Please select your home edition
Edition
MySail 2025

RMSIR 2014 – Penang to Langkawi. An espresso race

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 21 Nov 2014
RMSIR is a strictly non-exclusive regatta. Escapade (Dubois 123') slips past Kay Sira (Slipper 42). Penang-Langkawi Race. Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta 2014 Guy Nowell / RMSIR
RMSIR 2014 – Penang to Langkawi. An espresso race: short, straight, strong and sweet. A slow start for the last coastal race of the Raja Muda is almost a tradition. ‘L’ flag and ‘follow me’ up the course until the RO finds conditions that suit. Equally almost traditional is that this is the blowiest leg of the regatta. 50nm and another straight line to the finish, except this one really is a straight line, with no sand bars or other deviant diversions. So the tactical question is whether to hold ‘up’ and inshore in anticipation of breeze from the north east, or stay ‘down’ in the softer breeze near the start and pray fervently for a lift to the finish.

First warning signal at 1225; Class 6 crept across the line with a zephyr and promise, and then the wind shut down before Class 5 got a chance to join in. ‘N’, ‘L’, and off went the Committee Boat followed by the fleet. 2nm further on, and this time there was enough puff to get everyone away on a reaching start, with the wind building all the way through the sequence. When it came to Class 1, HiFi looked to be hanging back in the third row, but sneaked, raised and filled a spinnaker in just six seconds and launched across the start line at warp factor 3.

Spinnakers held good for the first couple of miles only, and then there was a slow-down and back to headsails before the breeze freed up a little allowing code zeros for those who had ‘em and cracked sheets for those that didn’t. Leading from the front, Antipodes took the view that 'pace was everything' and sacrificed height for distance, and that paid off. 'PredictWind gave us a soft patch in the middle with a lift in it, and we opted to stay with the speed and open the gap on the following boats as much as possible,' said Matt Humphries. Antipodes saw 28kts across the deck towards the finish, and practically steamed home in an elapsed time of just 5h 16m, chased at the end by the 37m Escapade who had finally found her breeze, but still finishing 15 min back. Skipper David Rawlinson might have regretted hoisting a spinnaker soon after start - it took so long to get the thing down again, and they lost a lot of ground to leeward in the process. Otherwise they would have been right there with – or even in front of – Antipodes at the finish line. C’est la vie (which is French for 'That's yacht racing...'


Last boat home at five minutes to one this morning was Jerry Lau’s diminutive WYSIWYG in Class 5. The ‘Epic Effort Award’ goes to the centenarian Eveline who not only didn’t finish NOT last on the water but also converted for a win in Class 6 by a massive 2h 13m on corrected time. ‘Little & Large’ prize goes to Escapade who very considerately passed Kay Sira to leeward shortly after the start, saving Barry Wickett from a wind shadow half the size of Penang.

After a marginally disappointing day in Penang, Island Fling took the bullet for Class 1 just 18 sec ahead of HiFi on corrected time, with Foxy Lady in third place. Bill Bremner still leads the series on 9 points from Island Fling on 15. With two races scheduled for today in Bass Harbour, Langkawi, and two tomorrow, it’s not insurmountable gap but will require hard work and application to close on a crew that has been sailing together for a long time now and really knows how to get round the corners of a windward/leeward course. He who makes least mistakes, and all that.

Here in Langkawi the sun is shining, there is breeze in Bass Harbour. More words and pics tomorrow – meanwhile, enjoy these.



Short Results (Full Results at www.rmsir.com)
NO DISCARDS
Class 1
1. Foxy Lady (3,1,1,1,3) 9
2. Island Fling (2,3,3,6,1) 15
3. Windsikher (4,2,2,4,4)
Class 2 (Premier Cruising)
1. Antipodes (1,3,1,1) 6
2. Australian Maid (2,1,2,4) 0
3. Starlight (3,2,3,2) 10
Class 3
1. Fujin (1,1,1,1,1) 5
2. Beaux Esprits (2,2,2,3,3) 12
3. Rikki Tikki Tavi (3,3,3,2,2) 13
Class 4
1. Piccolo (2,1,2,1,1) 7
2. Nijinsky (1,2,1,3,2) 9
3. Skybird (3,7,3,2,3) 18
Class 5
1. Sophia (1,1,1,1) 4
2. Lady Bubbly (3,2,2,3) 10
3. Rascal 2,6,4,2) 14
Class 6 (Classics)
1. Kay Sira (1,1,2,2) 6
2. Aeolus XC (2,2,3,3) 10
3. Eveline (5,5,1,1) 12
Class 7 (Multihull)
1. Hurricane (1,1,1) 3
2. Java (2,2,2) 6
3. 3 Itch (3,3,3) 9









MySail 2025Rolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTERCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTER

Related Articles

Bulwarks and Bulldust – watch Episode One
Episode One - Wes Moxey, CEO of Riviera Motor Yachts - is now up and running Episode One - Wes Moxey, CEO of Riviera Motor Yachts - is now up and running
Posted on 8 May
Hannah Mills OBE to share carbon footprint success
At World Sailing Sustainability Session Great Britain's most successful female Olympic sailor and strategist for Emirates GBR SailGP Team, Hannah Mills OBE, will headline as guest speaker at World Sailing's upcoming Sustainability Session on renewable energy in the sport.
Posted on 8 May
iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games day 3
Intense competition on Lake Garda: 30 course races today, 5 for each fleet Racing intensified on Day 3 of the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games on Lake Garda, as more stable conditions finally allowed a full program of racing.
Posted on 8 May
Transat Paprec Day 19 - hours from the finish
The first boats are expected to arrive in the middle or late part of the night in Saint Barthélemy In less than 24 hours, we'll know the winner, the podium, and the full rankings of this incredible Transat Paprec. As they battle through a windless zone that's capturing everyone's attention, the competitors know that anything is still possible.
Posted on 8 May
Stop Guessing, Start Winning
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Fast Rig Settings You know the boats that kept finishing ahead of you last season? They're not faster. They're just better at repeating what works.
Posted on 8 May
SW108 Kiboko 4 wins Sailing Superyacht of the Year
At the 20th edition of the Boat International World Superyacht Awards Southern Wind Australia and New Zealand is thrilled to announce that the SW108 Kiboko 4has been awarded both the "Sailing Yacht" category win and the prestigious title of "Sailing Yacht of the Year" at the Boat International World Superyacht Awards.
Posted on 8 May
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic Lite Jacket
Will it become your new favourite jacket? We all have that one favourite jacket, which no matter what the weather or where you're going, it's the one you pick out above everything else. The new Dynamic Lite Jacket from Henri-Lloyd is set to become the new fave jacket.
Posted on 8 May
Tshcüss 2 eyes Transatlantic Race line honors
The competitors will cover a distance of approximately 3,000 miles Many people find comfort in the familiar. Not Christian Zugel, who spent his youth in landlocked southern Germany, but discovered, late in life, a passion for blue-water ocean racing.
Posted on 8 May
2025 44Cup Porto Cervo Preview
Back up to 11 teams for the first time since 2016 With the RC44 fleet now safely returned from the Caribbean, competition on the 44Cup resumes again next week with the second event of the 2025 season taking place in the Italian sailing mecca of Porto Cervo.
Posted on 8 May
World Foiling Congress 2025
Foiling industry aligns on certification framework After a successful debut in 2024, the World Foiling Congress returns to Genova on May 20th as the global reference event for the foiling industry — a full day dedicated to insight, exchange, and strategic vision for the future of waterborne mobility.
Posted on 8 May