Return of the Raja Muda. Malaysia opening up - soon
by Guy Nowell 24 Mar 2022 03:23 PDT
18-26 November 2022
The leaders clear the point. Windsikher, Team Hollywood, Antipodes. Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta 2019 © Guy Nowell / RMSIR
The Malaysian Government has announced that the country will be open to international travellers from 01 April, and we are promised that this is not an April Fool’s. This happily follows on from the opening up of Phuket as of 09 March under the Thai Government’s ‘Touch & Go’ protocol, and raises the very real possibility of a Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta in November followed by a Phuket King’s Cup in December this year. We need them!
Indeed, the Raja Muda people have already pressed the GO button:
“The 32nd edition of the RMSIR will take place 18-26 November 2022. The regatta will follow the familiar format with racing held between Port Klang, Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi, including social events along the way.
We hope that boat owners, crew members, sponsors and old friends will be able to join us again after a two year gap in organising a full international event. Sailors new to RMSIR are of course equally welcome. Now is the time to start planning, particularly if your yacht has been inactive for some time.
The Organising Committee are looking forward to having an active racing class once again, with 40 ft and 50 ft boats up against one another, a competitive Premier Cruising class that is particularly suited to the passage races, a good mix of IRC sports and cruising boats, plus non-IRC cruising classes made up of an interesting variety of yachts from different countries, and of course the regular Classic Yachts that appear so stately on the water. The final class split will be decided later.
If you have any suggestions or requests for improving the race format or social planning, please send them to us – info@rmsir.com. All ideas will be considered.
Further information on RMSIR32 will be distributed in the coming months as our planning progresses. Contact details can be found on the website www.rmsir.com, and online registration will be open soon.
We look forward to seeing you in November!”
If you are a sailor and you haven’t sailed a Raja Muda, then you’re not a proper sailor at all. The Raja Muda is the trickiest regatta in Asia, combining 187nm of coastal racing (Port Klang-Pangkor-Penang-Langkawi) with three days of cans racing (Penang and Langkawi). Neil Pryde, six times Raja Muda champion, says “it’s the hardest regatta to win of them all.” There will be strong breeze at the north end of the regatta. There will be vicious thunderstorms and torrential squalls coming off the coast. There will be a cheerful send-off in Port Klang, a max chill in Pangkor, culture and rickshaw racing in Penang, and spectacular scenery in Langkawi. And at some point there will be no breeze all. That’s the way it is.
As Asia starts to emerge from the pandemic that has swept the world, what better way to celebrate than to sign up for Asia’s most storied sailing event? Set yourself a challenge, and help give the organisers something to organise!
www.rmsir.com info@rmsir.com