Raja Muda wins at Raja Muda: Faye Koo Memorial Race Day
by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia 21 Nov 19:17 PST
16-23 November 2019
HH the Raja Muda at the helm. Fulin. Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta 2019. © Guy Nowell / RMSIR
It’s a bit of a cheesy headline, but completely irresistible. The Raja Muda is the Crown Prince of Selangor, and it was very fitting see His Highness the Raja Muda of Selangor helming Fujin across the finish line of today’s race. But I digress…
It’s practically a tradition that the Penang Inshores are delayed by no breeze, but not so this year. With 8kts+ on offer at start time, all classes except Class 1 raced a big ocean geometric course in the waters off Batu Ferringhi in moderate breeze that was at times, painfully light, but never actually failed. A beat to a windward mark, a spinnaker reach out to the ocean triangle, an extra sausage for the bigger boats, a beam reach home to the finish, and then straight home to Straits Quay for refreshment. Of course.
The racing class (Uranus, Windsikher, Team Hollywood, The Next Factor and Ramrod) were slated for two windward-leeward races, but the first turned into the most miserable lottery. 8kts off the start line, on time per the SIs (“It isn’t usually like this in Penang”) and a 1.4nm beat. But the wind was a land breeze was coming from just north of east, which was suspect. Sure enough, half way up the beat the wind went off for a coffee break, leaving all boats with hanging sails on a glassy sea. It was a transition, and it came back soon enough, but from SSW. Team Hollywood was the first to feel the new wind, just a couple of hundred yards from the mark which had by now been declared the finish – ‘S’ flag flying. Having gone left off the start, The Next Factor was next to finish just yards behind the men in red, with Windsikher snapping at her transom. Seeing a TP52 followed by a Farr 40 and then a Wellbourne 51, Farr 40 and then a DK46, in that order, and all inside 4 minutes is definitely unusual.
Second race for Class 1 was another w/l in perfectly sensible breeze.
Two catamarans have now joined the regatta – Peter Waa’s Java, and Out of the Blue, a Lightwave 38 skippered by Norma Noordin and crewed by Sea Scouts and Girl Guides. Three hearty cheers for youth sailing! Unfortunately the conditions really didn’t suit either boat. Java made slow progress around the course, but Out of the Blue scored DNS followed by FPA.
Wednesday evening at the Raja Muda in Penang is prizegiving night, with a splendid evening of street-stalls-food and lion dancing at the fabulous Khoo Kong Si in historic Georgetown, with HH the Raja Muda in attendance and, of course, on stage not only to present prizes but to receive one as well!
Next: passage race Penang to Langkawi, and Sail-World will be on board the mighty Antipodes for the 45nm ride.
Standing by on 72.