5th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2007
AY Race Report 4 & Summary

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Quantum leap to victory
A daring port tack start gave Ray Roberts on Quantum Racing a slight edge over Frank Pong's Jelik on the winner take all final race. Quantum wrapped the spinnaker on the second hoist and may have seen their advantage disappear. Then Jelik missed the gate and had to quickly gybe back to correct the error. Nail biting stuff! The final windward work in twenty knots of wind on Bass Harbour may have been a little overpowering as crews strived to control the back winding mainsails and skippers kept their foot on the pedal. Eventually it was the bigger 75ft Jelik that crossed the line fourteen minutes in front of the smaller 46ft Quantum Racing. Was this enough after handicaps are applied? A big question on the assembled media 's mind.

Onshore the computers were running hot as the results were being calculated. Eventually it was Ray Roberts on Quantum Racing by a little under six minutes to be crowned overall champion for the second year in succession. Frank Pong's fight back on Jelik was very commendable and added great excitement to the event. Rolf Heemskerk's Farr 40 YO!2 came back to claim third place after another broken halyard to finish up third overall.

IRC 1
After trading places over eight races in four days David Lindahl's Swan 40 La Samudra came to the fore in the fresh breeze to win the final race and claim overall victory. Ng Heng Li on the Farr 1104 Gapurna Mat Salleh finished second, only one point behind and the best of the two RSYC youth teams entered. Mohd Faiz Norizan on Gapurna Mas Ayu II finished third and provided enough close competition to keep the three boat class interesting throughout the event.

Sports
Mike Downard's Sail in Asia team from Phuket went into the final race with a slim one point lead and had to choose either to cover the opposition or go flat out and try for first place. After a close start they came off the line in front and decided on the latter. Leading for the entire race Sail in Asia crossed the finish line with under three minutes to spare. Their closest rival, Aussie Warwick Heath on MYCQ was breathing down their neck all race and ended up second overall. Mohd Razali on Royal Malaysian Navy 2 put up a good fight all regatta to finish up with third overall. In the Under 25 year old, class within a class, Warwick Heath on MYCQ scored their eighth win to record a clean sweep. Hazman Hazin's Malaysian Yachting Association team, Teiki Ballian South Thailand Youth Team and Benjamin Mui's SMU Team have traded places all week to end up in that order.

Racing Multihull - Firefly One Design
At the end of racing yesterday Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi had a big enough points advantage to win the Firefly One design on their debut outing as a class. With eighteen to twenty knots of wind these super quick catamarans scorched around the course. Unfortunately for Roger a slip on the deck saw him reach for the winch and release the sheet, catching a finger in between to forcibly remove the tip of the finger, all in one swoop. Quick action by the crew and race committee had him off the boat and ashore to the Langkawi hospital within ten minutes. Bill Phelps on Twin Sharks went on to win the race and Chris Jongerius newly launched The Frog slot into second place the only finishers today. Henry Kaye chose to return Mamba early to Phuket as the results were finalised, finished up second overall and must be congratulated for bringing everyone together and getting the class underway. No mean feat in Asia to be the first of its kind.

Premier Multihull
Bob Brindley 39' Xcatriot has shared the wins with Larry Pollock's 51' Running Cloud all regatta and trailed by one point coming into the final race. A close battle around the entire course saw the lead change with Xcatriot finally coming out the victor of the two horse race. This left them tied on points and as Xcatriot won this final race makes them the winner of the overall class title.

Club Cruising
Coming into today's final race John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good had five victories to their credit and looked to go on and keep a clean sheet. Philip Giles on Nom De Plume came very close to breaking the lucky run and was even more determined to do so. Today in the strong winds he took the opportunity to get one back but a little to late to affect the results and had to settle on second overall. Michele Pippen's 38' Tropicbird has been snapping on the heels of the bigger boats to again score third place and hold onto third place overall.

Ocean Rover
Kevan Perrins 43' Rusalka scored their sixth win on the trot to secure overall victory. After a slow start to the regatta Eveline skippered by Trevor Richards managed to finish again today and just missed out by thirty one seconds on beating Rusalka on corrected time.

Summary
Lots of wind and hard racing sure makes a good regatta. The sailors have to concentrate on getting around the course in quick time. Instead of having time to find faults in the race management they are kept busy keeping the boat together. A large team of volunteers to man the race office and race officials under the guidance of Zailani Bashah (Zac) spent allot of time preparing for the regatta which showed throughout the event and no doubt goes a long way to producing a smooth running racing program. Execution on the water is dependant on the equipment supplied and PRO Mark Pryke seemed to have everything under control which places this event on the "must do" list for top class racers to attend. In past years the issue of trophies has been resolved and now every class has a perpetual trophy and nearly one hundred trophies handed out on a daily basis. Encouraging the formation of Malaysian youth teams is a good omen for the future of the sport. Allot more needs to be done and keeping check on the progress throughout the year will be important as " Walking the Talk" seems to be the hardest part to achieve, especially in Asia.

