6th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 5 & Summary

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Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose..
After a short delay for the wind to increase, racing got underway on the final race of the regatta. Once again the course was set close to Kuah town and the spectacle could be viewed from the balcony of the yacht club and hotels lining the shore.

Racing Class
Although it was not widely reported Ray Roberts on Quantum Racing had narrowly won the event yesterday. Making it three in a row. Neil Pryde's Hi Fi Team Pryde won the final race today and is very pleased how they have sorted the new boat out to finish third overall and is looking forward to their next encounter. Frank Pong's Jelik dipped in form yesterday with two fourth places that after calculations and drop races were included made it impossible to regain top spot and had to settle on second overall. Although these top boats tended to hog the limelight the other six racing class boats all had chances at one time or other and must be commended for putting on such a huge spectacle of close and exciting racing in Langkawi for the world to see.

IRC
While Keith Dunn's Lunchcutter II and Vincent Chan's Matahari kept a close cover on each other, Neils Degenkolw's Phoenix slipped under there guard to win the last two races and the overall combined IRC class title. However they won't go home empty handed as Lunchcutter II and Matahari are first and second in the IRC Premier Cruising division. Neils Degenkolw's victory on Phoenix extends into a double win incorporating the IRC 1 title. James Low and the Penang Swimming Club team on Tag take out second place and Mike Van Zyl's 24ft IOR 1/4 tonner Jandi scored third place in the IRC 1 class.

Sportsboat
Mohd Razali's Platu 25 Navy 1 has been knocking on the leaders door all week and saw an opportunity opening up on the final race and grabbed it. This win sees them recapture second overall and climb in front of Pierre Mas' Longtze-Premier in third and Thierry Barot's Longtze-Langkawi Geopark in fourth overall. Scott Duncanson's Phuket Sports 8 Raimon Land rapped up the title yesterday and gave the rest of the crew a chance to helm the boat so his sixth place today does not affect the score. Good news for Teiki Ballian's Thai International team after dipping down the order a final race win has them taking the under 25 youth title back to Phuket. Bad news for overnight leader Rizal Mahadi's MYA-KFC team scoring fourth place to get knocked of the perch to second overall. Third place for Singapore's Benjamin Mui's SMU team has them completing the series in third place in the under 25 title.

Racing multihull (Firefly)
A late charge of wins by Roger Kingdon's defending champion Moto Inzi saw them tied on points at the end of the regatta with Bill Phelps Twin Sharks. By winning the last race Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi goes on to take the title again. An upset for Twin Sharks crew who have entertained the fleet with there dress code all week and have led the class from the beginning. Being a one design class the three Firefly's have been almost inseparable on the water. Henry Kaye's Mamba has consistently scored third place but only seconds or a hundred meters has separated the three yachts as they cross the finish line.

Premier Multihull
Despite not needing to race today Bob Brindley took his 39ft Xcatriot back out onto the course added another win to make it seven wins in a row and completely decimate the opposition. Second place for Bernd Nordemann's 41ft Twin Magic secures them second overall despite a mid series charge by Greenville Fordham's 32ft Image Asia Ceberus that left them down in third spot.

Club Cruising Class
Although John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good held an unbeatable lead in the overall class standings, being good sports they went out and added another win to there score. That makes it four wins on the trot. Second place for Labbadi Gilles 36ft Eloise elevates them to second overall displacing Henning Lenz early leader My Toy down to third overall.

Summary
This regatta has had everything to test the sailors skills. Strong winds to start with then petering out towards the end. Inshore and offshore races. Great parties and having a marina to berth the boat brings crews together under the one roof and encourages some good ole hospitality to be mixed in with the friendly competition. The biggest racing class assembled for some time in Asia that includes designs from most of the world renown naval architects and sailors from all parts of the globe striving to be the best of the best in Asian waters. What more would you want? It does not get much better than that! All going well this revival will carry on into the rest of the season and makes the future look very bright indeed. The decision to hold next years event roughly at the same time has met with approval and if this year is anything to go by RLIR 09 should immediately go down in the diary.

