class 6
1. Old Pulteney Blue Angel 6, 1, 1 (8)
2. Sade 2 3, 2, 3 (8)
3. Aeolus XC 1, 3, 4 (8)

Standing by on 72