More info and results are posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

5th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2007
AY Race Report 3

Jelik cuts into Quantum Racing's lead
Two wins today in the blustery conditions draws Frank Pong's Jelik almost level on points with Ray Roberts Quantum Racing. As seven races have been completed one drop race is now in play. The sailing instructions state that if eight races are completed then a further drop race will be included. So tomorrows final race showdown will decide this years overall racing class winner. The race is to be held on Bass Harbour which may favour Quantum Racing, were they took a commanding lead after scoring three wins on the first day of the regatta. The bigger Jelik seems to enjoy the rougher conditions on the offshore courses that have made the equation mathematically possible.

Fifteen to eighteen knots of wind started to take its toll on the boats equipment and sailors alike. Rolf Heemskerk's Farr 40 YO!2 was the first casualty with broken headsail halyards forcing them to retire from the racing today. Malik Sulaiman skippering the Royal Malaysian Navy's Farr 520 Zuhal has improved with every race and scored two third places to improve their overall standing.

IRC 1
The game of musical chairs continues in the IRC 1 class. Ng Heng Li on the Farr 1104 Gapurna Mat Salleh got the better of the other two on the short passage race after getting well clear of the confusion at the startline. Then it was Mohd Faiz Norizan turn on Gapurna Mas Ayu II to become the race seven winner after a resounding bang echoed around the bay after a start line collision. David Lindahl's Swan 40 La Samudra is the third boat caught up with all this and goes into tomorrows final race tied on points with Gapurna Mat Salleh and from here on it is anybodies regatta to win.

Sports
Several crews had difficulties controlling the lightweight Platu 25's in the windy conditions. Mike Downard's Sail in Asia team from Phuket and Aussie Warwick Heath on MYCQ shared the first and second places in the two races held today. Mohd Razali on the Royal Malaysian Navy 2 scored two third places and these three teams are the best of the rest. Benjamin Mui's SMU Team has suffered from being overpowered with the spinnaker up on the last few races. Sail in Asia has a one point lead over MYCQ going into tomorrows final race and may the best team win. Warwick Heath's MYCQ team has won every race in the Under 25 year old class to wrap up the series with a day to spare.

Racing Multihull - Firefly One Design
In the pre start maneuvers some doubt existed whether to take in a reef or not and what sail configuration to use. Roger Kingdon made the decision early on Moto Inzi and was the only boat on time at the start. He even admitted latter that they were concerned for the entire race whether they started correctly. Trailing in the distance was Henry Kaye's Mambo followed by Bill Phelps on Twin Sharks. The race seven start was a lot closer as crews got everything under control and the wind had moderated. The results were the same that gives Moto Inzi a four point advantage going into the final round and barring any unforeseen difficulties has won the debut series in fine fashion.

Premier Multihull
Bob Brindley 39' Xcatriot shared the wins with Larry Pollock's 51' Running Cloud in the two races held today. This has gone on all series with Running Cloud presently holding a one win advantage going into the final race. Whoever wins tomorrow will be the champion of the two horse race.

Club Cruising
John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good continued on their winning ways in the fresh conditions by adding a fifth victory to their tally and rap up the class with a day to spare. It is just a matter if they can come away with a clean sheet. Although only five seconds separated first and second places, Philip Giles on Nom De Plume could not break the winning streak and ended up in second place. They still have to do battle in the final race with Michele Pippen's 38' Tropicbird to hold onto second place overall, who trails them by one point.

Ocean Rover
Kevan Perrins 43' Rusalka has scored four wins on the trot to secure overall victory. Much to the delight of the race committee the almost 100 year old Eveline skippered by Trevor Richards managed to finish today's race and nearly toppled Rusalka on corrected time.

The final race tomorrow starts at 10:00 am and will be contested on picturesque Bass Harbour. Although some classes have been resolved already the top racing classes will go down to the wire and bring an exciting end to this years regatta.