More info and full results will be posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

6th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 4

Light wind sailing skills fully tested...
Overnight thunder storms bought an end to the strong winds experienced at the start of the regatta. They also helped in the decision making process on whether to race offshore or in the harbour in favour of the latter. Racing got away in variable 5 knots of breeze and several yachts made their approach to the line a little early and where promptly recalled. The breeze then tended to swing to the south and the course for race seven was moved closer to Kuah town and the ferry channel providing a wonderful sight in front of the club and marina. With two races completed despite the light conditions the race program is back on track which leaves only the final race tomorrow to decide the eventual class winners.

Racing Class
A little keen to get going saw Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi Team Pryde and Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket recalled at the start and somehow managed to quickly extricate themselves from the closely packed lineup. Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing nailed the pin end with speed and led Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik out to the left. After Hi Fi Team Pryde and Full Metal Jacket restarted they went out to the right and picked up some favourable shifts to recover quite well. The leaders may have over stood a little and allowed them back in the game. After handicaps were applied Neil Pryde's Hi Fi Team Pryde emerged the winner of race 6 with Ray Roberts Quantum Racing in second place and Chris Meads Full Metal Jacket taking third place, leaving Frank Pong's Jelik to settle on fourth.

Race 7 also become a crowded affair down at the pin end. Chris Meads Full Metal Jacket was again early and went for a big midline dip. Peter Ahern stuck YO!2's nose in on port tack and quickly tacked to clear the approaching boats which caused some concern and is subject to protest. Ray Roberts again had Quantum Racing quick off the line and Frank Pong's Jelik was buried behind Microlab at the back of the fleet. At the end only 23 seconds separated Quantum Racing and Hi Fi Team Pryde with Full Metal Jacket nudging Jelik out for third and fourth respectively. These results now see Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing go to the top of the table and four points separating them from Frank Pong's Jelik with one race to go. Don't write Jelik of as we know anything can happen in yacht racing.

IRC
The battle continues. A second and first place for Neils Degenkolw's X 3/4 tonner Phoenix sees them break the three way tie and take the lead in the overall combined IRC title. Third and second for Vincent Chan's Titan 36 Matahari plus dropping a 4th place keeps them in second overall. First and third places for Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter II has them tied on 12 points with Matahari but in third overall based on the last race results. This now elevates Vincent Chan's Matahari over Keith Dunn's Lunchcutter II in the Premier Cruising division. Neils Degenkolw's Phoenix further increases their lead in the IRC 1 class with James Low and the Penang Swimming Clubs chartered Tag trailing in second overall.

Sportsboat
On paper Scott Duncanson's Phuket Sports 8 Raimon Land has scored five wins out of seven races but the time differences between the leaders tells a different story of how close the racing has been. Thierry Barot's Longtze-Langkawi Geopark have come along way since the beginning of the regatta to score two second places today and miss out by 40 seconds on first place. A certain amount of pleasure was also achieved by beating Pierre Mas' sistership Longtze-Premier that ended the day with two third places. With the overall title already decided in favour of Scott Duncanson's Raimon Land the battle for second and third places is still on between Pierre Mas' Longtze-Premier and Mohd Razali's Platu 25 Navy 1 that are separated by one point. Rizal Mahadi's light weather performance on MYA-KFC has them tied with Teiki Ballian's Thai International team in the under 25 youth pointscore. Singapore's Benjamin Mui's SMU team rebounded today and depending on the results of the final race still has a chance of toppling the under 25 leaders.

Racing multihull (Firefly)
The three Firefly's are almost inseparable on the water. A favourable puff of wind sees one accelerate away only to find a lull and get overtaken again. Bill Phelps Twin Sharks and Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi have traded first and second places throughout the regatta to be separated by one point going into the final round. Henry Kaye's Mamba has consistently scored third place but only seconds have separated the three yachts as they chop and change the lead on many occasions.

Premier Multihull
Six wins in a row has Bob Brindley's 39ft Xcatriot with an insurmountable lead with a day to go. Bernd Nordemann's 41ft Twin Magic and Greenville Fordham's 32ft Image Asia Ceberus are left to fight it out for the minor places. After trading second and third places today Twin Magic leads Image Asia Ceberus by one point. It all comes down to the final race tomorrow and if they are tied on points the one that places better will take out second spot on count back.

