Royal Langkawi International Regatta- a classy start

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 12 Jan 2016 Sailing in Malaysia has been getting some bad press recently, so by way of an antidote, welcome to the annual Royal Langkawi International Regatta, run by the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. 37 boats from IRC Racing down to Ocean Rover, with a good turnout at the top end of the fleet. Yesterday was all about hellos and briefings, followed by a Skippers’ Cocktail Party on the Upper Deck of the almost-renovated Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. Chairman of the Jury, Bryan Willis, made the most pertinent comment when he congratulated RLYC GM Wicky Sundram on having the nerve to run a regatta at the same time as overseeing major building works. Three cheers!

We all know that as long as the pontoons are there (tick), and as long as the bar is properly operational (tick, again), and the Race Management (PRO Simon James and his merry band) is on the ball (tick), then the rest is in the lap of the gods – particularly that most fickle of contributors, Aeolus.

Race day 1: no problems there. In spite of the breeze dying out with a sigh and a gasp towards the end of yesterday’s practice race, there was plenty to play with today in the 13 kts department with a few puffs up to 15. However, the wind was swinging and shifting plenty, and there was an outgoing tide on the start line to help speed everyone on their way. Some of the lower and slower divisions might have even welcomed the assistance! Bass Harbour is a fabulous natural amphitheatre for yacht racing.

First start 0945, full-wattage sunshine and flat water. IRC Racing tore up the race track fast enough to be back at the leeward mark before the White Sail division had even started, and Alive took line honours after just 43 minutes, followed by Jelik, Oi!, Ulumulu, Millennium Racing and Trader, with Oi! correcting out at the top of the list in front of Alive. Second start, breeze shifted right, and Alive enjoyed a slightly longer course to take the double and win the day on 2, 1. After a port/starboard incident at the top mark, Oi! was protested by Ulumulu – and lost, taking a DSQ snake to the bottom of the division.

Emagine (Scott Bradley) and Fujin (Mick Tilden) were separated by only 3 seconds on the finish line of race 1, with IRC 1 honours going to Fujin. In race 2, Fujin got away a little more for another first place, with Emagine hanging on for second. “We are fully set up for light breeze,” said Bradley afterwards, “so ideally we’d like a couple of knots less… but no complaints.” If the breeze stays in (in the mornings) this could be a very interesting fight, with the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Uranus under the guidance of veteran skipper Masyuri bin Rahmat in the mix and keeping everyone honest. After one day - Fujin 1,1; Emagine 3, 2; Uranus 2, 3. Watch this space.

Phoenix (Niels Degenkolw) has cleaned up the IRC 2 division plenty of times at the RLIR, and opened the batting today with two bullets. Vincent Chan’s Mata Hari hung on for two very close second places, and Foreign Affair took a third in the first race and then retired with a damaged mainsail.

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]

Two races for the don’t-spill-the-drinks division (Multihulls) produced identical results each time (Wow, Allegro, ImageAsia Nina, Manta Blu). Club class followed suit (Sophia, Lady Bubbly, Delite, Indulgence). Lady Bubbly has the most photogenic spinnaker in the entire fleet, but today got her knickers in a twist (sorry, couldn’t resist – see pic). A two-dog fight in Ocean Rover saw Eveline pin down My Toy, twice.

For the last two years the RLIR has turned on five straight days of solid sailing conditions, and today was a good start in pursuit of a hat trick. Forecasts for tomorrow indicate 10-15 knots, and that’ll do. With the breeze expected to clock more easterly, it will be a good excuse to move the racing to the ‘outside’ courses. Tonight: the official Welcome Dinner in the delightful environs of the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. Think beside the pool, watching the sun go down over Bass Harbour, and never mind the renovations next door. Last year someone described the RLIR as a ‘boutique’ regatta: it’s a stylish event for sure, and ought to be on the list of every sailor in the region.