14th
Raja Muda International Regatta 2003
AsianYachting
Race Report 5 & Summary
Langkawi Windward / Leeward's (Final Day)
by
CaptMarty@AsianYachting.com
Goto RMIR 2003 Preliminary Results: http://asianyachting.com/news/RMIRresults03.htm
After
surviving 3 grueling overnight passage races up the west coast of Malaysia
and completing 3 harbour races in Langkawi the eventual winner of the
RMIR 2003 is Ray
Roberts and his mainly Aussie rock star crew on Hollywood
Boulevard.
Stirred on by Australia's participation in the Rugby World Cup final the crew went out, full of determination to capitalize on their earlier wins and after many close shaves in the past, help Ray Roberts win his first overall RMIR trophy.
The
race committee persevered with a light 6 - 8 knot breeze that filled in
gusts but eventually died as the afternoon wore on, initially forcing
all of the smaller yachts to score a DNC as they could not finish the
very optimistic and shortened 2.5 nm windward /leeward course within the
time limit.
The
much anticipated last day showdown in the racing class unfortunately turned
into something of a farce, as after seeking redress from the international
jury, the racing class 1 crews had to be content with a aggregate of points
from earlier races to determine the final overall positions.
This
decision aggravated many of the outspoken competitors who have expressed
their anger in the jury's decision, that are in favour abandoning the
last race in a effort to maintain the integrity of the event and ensure
their participation next year.
Which ever way the results are calculated Ray Roberts and Hollywood Boulevard will go down in the record books as the overall winners in Racing Class 1 this year. The remaining podium positions and minor placing's in Class 1A and 1B remain in dispute as further clarification from the International Sailing Federation on the jury's decision is being sort. Stuart Harrison's Malaysian youth team were awarded 2nd overall and Peter Ahern's YO! relegated to third after a tack into oblivion on the last race and 2 mid fleet finishes the day before.
In
the Premier Cruising and
Cruising Classes the overall
winners where determined before the final round going to Jon Wardill's
Australian Maid and Andrew Findlay's Pelangi respectively.
The only changes came in the Premier Cruising class who sailed a passage
race with Schle Woods X512 X-Treme from Thailand taking
the honours in the last race and Peter
Cremers 2nd
place on Shahtoosh
lifted them to 2nd overall over Keith Garry's Yendys who where
tied on points coming into the last race. A magnificent sight to behold
eventuated after the sea breeze came in with the big yachts spinnaker
running down neck and neck to the finish line where they all finished
within 2 minutes of each other.
The
topsy turvy nature of calculating the Classic
Class results was eventually settled with the
RMN entry Dondang Sayang coming to the fore in the last race
to take out overall 1st place. Claus Karthe's Greensleeves ended
up in 2nd place from Tunku
Nazim's F31.
Chalupa skippered by K.P. Chin ended up 4th despite winning the
last race and along with Stardust and Eveline suffered
from not finishing in earlier races.
Summary
The high campaign costs and seriousness in the top racing ranks has raised the level of expectations from race committee's and the all important decision makers to run competitive races that produce fair and equitable results for most of the competitors these days. We have just seen how one mistake on the water is compounded by a jury's unpopular decision can quickly sour a thoroughly entertaining event and possibly gain a bad reputation that will take allot of persuading to get the top class competitors to return in following years.
Despite the unsavory finish to this years RMIR it has produced some interesting
highlights and new lessons learnt. The Malaysian youth team and the all
girls Dewi Bayu Team have mixed it in well with the top racing class yachts
and this experience will go along way in encouraging future local participation
from the dinghy class sailors. After patching up their early differences
the visiting yachts in the new Premier Cruising class finished up having
some very close racing and the happiest of endings.
Andrew
Owen from Proteus Sports reports that the Omega
Asian Yachting Circuit got off to a fine
start and he is looking forward to the next clash in a weeks time at the
Phuket Kings Cup. After all is said and done, one can only
reverberate the warning issued in the AY
Pre Regatta Report (Below) that the "RMIR is
considered one of the most tactical and hardest regatta's to win
over the AY Season...
Ends
See how Ray Roberts RMIR 2003 win has lifted Hollywood Boulevard to currently share first place with Peter Ahern's YO! in the 2003/04 AY Skipper and Yacht Rankings after the 3rd ***** five star, grand prix yacht racing event held this Season. Check out how the championship is shaping up at: http://asianyachting.com/news/Rankings0304.htm
Guy Nowell reports that most of the photos on this web edition will be soon available online in full resolution and prints can be ordered directly from his website by going to: http://www.guynowell.com
Go
to RMIR 2003 Preliminary
Results: 
Despite
Ray Roberts on Hollywood Boulevard taking line honours in both
races today the handicap honours was shared amongst last years RMIR
winner, Fred Kinmonth's Stella and Hollywood Boulevard
in Racing Class A, but the days big mover on the leaderboard belongs
to the Malaysian youth team on the Mumm 30 Panic who won both
races in the combined Class 1A and 1B results to lift them to 3rd spot
overall and above the all girls crew on Gotcha Lagi! in 1B
who have been dominating them till now.
In Racing 1B Jeremy Muller's
Scallywag improved his performance to record 2 second places
while Bill Bremners Foxy Lady seems to be slipping out the
back door since his first race victory.
In
Premier Cruising class
Jon Wardill's Australian Maid sealed their overall victory
with another closely fought first place this time from Peter
Cremers Shahtoosh and Dr
Ian Nicolson's Intrigue of Stornoway who led for half the race.
The battle tomorrow revolves around separatingYendys and Shartoosh
who are tied on points for second place and Intrigue stands a chance
as they trail in third by only one point.