Club Cruising Class
John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good also holds an unbeatable lead in the overall standings after scoring three wins on the trot. Henning Lenz My Toy recovered with a second place to hold onto second overall after a disappointing race 4. Labbadi Gilles 36ft Eloise continues to shine and a third place today sees them hang onto third overall.

The final showdown is expected to be held on Bass Harbour tomorrow. Although some classes are already decided several victory parties and podium places all hinge on the final race results.

More info and full results will be posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

6th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 3

All open for the taking...
The day started well with 12 to 15 knots and lumpy seas for race 5 held offshore from Langkawi. Unfortunately as the day wore on the breeze faded towards the end of race 5 and although a gallant effort was made to complete race 6 the race committee's hands were forced to abandon the attempt due to a lack of wind. The juggling of results has produced an interesting scenario with several boats in contention for class titles are tied on points at the top of the leader board. So it looks like we will be in for an exciting couple of days before the final results can be declared.

Racing Class
Frank Pong managed to sneak his 75ft R/P Jelik across the finish line before the wind faded to much and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Neil Pryde's crew have spent most the series to date tweaking up the newly converted Welbourne 52 Hi Fi Team Pryde which finally paid dividends and scored second place today. Ray Roberts had to dig Quantum Racing out from a badly timed pin end start but recovered with third place to tie the score with Jelik on nine points at the top of the table.

IRC
The top three places in the combined IRC classes have generally been shared by Vincent Chan's Titan 36 Matahari, Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter II and Neils Degenkolw's X 3/4 tonner Phoenix to such an extent that after finishing race five in that order all three boats are tied on 11 points after five races. It can't get much closer than this. In Premier Cruising class Keith Dunn's Lunchcutter II leads Vincent Chan's Matahari by one point. Neils Degenkolw's Phoenix holds a commanding lead in the IRC 1 class with James Low and the Penang Swimming Clubs chartered Tag trailing in second overall.

Sportsboat
Scott Duncanson extended the Phuket Sports 8 Raimon Land's advantage by hammering home another win to become overall class leader. Second place in race 5 for Mohd Razali's Navy 1 clearly makes them the best of the Platu 25's and hold a slender one point overall advantage over Pierre Mas' Longtze-Premier that has put them under allot of pressure to perform. After dipping down to fourth yesterday Teiki Ballian's Thai International team rebounded with a win and lead the way in the under 25 youth pointscore.

Racing multihull (Firefly)
Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi came one step closer to defending last years title by beating the present leader Bill Phelps Twin Sharks by 39 seconds. Henry Kaye's Mamba was fastest upwind to lead both times around the windward mark but lost out downwind to finish in third. Only 100 meters separated the three boats all race and in the end a mere 55 seconds separated first and third places.

Premier Multihull
Bob Brindley's 39ft Xcatriot has the measure of the other two entrants to record their fourth win in a row. Greenville Fordham's smaller 32ft Image Asia Ceberus have lifted their game to take second place and after revisiting the race rules have been awarded second overall. At 41ft Bernd Nordemann's Twin Magic is the biggest catamaran racing here but after finishing over one hour behind the leader has been relegated to third place overall.

Club Cruising Class
After their surprise second place on day 1 John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good has never looked back and scored two wins on the trot to take the overall lead from Henning Lenz My Toy who could not finish in the fading breeze. Labbadi Gilles 36ft Eloise is churning up the waves to secure second place today and Chris Kingsley-Smith's Amandla Star ably assisted by the New Straits Times journo KP Warren managed third place.

A debate is being stirred up about racing in the harbour or offshore. There is bigger current and waves outside plus when the wind dies out a second race cannot be completed versus flat water, less current and more wind for the second race. A vote amongst the racing skippers is presently being taken which may have a bearing on the final results. With several classes tied on points the next three races will determine the outcome which is expected to go down to the wire.