More info and results are posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

5th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2007
AY Race Report 2

One Design or Handicap Racing?
As yacht racing is a relatively new activity in Asia the local media are finding it difficult to understand how the results are calculated. It seems that one spends most of the time explaining how the handicap system is derived and how it works. As the 75ft Jelik disappears over the horizon but finishes down the order after handicaps are applied can be very confusing to a newcomer. Then along comes a One Design class that races in close company and the first one to cross the line is the winner. There is no lengthy wait for the computer boffin's to calculate and publish the results. Most Asian journalists are more familiar with Formula one car racing than they are with activities akin to horse racing. It certainly takes the more dedicated and investigative journo to understand how our sport works.

The racers were greeted with 12 to 14 knots on the offshore courses and the race committee were keen to get everyone started. As the breeze held up throughout the day two races were held back to back and now a total of five races have been completed in record time.

Racing Class
Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing edged further ahead by winning race four. However they did not have it all there own way as Frank Pong's Jelik stretched there legs in the fresh conditions to score second in race four and achieve the inevitable by taking the daily double and winning race five by a little more than a minute. Hanging in there is Rolf Heemskerk's Farr 40 YO!2 with two third places, although Jelik's fine performance today may have relegated YO!2 to third in the overall standings.

IRC 1
The three horse race has been a game of musical chairs with a shuffle around of the placing's. Race four saw David Lindahl's Swan 40 La Samudra take first place by a mere eleven seconds from Ng Heng Li on the Farr 1104 Gapurna Mat Salleh and the second RSYC youth team lead by Mohd Faiz Norizan on Gapurna Mas Ayu II. Race five saw Gapurna Mat Salleh turn the tables on La Samudra and claim the win with Gapurna Mas Ayu II still holding third place. This means the overall points must be close and the title is still anyone's for the taking.

Sports
After a slow start to the regatta Mike Downard's Sail in Asia team from Phuket have hit their straps to score two wins today and added onto yesterdays results may have a slight edge in the overall stakes. Aussie Warwick Heath on MYCQ scored two second places to keep them in the running. Defending champion Mohd Razali from the Royal Malaysian Navy 2 slipped back a little to score two third places and perhaps his crown take a tilt for the worst. The Under 25 years, class within a class has Aussie Warwick Heath on MYCQ firmly in the lead after adding two more wins to their tally. Hazman Hazin from the Malaysian Yachting Association and Teiki Ballian with his South Thailand Youth Team have shared the second and third places but will find it difficult to overcome Warwick's MYCQ team with five wins in the under 25 pointscore table.

Racing Multihull - Firefly One-Design
The pressure is on, as each competitor is trying to outdo each other and take home the first ever Firefly One design trophy. The three top contenders are match racing around the course and finished within a minute off each other, after fifty four minutes of racing. A couple of protests have been heard to sort out a few issues and equal second place in race three awarded to Mamba and Twin Sharks. Race four and five saw Roger Kingdon, last years Multihull Champion Moto Inzi come to the fore and squeeze in two resounding victories. Bill Phelps Twin Sharks helmed by class designer Mark Pescott and Henry Kaye's Mambo traded second and third places to stay in the overall running with three races to go. Chris Jongerius The Frog was only launched a couple of days before the regatta and is ironing out some technical problems as well as suffering some breakages but continues to race none the less finishing a distant fourth.

Premier Multihull
Bob Brindley 39' Xcatriot turned the tables on Larry Pollock's 51' Running Cloud by winning both races today. This makes up for yesterdays reverse form and closes the gap in the pointscore so the next three races will determine the eventual winner.

Club Cruising
John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good continued on their winning ways in the fresh conditions by adding two more wins to his tally and putting themselves in an almost unbeatable position. Philip Giles Nom De Plume recorded two second places despite being involved in a collision and a resultant protest hearing. Grenville Fordham's Image Asia Jemini Jo had five minutes deducted from their time after the incident which puts them into third place in race three after initially being placed fifth. Michele Pippen's 38' Tropicbird continues to battle with the bigger boats, finishing third in race four and likely to take one the minor podium places after Sofa So Good.

Ocean Rover
Kevan Perrins 43' Rusalka managed to finish both races to claim overall victory over Datuk Richard Curtis's Eveline which is slower than a crippled turtle and could not complete the course in time.

Racing continues tomorrow on the offshore courses and PRO Mark Pryke expects to complete a further two races which will leave only one on the final day to get ready for the Malaysian Prime Minister's gala presentation.

More info and results are posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

5th Royal Lanka International Regatta 2007
AY Race Report 1

Big boat or a small boat race?
Boat owners and skippers are often herd muttering this about their performance after the race. Today was no exception. Although the NE trade wind has moderated since last week, when literally the birds were being blown out of the trees, racing got away in ten to twelve knots which increased to fourteen for race two. PRO Mark Pryke wisely choose to race on picturesque Bass Harbour instead of offshore where a lumpy sea still remains from last weeks strong winds. An explosion of colour resulted as the boats hoisted spinnakers and gybed down the full length of the harbour. The Racing, IRC, Sports and Multihull Classes managed to complete three races while the other classes all completed two races to signal that the regatta is well and truly underway.

