Inaugural Sabang International Regatta 2011
AY Race Report 2
Inaugural Sabang International Regatta 2011 AY Race Report 2
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When
the going gets tough the tough get going... The yachts that left a few days earlier from Phuket had a relatively easy passage and only the last few miles were uncomfortable as the wind turned on the nose and started to increase.
Only two boats finished in the Multihull Class as Rene Erhardt's 12m Windpocke ripped the jib and engine overheated, then opted to turn around and head back home for Phuket. Richard Eyre's Corsair 37 Zhuka scored the daily double after 53hrs 37mins 25secs of racing and some very wet and tricky moments. Aussie Stephen Sugden's 12.2m catamaran Aqua Dreams were no match for the nippy trimaran and settled on second place when it was all said and done.
In true Indonesian style the social program changes every few minutes. The Welcome Party was rescheduled for last night and presided over by the Director of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Mr Jero Wacik. He bought along with him over 40 media and some top Indonesian music artists that preformed on a hastily built stage on the beach under the palm trees.
Racing continues on Thursday with a sail past and two scheduled passage races around the islands in the picturesque Sabang Harbour. Meanwhile the crews are entertained with diving and fishing trips to nearby wrecks and reefs plus tours of the scenic island. Goto AY
Photo
Gallery More on Sabang can be found at: http://www.sabangregatta.com All the 2011-12 AY News, Views and Race Reports can be accessed Here... This Sabang International Regatta - AY Pre-Regatta Report is proudly sponsored by the following advertisers.
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September
20th: Not long after leaving Langkawi the forecasted strong South
West / Westerly tradewind kicked in with a vengeance. This resulted in
a hard slog to windward in 25 to 30 knots of wind and most skippers reported
burying the bows up to the mast in the 3 to 4 meter confused seas. From
20,000 feet the patches of white caps could be clearly seen and as the
palm trees were violently swaying in the wind, safety concerns for the
competitors bashing to windward were being expressed by the committee
in Sabang. As tropical Storm Roke situated South East of Japan intensified
into a Typhoon it produced a strong South Westerly flow over the entire
SE Asian region.
As
the racers from Langkawi approached International waters they also felt
the full brunt of the Westerly wind. When the sea started to quickly build
most skippers eased off and some made a bee line for the lee of the Sumatra
coast. The yachts that opted to stay offshore made hard work of their
passage and most chose to use power assistance to complete their journey.
By all reports a wonderful close reach was experienced in the lee of Sumatra
until they approached the top and once again all hell broke loose on the
crossing to Sabang.
The
Royal Malaysian Navy Farr 520 Zuhal skippered by Lt Cdr Chin
In, were the first to arrive a little after 4:00 in the morning, taking
42 hours 16 mins 25 secs to complete the 260nm passage. A lengthy wait
ensued and it was not till the afternoon when small white specs appeared
on the horizon and proceeded to the finish line. Under the Sailing Instructions
yachts are allowed to motor but the motoring time must be declared at
the finish which is multiplied by 1.5 and added to their elapsed time.
As Zuhal sailed all the way they score the daily double and will
go down in the record books as the inaugural winner of the Sabang Race.
Robert Azzopardi's
13m Dreamtime claimed second place in front of 
In
the Cruising Class Matthiew Paulin's 11.74m Island Time arrived
first and managed to hold onto their time to take provisional first place
despite motoring for over nine hours. The yachts continued to stream in
late into the night and next morning. Anthony Florence's 13.71m Jellyfish
slotted into second place and USA's Clifford Hudson's 11.5m Sidiqi
ended up in third place.
All
the boats are safely moored in the lee of the land in Sabang Harbour in
front of Gapang village and Resort. Singapore's Edward Yow supervised
the laying of the moorings which resemble the Changi Sailing Club grid.