More info and full results will be posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

6th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 2

Change in the order as wind dips...
Another perfect day for racing in Langkawi. Especially after Li Yang the press officer from Longtze described the sub zero temperatures being experienced in Qingdao and across China these days. She can't believe that Malaysia's tropical climate provides an all year round sailing destination that everyone can enjoy. The yachts got away on schedule in 15 knots that peaked during the first race and started to fade from there on in through out the afternoon. This milder wind strength is responsible for some changes to the order and clearly states that the first day victors still have allot of work to do if they want to hold onto their places at the top of the overall class leaderboards.

Racing Class
The tide swung in Ray Roberts DK 46 Quantum Racing favour by recording two handicap wins and going directly to the top of the leaderboard. Peter Ahern's Farr 40 YO!2 stayed in contention with a second place in race three and Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket is steadily improving with a second place in race four. The starts can only be described as close encounters of the third kind but the very experienced racing skippers and crews can handle their boats with due respect of the rules and each other. Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik finished with two third places to be knocked of the top of the mantelpiece but it might only be temporary if the wind returns to the 15 - 20 knot level.

IRC
Changing fortunes amongst the top three boats received a added dimension when Antony Hastings Beneteau 53 Baby Tonga 99 Degrees East grabbed a first and fastest in race four by a mere five seconds. This should please the hard working crew that have suffered dreadfully by a lack of pointing ability with a roller furler jib in the stronger breezes. Right from the start of race three Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter II took a commanding lead and stormed around the track to score a handy win in a nick of time. Vincent Chan's Titan 36 Matahari and Neils Degenkolw's X 3/4 tonner Phoenix have battled it out around the course and shared the honours finishing with 2, 3 in race 3 and reversing the roles with 2, 4 in race 4. In the individual class score this puts Keith Dunn's Lunchcutter II at the top of the IRC Premier Cruising and Neils Degenkolw's Phoenix leading in IRC 1.

Sportsboat
Pierre Mas helming the 6.8m Longtze-Premier put on a show of sailing finesse on the long upwind beat to secure a handicap victory over Scott Duncanson's Phuket Sports 8 Raimon Land that won both races yesterday. With the breeze lightning up the square top Longtze mainsail is not so overpowered and can realize her full potential under sail instead of forcing her along. Thierry Barot had the Malaysian crew moving their weight around to induce some surfing action downwind which produced a third place in race three for Longtze Langkawi. Not to be outdone Scott Duncanson's Raimon Land rebounded with first and fastest in race four but Pierre Mas nailed all the downwind angles to score second place for the smaller 6.8m Longtze-Premier. Mohd Razali's Navy 1 is the best of the Platu 25's and slotted into third spot in race 4 to put a wedge between the two Longtze sports. Teiki Ballian's Thai International team lead the way in the under 25 youth class pointscore.

Racing multihull (Firefly)
Despite being dressed in tutu's and donkey tails the mixed crew on Bill Phelps Twin Sharks managed a first and second place to lead the overall standings. Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi has been hot on there tails all regatta and finally over came them in race 4 to narrow in the scores making it an exciting series to come. Henry Kaye's Mamba is slightly of the pace scoring consistent third places and may need a rig tweak to reach the winning performance they reached at the windy King's Cup last month.

Premier Multihull
Bob Brindley's 39ft Xcatriot blitzed the course and his opposition by up to an hour to secure two wins by a country mile. Bernd Nordemann's 41ft Twin Magic is the only cat that could make any impression but had to settle on two second places. Ever consistent Greenville Fordham on the chartered 32ft Image Asia Ceberus lifted their game but after handicaps were applied finished with two third places.

Club Cruising Class
Only one race today for the Club Cruisers saw John Ramsden's Elan 44 Sofa So Good back on track with first place and relegate Wulf-Henning Lenz comeback kids on his Roberts 34 My Toy to second place. Labbadi Gilles modest 36ft Eloise just scraped into third spot by sixteen seconds from Kevan Perrins fast finishing Rusalka.

After two days of harbour racing PRO Mark Pryke vows to take the fleet offshore for tomorrows racing. This will certainly produce another mixed bag of results and once again turn the pointscore table topsy turvy. Never the less if the wind is in, the rougher conditions will be a good test of the sailors skills and there racing machines over the final days of racing.