Racing Class
Despite Frank Pong's 76ft Jelik flying around the course to record three line honours wins it was Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing that scored three wins after handicaps have been applied to take a handy lead after the first day of racing. Rolf Heemskerk Farr 40 YO!2 finished up second best with two seconds and a third place. Vincent Chan's Titan 36' Matahari scored third place in race one. Frank Pong's R/P Jelik finished with fourth, third and second places and just missed out on the daily double in race three by a mere four seconds after a long and tiring day.

IRC 1
Reduced to three competitors after several no shows from the original entry list but some very close and exciting racing was observed none the less. Ng Heng Li skippering the Farr 1104 Gapurna Mat Salleh from the RSYC youth squad clinched victory by 16 seconds in race one, then second place in race two and third in race three. David Lindahl's Swan 40 La Samudra scored second place in race one just missing out by 16 seconds but rebounded with two first places in race two and three to jump into the overall lead for the moment. The second RSYC youth team lead by Mohd Faiz Norizan on Gapurna Mas Ayu II showed good bursts of speed from the startline but was eventually caught up and had to settle on two third places and a second by the end of the day.

Sports
Six teams have materialised to contest this class using Farr Platu 25's. A further breakdown of Under 25 year olds has been included to encourage forming youth teams with an aim of expanding the Sportsboat racing scene in Asia. Aussie Warwick Heath all the way from the Multihull Yacht Club of Queensland scored a first, second and third place in the combined class and takes a handy lead in the under twenty five class with three first places. Mohd Razali from the Royal Malaysian Navy also finished with a first, second and third place to go into the second day of racing, tied with Warwick on the overall pointscore. Teiki Ballian and the South Thailand Youth Team managed a second in race one but fell off the pace in the next two races. Mike Downard's Sail in Asia team from Phuket overcame some difficulties in race one to get in amongst the leaders with a third in race two and first place in race three. Hazman Hazin from the Malaysian Yachting Association and Benjamin Mui from the Singapore Management University sailing club are respectively placed second and third in the under 25 year olds. All boats finished within six minutes of each other which just shows how close the racing is in this class.

Racing Multihull - Firefly OD
Four Firefly 28's have made it down from Phuket for their debut as a one design class. As expected the pace is quick with several changes in places around the course as the race progresses. Henry Kaye's Mambo won the starts with Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi close behind and proceeded neck and neck around the course. Eventually Mambo drew ahead to win race one and two. Moto Inzi finished a close second and went on to score third in race two then claim victory on the shortened race three. Bill Phelps Twin Sharks helmed by class designer Mark Pescott joined the frey to score a third and two second places. Only seconds separated the first and second places and all boats finished within six minutes of each other to make an exciting spectacle on their debut races.

Premier Multihull
Only two boats are contesting this year. Larry Pollock's 51' Running Cloud all the way from the USA got the better of Bob Brindley 39' on all three races contested today, despite Xcatriot getting of the startline in front.

Club Cruising
John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good had a good outing scoring two wins in succession. Although Michele Pippen's smaller 38' Tropicbird beat them over the line in race one they had to settle on two second places at the end of the day. Grenville Fordham skippering Image Asia Jemini Jo traded third places with Philip Giles Nom De Plume all the way from Australia.

Ocean Rover
A class within the Club Cruising Class was formed to cater for the floating homes and very slow classic boats. Kevan Perrins 43' Rusalka managed to finish both races to claim victory over Datuk Richard Curtis's Eveline that struggled to complete two legs and awarded second place before the restart was scheduled.

Racing continues tomorrow on day 2 and the race officer has advised that the offshore / coastal courses will be used and the number of races will be determined by the weather conditions.

More info and results are posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

5th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2007
AY Pre-Regatta Report

On your mark - Get ready - Go...
A wide variety of racing sailors and seasoned cruising yachtie's from around the world have gathered in Langkawi, Malaysia to take part in a grueling, 4-day RLIR 07 race program and the RLYC organising team have guaranteed racing fit for the professionals. Over the years racing in Asia has had its up's and downs, regarding the number of competitors and types of craft entering these events. This year a couple of racing teams have reformed or merged together to form a quality line up in the racing class. The Phuket built Firefly 28ft cats are fielding five boats and chosen this event to make their debut as a One design class. Sportsboat racing is gaining popularity as keelboats are now included in the ASEAN and SEA Games, which puts pressure on National Associations and clubs to form racing teams and utilise these regattas to get sailors up to speed before contesting the games. A core of cruiser/racers based in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore make up the remaining IRC and Club classes, many of which are the usual suspects that have shared the spoils at other major events and selectively choose which events to compete on.

