Monsoon Cup draws Visitors from overseas

by Rurrum, Pulau Duyong on 6 Dec 2009 For a group of Chinese tourists to Malaysia, Kuala Terengganu was not even in their itinerary until they decided to attend the ongoing Monsoon Cup 2009, the final leg of the World Match Racing Tour.

The group from Shanghai believe the picturesque town fronting the South China Sea is an undiscovered and attractive gem and hope Terengganu will introduce more holiday packages between the state and China to tap its tourism industry.

'In Kuala Lumpur I see a lot of Chinese tourists, but since I arrived here I have yet to see a Chinese tourist. Kuala Terengganu is a lot different from Kuala Lumpur which also shares the same lifestyles with Shanghai,' said one of them who shyly declined to be named.

'It is so good to be in Kuala Terengganu where life is not on the fast lane and many beautiful islands and places of interest. So, believe there should be holiday packages arranged between this state and China,” said the Shanghainese.

He enthusiastically described their delight to be in Pulau Duyong for the Monsoon Cup and also experiencing the cultures in the state.
'We had supper with at one of the local stall... the food was amazing,' he said, describing the Rendang Beryani which is one of the many specialities found in Terengganu’s wide array of cuisine.

He added the wide selection of food and diverse culture have made the state attractive and suggested that Terengganu should do more promotions similar to those done by smaller countries in Europe.
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As for the Monsoon Cup, the visitors said they are very impressed with the beautiful building and the bay that is situated at the confluence of the Terengganu River estuary and the South China Sea.

One of them added while sailing was not popular in China, Shanghai has hosted other water sports and could easily add sailing for additional attractions in the city which is the financial capital of the giant Asian nation.

For the record, the fifth edition of the Monsoon Cup has drawn foreign visitors from Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and also from Kuala Lumpur and East Malaysia to watch the event live!

For Laurence Beattie from Northern Ireland, the Monsoon Cup is a very exciting event “We get to see the action close-up, nice winds, nice weather and very well organised. It is also good to see a lot of side events organised at the venue to keep the spectators busy. It’s kind of good to see little children everywhere,” he said, adding that this is his first visit here.

Beattie admitted that he does not know much about Match Racing but was lucky to have made friends with another visitor Konrad Rozmarynowski from Poland who does a lot of sailing.
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“Luckily I met him and he was able guide me when the races were on and brief me on the rules when I see the umpires raising the flag to impose penalty on the teams,” he said.

Rozmarynowski praised the level of professionalism shown in organising the Monsoon Cup.

“It is tremendous - a spectacular event. I started sailing in my early days. I used to read about Peter Gilmour and some of the sailors taking part in the Monsoon Cup here. So I got this opportunity to come to Malaysia and now also got this privilege to see them all “live” in action,” he said.

Rozmarynowski added that he spends at least five hours watching the races from the dock.

“Now I got sun-burned, but it’s okay for me as I love watching the races,” he said.

Both Beattie and Rozmarynowski also have another visitor Wong Yee Men from Sandakan, Sabah for company. The trio decided to team up to catch the action on the Monsoon Cup and visit places of interest in the state capital.

“This is perhaps the biggest event I have visited,” said Yee Men. “For those who are inclined to sailing, my advice is they shouldn’t give the Monsoon Cup a miss.”

She said it was good to have the commentators speak in English and Bahasa Malaysia.

Like the leatherback turtles that visit the shores of Terengganu every year, Yee Men will also return to catch the action live! next year.
The Monsoon Cup will be streamed live to the Internet throughout the day at www.monsoon.tv, www.sail.tv and www.wmrt.org/sailtv. Daily half hour highlights shows will be broadcast worldwide along with short news highlights and key matches. The action will be broadcast Live on Saturday and Sunday between 3-5pm local time. Key networks include Eurosport, Eurosport Asia Pacific, Fox Sports Australia, Fox Sports US, SKY NZ, ESPN Star, Showtime Middle East, America One, SKY UK, Sport Max Caribbean, CNBC Asia Pacific, BT Vision.

WMRT 2009 Tour Standings (after 8 of 9 events)

Tour Standings - (After 8 of 9 events)
1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 100 Points
2. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 88 Points
3. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar 75 Points
4. Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team Racing 74 Points
5. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR 71 Points
6. Ben Ainslie, (GBR) Team Origin 65 Points
7. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 48 Points
8. Sebastien Col, (FRA) French Match Racing Team 41 Points

About the World Match Racing Tour:
• The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional sailing series featuring 9 World
Championship events across the globe
• The World Tour is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with “Special
Event” status
• The World Tour awards over US$1.5million in prize money
• Points are awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the ‘ISAF Match Racing
World Champion’
• Events utilize the same “match race” format used in the America’s Cup with racing taking
place in identically supplied racing yachts which places a focuses on team work and skill.
Racing takes place close to the shore for the general public to follow the races as virtual on-
the -water stadiums.
• Media and television highlights coverage reaches over 600 million households in excess of
90 countries around the world

About The Monsoon Cup
The Monsoon Cup 2005 celebrated its debut as the 50th official event of the Swedish Match Tour (now known as the World Match Racing Tour), and serves as the Malaysian leg for the international sailing event. This professional sailing series was formed in 2000 to unite the world's best match-race regattas under one banner.

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) comprises nine events in nine specially selected locations around the world. As the leading professional sailing series in the world, the Tour events are recognized as must-attend regattas on the match-race circuit.

The Monsoon Cup 2009 will be held at Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, from the 1st to 6th December 2009. Website : www.monsooncup.com.my
For information on the World Match Racing Tour:

Yvonne Reid
Tel: +44 (0) 1590 679613
Mob: +44 (0) 7809 149268
E-mail: yreid@f10marketing.com
Website: www.worldmatchracingtour.com

For more information on the Monsoon Cup :
RURRUM Communications Sdn Bhd
Name : Audrey Lakai
Mobile : 012 309 4377
Email: audrey.lakai@rurrum.com