More info and full results will be posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

6th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2008
AY Race Report 1

Off and running with avengeance
Racing got underway on Bass Harbour with a brisk 15 knot North Easterly driving the yachts along. PRO Mark Pryke selected harbour courses for all classes that took them upwind to a turning mark, then on a swift downwind ride almost the length of Bass Harbour before returning for a long upwind slog and short run to the finish. Mast head symmetrical spinnakers, asymmetrical chutes, bow sprits, inner reaching sails and conventional spinnaker poles became the order of the day. In fact anything that fly's downwind was hoisted to get the boats up and planning that produced a spectacular sight and profusion of colour for any spectators on the shore.

Racing Class
Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik showed the racing fleet a clean pair heels by claiming first and fastest bullets on the two races held today. Despite a spinnaker wrap which lead to further damage and eventual replacement Ray Roberts DK 46 Quantum Racing stayed on the pace to secure two second places in front of a hungry chasing pack. Third places were shared between Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket only 26 seconds behind Quantum and Peter Ahern's Farr 40 YO!2 by a little over a minute in race two. The first race served as a good opening warm up and the second race got that little bit more serious with only 5 minutes separating the first 6 boats and only 14 minutes separating the first and last boat on corrected time. Usually a good sign of things to come.

IRC
The combined classes saw Vincent Chan's Titan 36 Matahari take race one from Neils Degenkolw's Phoenix and Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter II. Race two saw a shuffle of the order with Neils Degenkolw's Phoenix top of the table, Keith Dunn's Lunchcutter II in second and Vincent Chan's Matahari relegated to third spot. These results put Lunchcutter II and Matahari tied on top of the Premier Cruising Class and Phoenix taking a handy lead in the IRC 1 Class.

Sportsboat Class
In the fresh breeze the Sportsboats made the most out of it. Planning in the gusts Scott Duncanson's Phuket Sports 8 Raimon Land shot to the front and increased his margin to take out first and fastest in race one. Fresh from the SEA Games Mohd Razali's Platu 25 Navy 1 filled second spot. China Teams America's Cup skipper Pierre Mas helming the 6.8m Longtze-Premier slotted into third and showed some big bursts of speed downwind. As the breeze lightened up towards the end of race 2 Mohd Razali's Platu 25 Navy 1 came to the fore with a handy win over Scott Duncanson's Phuket Sports 8 Raimon Land. Selected members of the Malaysian Yachting Association and Kedah Sailing Association are crewing on the Chinese Longtze boats and in Race 2 it was Longtze Langkawi that held a slight lead on her sistership for third and fourth places.

Racing multihull (Firefly)
Bill Phelps crew on Twin Sharks made a big day out of it by scoring the daily double on both races held today. Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi followed close behind with two second places. Henry Kaye's Mamba suffered from a few tactical mistakes but in keeping with consistency finished with two third places.

Premier Multihull
The battle of the cruising multi's saw Bernd Nordemann's 41ft Twin Magic claim handicap honours from Bob Brindley's 39ft Xcatriot that took Line Honours in both races and made amends by reversing the order with Twin Magic in race two. Greenville Fordham's chartered 32ft Image Asia Ceberus is a model of consistency with two third places.

Club Cruising Class
Wulf-Henning Lenz once described his fun loving Roberts 34 My Toy as a yacht built for comfort not speed to get them to the parties on time. He must have tweaked her up a bit as they won both Club Cruising Class races today from John Ramsden's more favoured Elan 44 Sofa So Good that finished miles ahead in each race. Labbadi Gilles modest 36ft Eloise finished the race in between the handicap winners but ended up third in both races.

Racing continues tomorrow with two more races scheduled in Bass Harbour or known by the locals as Kuah Harbour after the main town situated at the top of the bay.

More info and full results will be posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

6th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2008
AY Pre-Regatta Report

RLIR 08 blasts off into the New Year...
A top class fleet of racing yachts have gathered at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club for the sixth running of this prestigious Malaysian sailing event. The decision to bring the dates forward to January (Between the King's Cup and Singapore Straits) makes it a natural progression of events down the west coast and an attempt to improve the standard of racing class entrants is clearly paying dividends. It also makes the event the first Asian regatta to blast off into the New Year when favourable North East trade winds are expected. Eight racing class yachts are contesting the Prime Minister's Challenge Trophy, Nine IRC Class yachts split into Premier Cruising and IRC 1 competing for the LADA Challenge Trophy while a whopping eight Sports Boats are lining up for the Langkawi Sports Trophy. Six Multihulls are contesting the Malaysian Multihull Challenge Cup and five Club Cruisers competing for the Commodore's Challenge Cup.