Racing Class
Frank Pong is competing here for the first time and chosen the 76ft Jelik from his stable of yachts to contest the prestigious Prime Minister's Challenge Trophy. Troy Yaw's Team Ulumulu from Miri in Sarawak have combined forces again with Ray Roberts Quantum Racing to defend the title they won in 2006 This time on Rays DK46 shipped from Sydney to be known as Team Ulumulu - Quantum Racing. After one years absence Peter Ahern and his trusted tactician Rolf Heemskerk have been planning an assault after purchasing the Farr 40 now renamed YO!2. This threat should not be taken lightly as Peter and his crack crew on the previous YO! won the first three 2003 2004 2005 regattas. It has been reported in the Malaysian newspapers that the RMN are out seriously training on their Farr 520 Zuhal and expect to be standing on top of the podium by the end of the RLIR. Royal Selangor Yacht Club Vice Commodore Vincent Chan has entered his Titan 36' Matahari and after a year of competing on club events is ready to take on the big boys.

IRC Class
Six yachts are competing for the new Lada Challenge Trophy. After a short illness David Lindahl's Swan 40 La Samudra is back and ready to continue on their winning ways. Kevin Gillow's X342 M/H Minx completed a five race rout last year and ready to defend the IRC title. Graham Lind's 34' Sumatra has filled minor podium places at other events and long overdue for a win. Mike Downard's 36' Tag has competed with distinction at past events and always in with a chance. The Royal Selangor Yacht Club are fielding two youth teams with Mohd Faiz Norizan leading the way on Gapurna Mas Ayu II and Ng Heng Li skippering the Farr 1104 Gapurna Mat Salleh expected to live up to the boats reputation of winning the Raja Muda Cruising Class last year.

Sportsboats
Five teams will be competing on Platu 25's for the Langkawi Sports Trophy. One from as far away as Queensland, Australia and another from the SMU Sailing Club in Singapore will be taking on three Malaysian teams. The RMN team has won here before while the Malaysian Yachting Association and Penang Swimming Club will be making their debut on the Platu 25 and good practice before contesting for places on the SEA Games coming up in December. State governments are being urged to develop keelboat racing teams that can eventually go on and contest at other match and fleet racing events.

Racing Multihull - Firefly One design
Henry Kaye the main driving force behind forming the Firefly One Design class in Phuket, reports that all five are heading for Langkawi and the RLIR 07 committee will award the Multihulls Challenge Cup to the winner of the group along with daily Firefly one design trophies. Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi will be defending his last years win and the very colorful Andrew Marshall's Pink Lady, Bill Phelps Twin Sharks, Chris Jongerius The Frog was launched just in time and Henry Kaye's Mambo make up the formidable “Phuket Five”. An emerging like minded, solid group of multihull sailors with the imagination, flare and eagerness to race as a one design class doing away with the issues of handicaps. One thing is for sure the racing will be competitive with the Aussie designer Mark Pescott helming Twin Sharks and a bunch of eager sailors out to beat him. No procession courses for these guys. Tough windward leeward courses have been selected to make racing as competitive as possible. It will be tactics, skill, agility aboard and sheer determination that three lucky teams will need to be on the podium by the end of the event.

Premier Multihull
Only two boats are competing this year as the growing regional charter business has kept these boats otherwise preoccupied. Bob Brindley 39' Xcatriot is down from Phuket and Larry Pollock's 51' Running Cloud is all the way from the USA.

Club Class
Eleven very diverse competitors racing for the elusive Commodore's Challenge Cup make up the biggest class at this year's event. Philip Giles 56' Nom De Plume from Australia is the biggest while at 34' Henning Lenz's My Toy is the smallest. Grenville Fordham's 44' Image Asia Jemini Jo is back to defend last lear's title that they narrowly won, should have a good battle with Keven Perrins 43' Rusalka that won the Rover Class last year. Michele Pippen has been working hard preparing her 38' Tropicbird for the regatta and as there is a lack of classic boats entered Datuk Richard Curtis almost 100 year old Bristol Cutter Eveline has been lumbered in together with the rest.

Competition starts in earnest on Tuesday morning and as the NE Monsoon winds have been blowing hard for the past few weeks racing is expected to be close and provide an exciting four day spectacle in the duty-free islands of Langkawi.

More info and results are posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

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