Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

RMSIR 2018 – Penang to Langkawi Passage Race

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia 23 Nov 2018 09:45 PST 16-24 November 2018
Glassy. Really glassy. Penang-Langkawi Race, RMSIR 2018 © Guy Nowell / RMSIR

After yesterday’s maelstrom, blue skies and sunshine were back on the Penang menu. Also back on the menu was a complete lack of breeze at the appointed start time – but well-salted RMSIR sailors know that merely means an L flag on the Committee Boat, a short trip along the rhumb line to Penang, start v2.0, and then breeze all the way to Langkawi.

It really was glassy as the fleet motored 330° behind PA50. [This is a good moment to say thank you to the Royal Malaysian Marine Police who have for very many years assisted the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta by providing a start boat, safety and media boats, and an umbrella of safety cover all the way from Port Klang to Langkawi. We hope that they enjoy participating in the regatta as much as we all enjoy having them along for the event. Without them, this event would not happen. On behalf of all the competitors, thank you.]

Marikh (Class 6) hit the start line with the afterburners lit – relatively speaking – and so did Prime Factor (Class 4). Antipodes (Class 2) executed a flawless start, arriving at the boat end bang on time and with room, tacking onto port on the line, and tramping off into a lead that they would hold onto all the way the finish line and monohull Line Honours.

Angela, the hot-property all-carbon racing trimaran out to give Scallywag Fuku bld a run for her money on paper at least, stalled some 200 yards behind the start line and watched Scallywag cruise past her bow, hit the line on time, fully arced up (ok, there was about 8kts of breeze) and with style, and yacht off through the fleet, popping out the front 28 minutes later having overtaken boats that had started a full 30 minutes earlier. It’s easy when you weight nothing!

It was a straight line race with wobbles. “The breeze was up and down a bit, and kept us on our toes,” said Regatta Chairman Jeff Harris, crewing on Janda Baik in the Premier Cruiser class. Antipodes chewed up the miles at the front of the fleet, and then cale a squall. “It wasn’t very powerful,” said navigator Alan ‘Guilty’ Tilyer, “no more than 20 knots, but it spun the breeze round 180° and killed it. Tactician Matt Humphries called it just right – we dropped the spinnaker, gybed, went straight into the squall, hoisted a jib and walked away from the rest of the fleet.”

Others were less lucky (or less good at reading the wind). Malee Whitcraft on THA72 (TP52) reported that “we were in the middle of a peel when the call for the jib came, and for a moment we had three ‘headsails’ up at the same time. Not quite as planned.”

The squall became the defining feature of the race, letting pass those in and in front of it, and topped anyone on the wrong side of it. It shut off the breeze to the south east, and for many boats the last few miles were particularly painful and slow.

Tomorrow and the next day the RMSIR will continue with harbour racing in pretty Langkawi’s Bass Harbour. The cruising classes will go cruising – around the rocky outcrops and karst islands at the southern end of the harbour, and the racing fraternity will engage in two days of windward-leeward duelling.

Short Results. (For full results please go to http://www.rmsir.com/27a/index.php/results.

Class 0: 1 Windsikher 1,1 (2); 2 THA72 3,2 (5); 3 Ulumulu 2,3 (5)

Class 1: 1 Mandrake 1,2,1,3 (7); 2 Windsikher 2,3,3,1 (9); 3 Ramrod 3,1,2,4 (10)

Class 2: 1 Janda Baik 1,1,1,3 (6); 2 Antipodes 2,3,2,1 (8); 3 Shahtoosh 3,4,3,2 (12)

Class 4: 1= Red Rum 2,2,1,4 (9); 1= Prime Factor 1,3,2,3 (9); 3 Nijinsky 3,1,5,1 (10)

Class 5: 1 Iseulta 3,2,2,1 (8); 2 VG Offshore 2,3,3,3 (11); 3 Nafi 5,4,1,2 (12)

Class 6: 1. Iseulta 1,1,1,1 (4); 2 Esperanza 2,2,2,3 (9); 3 Eveline 5,5,3,2 (15)

Class 7: 1 Scallywag 1,1 (2); 2 Angela 3,2 (5)

Related Articles

Best Buddies from Germany win the AEGEAN 600 2025
The second wave of finishers benefit from last night's steadier breezes Behind the first wave of finishers yesterday morning, yesterday and last night's steadier breezes helped sweep in another wave of Monohull and Multihull finishers to the race finish at Cape Sounion. Posted on 11 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC Three preview
This has produced the overall winner of two of the last six editions IRC Three may consist of smaller, slower and in some cases older boats than those that will garner headlines in the first couple of days of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Posted on 11 Jul
Setting sail to support life after injury
Charity Stride Forward looks set to stand out at Cowes Week With some 500 boats and more than 4,000 sailors taking part in this year's Cowes Week (2-8 August) the crew on board charity entry Stride Forward will be sure to stand out, both on and off the water. Posted on 11 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race: IRC Two Preview
With 73 entries in IRC Two, the Rolex Fastnet Race is set to deliver a striking display. Could two new JPK 1050s upset the apple cart in IRC Two? Jean-Pierre Kelbert has a habit of breaking the mould in IRC racing, and his new 34-footer may well be a game changer in this competitive division with 73 entries. Posted on 11 Jul
All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around. Posted on 10 Jul
Introducing the Micro Gateway from Cyclops Marine
Live load data, simplified - smaller, smarter, even more connected At Cyclops Marine, we're driven by the pursuit of precision, performance, and progress. As the marine industry continues to embrace digital transformation, our technology is evolving rapidly. Posted on 10 Jul
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez preview
An exceptional fleet of grand classics are preparing An exceptional fleet of grand classics led by the legendary three-masted schooner Atlantic, a strong showing from the Wally yachts among the numerous Maxis, and the arrival of the new Magic Carpet e are all signs... Posted on 10 Jul
Admiral's Cup AC2 Class
Offshore legends, small boats, big test In the 2025 Admiral's Cup, AC2 features smaller boats than their AC1 team mates but the challenge is every bit as tough, if not tougher. This is where elite skill meets raw offshore endurance. Posted on 9 Jul
Django Team to represent Italy at Admiral's Cup
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda launches two-boat campaign in historic return of the elite offshore race After a 20-year hiatus, the Admiral's Cup is back - and Italy is ready to make a bold return to one of offshore sailing's most legendary stages. Posted on 9 Jul
Noakes Sydney GC Yacht Race: Don't stop me now
Corinthian sailor Elizabeth Tucker takes on the world Elizabeth Tucker had barely stepped on board a yacht before 2021. Fast forward four years to 2025 and the English-born, Sydney-based sailor has sailed her Class40 yacht, First Light, from Spain to Australia. Posted on 9 Jul
Allen Dynamic 40 FooterCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERRooster 2025