All eyes will be on the performance of Neil Pryde's newly converted Welbourne 52 HI FI Team Pryde and two newcomers to Langkawi, Chris Meads Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket and Ben Copley's Club Swan 42 Katsu. They certainly look the part of full blown racers but have to overcome Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik and Ray Roberts DK 46 Quantum Racing before they can claim the title. Three time RLIR champion Aussie Peter Ahern returns with his Farr 40 YO!2 and always poses a problem by having extensive local knowledge. The Royal Malaysian Navy are coming out in force by fielding their Farr 520 Zuhrah and a DK46 under RMN-Janda Baik. Mainland China's Adam Ng's Judel/Vrolijk 52 Microlab Moonlight Shadow is overdue for a win and the strong winds expected may just be to his liking.

The IRC Class has been split into two with the same start. Vincent Chan's Titan 36 Matahari has dropped down to the IRC Premier Cruising Class and maybe hard to beat but Anthony Hastings has other ideas and prepared his Beneteau 53 Baby Tonga 99 Degrees East especially for this event. Keith Dunn's Mount Gay 30 Lunchcutter II joins them and will be in amongst the action from race one.

IRC 1 is designed for boats of similar performance. Neils Degenkolw Phoenix has been pushing the envelope at other events and Michele Pippen's Mull 38 Tropicbird has steadily improved over the season. Dick Sanders has transported Thairaver all the way from Ocean Marina in Pattaya, Thailand where they have competed with distinction. The Penang Swimming Club have chartered Tag to garner some keelboat sailing experience and at 24ft Mike Van Zyl's IOR 1/4 tonner Jandi could be a dark horse if the right conditions prevail.

An interesting fight is expected to develop amongst the nine entrants in the Sportsboat class. China Team are fielding two of their new Longtze 23 Sportsboats that won their class at the inaugural China Cup last year. Five Farr Platu 25's with teams representing Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the UK are expected to go all out in an effort to stamp their authority over each other. Scott Duncanson's Phuket Sports 8 Somtam Express has won everything before them and if the wind is in they will be the ones to beat. Five of the Platu Teams are under 25 years old and are entitled to compete for the Sports youth title.

The diverse range of Multihull's contesting this year makes it very hard to make any predictions. The handicapper will certainly have his hands full when comparing the nippy 28ft Firefly's of Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi, Henry Kaye's Mamba and Bill Phelps Twin Sharks with the heavy displacement and bigger cruising catamarans of Bob Brindley's 39ft Xcatriot, Greenville Fordham's chartered 32ft Image Asia Ceberus and Bernd Nordemann's 41ft Twin Magic all the way from Germany. His job will be made easier by dividing the class into Racing and Premier Multihull with the three Firefly's racing each other.

The Club Class has also attracted a wide range in size, age and displacement of competitors. Anything from Henning's 33ft classic My Toy to John Ramsden's modern day Elan 44 Sofa So Good and Kevan Perrins 43ft Rusalka that have won here before. Newcomers Chris Kingsley-Smith Amandla Star from the UK and Labbadi Gilles 36ft Eloise from France are aiming to spoil their party.

Racing begins in earnest on Monday 7th Jan with five days of racing scheduled over a mixture of new and exciting courses laid offshore from the 99 legendary islands of Langkawi and within Bass Harbour. Newly appointed RLYC Commodore Y.M. Tunku Dato' Ya'acob bin Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah is confident that the changes will make the racing more exciting for the sailors and added "The RLIR 2008 promises to be highly competitive this year and good wind conditions have already been forecasted during the period of this regatta".

Major sponsors for the event are BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), Tourism Malaysia and Langkawi Development Authority. Other sponsors include the Langkawi Tourism Action Council, the Kedah State Government, CLINIQUE and Permanis Sdn Bhd.

More info and full results will be posted at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

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