Record fleet for 2010 Borneo International Yachting Challenge
by Simon Farmer on 16 Jul 2010
Winner of the 2009 BIYC Selmar Star from the Philippines - Borneo International Yachting Challenge Simon Farmer
This annual event, now in its seventh year takes a fleet of international yachts from Miri to Labuan - a distance of 105 miles, and then from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) which is another 65 miles. The regatta finishes in Kota Kinabalu with two races around the Tunku Abdul Rahman national Marine Park on Friday the 30th July, followed by a lavish prize giving dinner at Sutera Harbour Marina Club hosted by Sabah Tourism.
The regatta is a joint effort between the Ministry Of Tourism And Heritage Sarawak, Labuan Corporation, and the Sabah Tourism Board. Other sponsors include Sutera Harbour Resort, Samling Global, Pelita and Park City Everly Hotel in Miri.
This year will see 55 entries representing 13 countries from as far afield as Sweden and the United States, and includes the overall winner from last year, Selmar Star from the Philippines back to defend their title.
The fleet is almost double the size of last year's and will set a new record for the event. It will also make the regatta one of the largest of its kind in South East Asia.
One of the reasons for this dramatic increase in numbers is due to collaboration between the BIYC and the Sail Malaysia Rally – Passage to the East.
BIYC committee member Simon Farmer, who was instrumental in forging this partnership with the organizers of Sail Malaysia, said that given the current state of the global economy and the ever shrinking sponsorship dollar it made sense to combine the two events. He said the number of entries this year proved that this had been a popular strategy.
The Chairman of Sabah Tourism Board and co-chairman of the regatta, Dato Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin expressed his delight with the number of yachts taking part this year and said that Sabah is on target to achieving its goal in becoming the Caribbean of the East.
He said that ‘events such as this are putting Borneo and Kota Kinabalu on the map, and are the perfect vehicle for showcasing the state and its bio-diversity'.
Adlin commented further that over the past 12 months Sutera Harbour Marina and Kota Kinabalu had hosted at least 10 mega yachts of over thirty meters with a combined value of over US$350 million dollars. Among these visitors was the world's largest privately owned sailing yacht, the 92 meter ‘Eos' valued in excess of US$150 million.
'The fact that more and more of these types of yachts are visiting our shores means that the message is getting through to yacht owners and captains that Sabah and Borneo have as much to offer, if not more than the other major destinations around the world. These types of visitors provide a tremendous boost to the local economy and to the global perception of Sabah', remarked Adlin
The BIYC will include 4 classes this year; IRC racing, Crusing A, Cruising B and Ocean Multihull. Once again there is no entry fee and a cash incentive is offered to each yacht that completes the regatta. The particpants package includes free hotel rooms and lavish parties.
For more information visit www.borneorace.com
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