Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta - Raja Muda on board
by Event Media 18 Nov 2018 13:09 AEDT
16-24 November 2018
Fleet ready to roll at RSYC. Tick. Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta 2018 © Guy Nowell / RMSIR
The 29th Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta (RMSIR) is set to be an exciting affair, with strong contenders vying for the Raja Muda Cup this year.
Singaporean entry Windsikher, owned and skippered by Sarab Jeet Singh, is back to defend its Class 1 title after three consecutive victories 2015-17. Also vying for the title and the cup are Mandrake III (Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns), Ramrod (Gordon Ketelbey and Craig Douglas) and the very new and very slippery MC31, Kannu (Jega Muniandy, skippering alongside Jeremy Camps and A. Parkes). Retuning to the regatta is Troy Yaw’s ‘Ulumulu’, which will be skippered by Jeremy and Tiffany Koo.
His Highness Raja Muda Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah Ibni Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah will be joining the fleet this year. Tengku Amir, who is also the Royal Selangor Yacht Club’s Life Commodore, will participate in the regatta from Penang onwards where His Highness will sail on board SHK Scallywag Fuku bld (Skipper David Witt), an ORMA60 trimaran.
“The RSYC is delighted to welcome His Highness Raja Muda Selangor onboard this year’s regatta. We are also happy to have several regular and new participants join this year’s event. We look forward to some fine racing, and would like to wish everyone good winds,” said Jeff Harris, chairman of the RMSIR Committee.
The RMSIR, which is Asia’s second oldest race and Southeast Asia’s most challenging sailing event, will see 26 boats sail in overnight passage races as well as inshore harbour races from 17 to 24 November 2018. Yesterday’s regatta opening dinner at the RSYC saw the ringing of a traditional ship’s bell to signal the official start of the 2018 RMSIR.
The Start of Race held this morning saw participating boats push onwards from the start point at Port Klang in the first passage race to Pangkor. This world-class event will see the fleet retain the regular course along Malaysia’s west coast – via the Straits of Malacca – to the other stopovers at Penang and Langkawi.
Also known as ”the regatta with everything”, the RMSIR has the sailors participating in various activities in-between, from social events to the inshore harbour races in Penang and Langkawi. The final awards ceremony for the 2018 RMSIR will be held at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club on 24 November. RMSIR veteran Jerry Rollin is returning as the Principal Race Office overseeing race management while Malaysia’s Leonard Chin will head the International Jury. This year’s regatta will continue to use the Yellow Brick (YB) Yacht Tracking system, introduced last year, for live tracking of overnight passage races from Port Klang to Pangkor, then Pangkor to Penang and lastly, Penang to Langkawi.
Each participating yacht will also be provided with a Tron 45S EPIRB, sponsored by Radii Teknology.
The RMSIR is organised annually by the RSYC in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), the Malaysia Sailing Association, the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
Tourism Malaysia and Selangor Tourism have returned as main sponsors, along with container port Westports Malaysia and Scottish whisky brand Old Pulteney. Other sponsors include the Port Klang Authority, Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), Delta Marine and Leopad (O Pure natural artesian water) and Radii Teknology.
The RMSIR was established in 1990 by the RSYC’s Royal Patron, the Sultan of Selangor HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (then the Raja Muda Selangor) together with Dato’ Johan Ariff and Jonathon Muhiudeen.
Known for its unpredictable winds, weather and tide, the RMSIR provides excitement for even the most experienced of sailors, along with an interesting challenge. Add to that a little bit of sightseeing and fun social events at every stop and you have a regatta with everything.
The month of November typically marks the height of the northeast monsoon on Peninsular Malaysia where sailors can expect anything from glassy waters and light breeze to a sea heaving with two metres of swell or higher and 30 knot squalls blowing off the coast.
For more information and for the official results, log on to www.rmsir.com or www.facebook.com/rmsir.