14th Raja Muda International Regatta 2003
In
Racing Class 1A Ray Roberts
Hollywood Boulevard took line honours but was relegated to 2nd
place overall by Peter Ahern's YO! who matched the higher rated
boat, almost boat for boat on the long reaching leg.
The all girls Dewi Bayu Team
on Gotcha Lagi! pulled of a surprise win in Racing
Class 1B and had they been only 1 minute and 20 secs faster
would have beaten Yo! in the combined 1A and 1B overall results
for this race which would go along way towards winning the prestigious
gold and silver RMIR 2003 trophy. Although Jeremy Muller's Scallywag
and Graham Linde's Sumatra have not featured in earlier races
they finished up 2nd and 3rd respectively to close up the pointscore and
make for an exciting finish in this class.
After suffering some boatspeed problems earlier on Andrew Findlay's Pelangi
came from way behind in the Cruising Class
to clinch their 3rd win on handicap over Keith Browns faster Muzbnuts
who took line honours. Warren Ritchie's Vela filled third
spot and the yachts present overall standings are the same as the finishing
order.
Racing
in the RMIR now shifts to
4 windward/leeward courses (weather permitting) for the racing classes
and day races for the cruising class on picturesque Bass Harbour amongst
the 99 islands that make up Langkawi. For the final showdown the best
performers on the 3 passage races now have to change their racing strategy
and crew skills if they are to stand a chance of going on and capturing
the 2003 title.
14th
Raja Muda International Regatta 2003
In
Racing Class 1A this time,
the tables where turned in favour of Keith Moore's DK 43 Pla Loma
after handicaps are applied. Neil Pryde's Hi-Fidelity
managed to clinch Line Honours
from Ray Roberts on Hollywood Boulevard by a mere 40 seconds
before hitting the finishing mark and managed to finish up in 2nd spot.
Peter Ahern's YO! crossed shortly afterwards taking 3rd place
and Hollywood Ray made the best of a unfavourable situation to end up
4th.
A
simular fate fell on the Cruising Class and Andrew Findlay's Pelangi
was the only finisher in the time limit to record his second first place
victory. All others where allocated a DNF (Did Not Finish).
Jon
Wardill's Australian Maid scored their second bullet, this time
from Hans Hvide's Swann 68 Irvmiren and the Keith Garry skippered
Yendys to take a commanding lead in the Premier
Cruising class.
Leg
3 is a 60nm sprint from Pinang to the legendary Islands of Langkawi which
hopefully will produce some quick times for which this leg is famous for.
The changing fortunes so far has produced a mixed bag of results which
has evened up the pointscores in some classes as we proceed into the final
passage race of the series.
14th Raja Muda International Regatta 2003
Ray
Roberts highly tuned Farr 52 Hollywood
Boulevard averaged a little under 9 knots over the
90 mile course to take line honours in 10hrs 37mins 29secs. They also
collected overall handicap honours by finishing almost an hour in front
of fellow Aussie, Peter Ahern's YO! who where at it neck and
neck with New Zealand's Neil Pryde on Hi-Fidelity throughout
the race and similar to the days rugby semi final score finished up in
that order. Being on the same tack most of the time and not requiring
any sail changes was heard amongst the grumbling crew after the race.
As
some of the Premier Cruising
class yachts have the luxury of satellite television onboard, the boredom
of sitting on the rail can be replaced with the pleasure of watching the
Aussie/NZ semifinal clash down in the plush interior of the owners stateroom.
To every bodies surprise the Aussie's did it again with Jon Wardill's
Australian Maid snatching a big win over Peter Cremers Shahtoosh
and demoralized the ex Kiwi rugby contingent on Ian Nicolson's well
traveled Warwick 60 Intrigue of Stornoway who slowed down dramatically
during the match.
At
the time of preparing this report the Classic
Class results had yet to be determined and the outcome
is likely to rest with the International jury after they arrive on Pangkor
Island. Stardust retired with a broken topmast and Eveline
is deemed to be over the line at the start of the race.
The Raja Muda International
Regatta is considered one of the most tactical and
hardest regatta's to win over the AY 
The
The
IRC Racing Class 1B
contains 6 very similarly matched yachts including a new Sydney 32 Scallywag
and last years winner Stuart Harrison's Mumm 30 Panic with a
Malaysian youth team onboard. The all girls Dewi
Bayu Team have chartered Amir Zohri's 4 time winner Gotcha
Lagi! this year and are more than determined to put in a good showing
in front of their male counterparts. More on the Dewi Bayu Team can be found at: 
The
newly introduced Premier Cruising Class
has attracted a good line-up of big production yachts, anything from Schle
Woods X512 X-Treme from Thailand to Hans Hvide Swann 68
Irvmiren. Jon Wardill's classic racer Australian Maid has participated
on 11 RMIR series out of 13 and very familiar with the track is joined
by 2 custom Warwick designs Intrigue of Stornoway and Shahtoosh
from Hong Kong plus a late Malaysian inclusion Yendys (Sydney
spelt backwoods) so we can expect to see some close racing come
from this class.
This RMIR also
marks the beginning of the annual Sir
Thomas Lipton Perpetual Cup Series and the Omega sponsored 
The Cruising and Classic Classes have a combined total of
11 entries and are usually very competitive despite forming the afterguard in
a very competitive fleet.
Dato'
Richard Curtis's 100 year old Bristol Pilot Cutter Eveline will
be taking on the 50ft Gaff Rigged Schooner Stardust under charter
to Liz Hallett in the Classic Class and the Royal Malaysian Navy are well
represented with the 11.2m Dondang Sayang under LT Malik
and a Beneteau 38 Chalupa under K. P. Chin.
AsianYachting.com is a honourable website publishing
company created by Capt Marty who
has participated in every