Aussie scrum feed before race two of the Raja Muda

by David Lightfoot on 17 Nov 2003 Competitors awoke this morning for race two of the Raja Muda International Regatta, a 65 nautical mile offshore sprint from Pangkor to the popular tourist destination of Penang. The tired faces were greeted by thunderstorms and a tropical rain that had washed the ‘notices to competitors’ right off the notice board positioned strategically out the front of the salubrious Sea View Hotel, Pangkor. As the more rested contingent of the fleet assembled for a continental breakfast and searched in vain for this lost information the other, more nocturnally adventurous crew members did not seem to be stirring.

It seems as if Australia’s Ruby World Cup win over New Zealand had already taken on folk law status amongst the large number of Australian and New Zealand yachts people, ashore after the first 90mile race. Determined to consolidate their sleep deprivation for the long regatta ahead, a group assembled in the tropical setting of the Sea View hotel bar to worship this historic event by viewing a repeat of the telecast.

There and then it was decided that the Aussies would challenge the Kiwi’s to a bar room scrum in an attempt to sort out the differences of opinion about who’s country was bigger than who’s. The final result was statistically obvious from the beginning and saw the NZ pack pushed back through the doors of the bar and out into the paddock, I mean patio. The Aussies were heard to make comment on their long walk back to the bar from where they had left the demoralised NZ scrum that this was the easiest yard they had ever worked.

At around 9.30am Keith Moore of Pla Loma (meaning ‘dolphin’ in Thai) reported the conditions as ‘fining up a little with a light NE breeze of about 5 knots blowing’. The Pla Loma team had not packed down in the scrum after the first race as they were keen to make amends for a poor performance. Keith went on to comment that ‘we are looking forward to today’s race and a better result. We now need to focus on each step and hope that the first race will count as our drop by the end’.

Jeremy Muller of Scallywag, the new Sydney 32 was also looking for a few answers this morning. His team of scallywags who are new to the Raja Muda found the tactical goings on in the first race a little tough. The advice offered to them over a few evening beverages the night before was that even the crews who have ‘been there and done that’ in this regatta find the tactical goings on a little tough. This is one of the great things about the tour de Malaysia format of the Raja Muda as there are many factors both on and off the water that the competitors must contend with along the way.

Defending champions, Warwick Downes and crew, aboard the Sydney 38 One Design Stella Minter Ellison finished fourth on IRC in race one and crossed just two minutes behind the Farr 40 One Design Pasaya after 90 nautical miles of yacht racing. Warwick commented at 11.00 am local Malaysian time and just 1 hour 55 minutes before the start of race two that their plan would be to stay offshore in the favourable currents after leaving Pangkor and heading NNW towards Penang. From there they would head inshore, against the Malaysian coast for current relief at around 5 or 6 pm as they made way toward the tourist island. He went on to say that the wind had not been typical over the last two days and that the unpredictable breeze would affect their decision on the timing of this move.

Ray Roberts of race one line honours and IRC winner, Hollywood Boulevard, comment at around 12.15pm that the wind had all but died out to a very light 3 to 4 knot NE breeze. As there is no provision for shortening the long races it was expected that the race would get underway as planned despite the low wind. Ray thought that there would be more thunderstorm activity later in the evening and would be positioning the Farr 52 offshore for longer than usual in this leg.

Peter Ahern had taken his yacht Yo!, a Pacific 50 designed by Murray, Burns and Dovell, the further two nautical miles behind Pangkor Island and then three nautical miles up river to Lumut for the stop over. The Lumut International Yacht Club, a well serviced and a popular cruising stop along the Malaysian coast is situated just inside Pangkor Island on the mainland Malaysian peninsular. It is the traditional resting place after race one of the Raja Muda with the shift to the Pangkor Island anchorage happening for the first time this year.

Ahern told Sail-world.com’s Asian Edition ‘our overall regatta plan is to not get into any trouble and consistently finish in the top 3 places’ as he tried not to give too much away. Perhaps that was the reason behind his berthing plans, a reasonable distance from the World Cup worship being played out on Pangkor. Ahern went on to warn that the weather conditions can dictate the results in the shorter second race of just 65 nautical miles. ‘The wind can increase after the big boats have long finished allowing the smaller entrants competing against the bigger yachts for the overall IRC trophy, the Raja Muda Cup, to come steaming home’.

Send us your Asian sailing stories and pictures to David Lightfoot, at the Sail-world.com Asian Edition email: swae@ikon-media.com.au phone, sms, mms: +61 412 012 978