Raja Muda International Regatta underway

Farr 52 Hollywood Boulevard shows initial form in overnight race

Racing began yesterday (Saturday) in Port Klang at the Raja Muda International Regatta, the first event on the Omega Asian Yachting Circuit and the most prestigious regatta in Malaysia’s yachting calendar. Yachts gathered at the Royal Selangor Yacht Club to start the long journey north from Port Klang to Langkawi via Pangkor and Penang.

Yachts compete in four different divisions - Classic, Cruising, Premier Cruising and the elite Racing Class. Three overnight passage races from Port Klang to Pangkor, Pangkor to Penang and Penang to Langkawi, are followed by two days of windward/leeward races in Langkawi.

Gathered here in Malaysia are the elite racing yachts from around the region. They compete together in the Racing Division and amongst the leading contenders are Malaysia’s Yo! skippered by Peter Ahearn and Hong Kong’s Hi Fidelity skippered by Neil Pryde. Yo! is the Defending Champion on the Omega Circuit while Hi Fidelity won in both 2001 and 2002.

Also here is defending Champion of last year’s Raja Muda, Stella, skippered by Fred Kinmouth. And expected to challenge are 52ft Hollywood Boulevard from Australia skippered by Ray Roberts and another local yacht Panic! skippered by Jeremy Khoo. But there are so many elite boats here and the race is such a challenging, requiring such a variety of skills, that no-one can be discounted.

Said Neil Pryde before boarding his yacht Hi Fidelity “The Raja Muda Regatta is always a challenging event with a combination of passage races and windward leewards at Langkawi and during the series, it is almost certain we will encounter a very wide range of conditions including some very light winds.

In these sort of conditions, it is always difficult to predict who will win because there are some boats which are particularly oriented to light wind conditions such as Pla Loma and Yo! and in a light regatta, they will be tough to beat

However, if we get a mix in conditions over the whole week, Hi Fidelity should be in there with consistency and in these conditions, I believe our main competition will come from Hollywood Boulevard”

As the fleet headed towards the start line in Port Klang the weather was bright and calm. And then in the hour before the start a sea breeze suddenly filled in to around 16 knots giving a superb start for the watching crowds and media. It was a moving sight as the fleet surged over the start line on their 130 kilometre journey north to Pangkor.

Gradually through the evening the winds settled down to a steady 12 knots and as dusk fell and the yachts disappeared into the night, the crews settled down to a long night of concentration and a test of their skill. For the sailors there were tough choices ahead that would draw on all their experience and skill. As night fell the tide was against them so the fleet stuck close to shore to try and avoid the strongest current – but the question on all their minds was when they should turn out to sea to find the changing tide to carry them towards the finish line. And then of course the land breeze would fill in and it would be stronger in-shore, so how far should they go?…

Hollywood Boulevard lept quickly ahead into the lead but she needed to. Behind her a scrap was taking place. At the start line Hi Fidelity made mistakes and found herself behind Yo! This left her following all the way up the coast. Straining for an advantage she was consistently covered by Yo! and could find no way past. Meanwhile up ahead, Hollywood Boulevard stretched ahead, racing the fleet and her own handicap.

Then, just after midnight on Sunday morning Hollywood Boulevard crossed the line after ten and a half hours on the water and a corrected time (after handicap) of 13 hours 58 minutes. Behind her came in Yo! with Neil Pryde just eight minutes behind on corrected time. In fourth was Stella.

Said Ray Roberts, skipper of Hollywood Boulevard “It’s a great start to the regatta and we’re pleased with a bullet in the first. We sailed quite well but we can still go faster. And remember, there’s a long way still to go.”

Neil Pryde was understandably more terse “We had a terrible start and from there we just couldn’t get past Yo! That battle pulled us out of shape and took us places we didn’t want to be. But we got a third and there’s plenty of racing ahead.”

The crews will rest today on lovely Pangkor Island in the State of Perak. After an evening under the stars the second race, to Penang, will start on Monday.

The Raja Muda International Regatta is the first event on the Omega Asian Yachting Circuit (Omega AYC) that also visits Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. The end of the season, in April 2004 will see a new Asian Champion. Each event on the AYC is televised for international broadcast to an audience in excess of 200 million homes on five continents. CNN will also be featuring each Omega AYC Regatta in their own show Inside Sailing which reaches another 167 million homes. The world will be watching as the Omega AYC sets sail from Port Klang, Selangor.

The Omega Asian Yachting Circuit is sponsored by Omega Watches and Malaysia Airlines. The Raja Muda International Regatta is supported by Tourism Malaysia, Selangor State Government, Perak State Government, Penang Developent Corporation, Langkawi Development Authority and Carlsberg.

Results

Racing Class
Yacht Country Skipper Corrected Time
Hollywood Boulevard Australia Ray Roberts 13.58.17
Yo! Malaysia Peter Ahearn 14.10.12
Hi Fidelity Hong Kong Neil Pryde 14.18.14
Stella Minter Ellison Hong Kong Fred Kinmouth 14.50.59
Foxy Lady Singpore W. Bremner 15.08.22

Premier Cruising Class
Yacht Country Skipper Corrected Time
Australian Maid Australia John Wardill 14.19.33
Shahtoosh Hong Kong P. Cremers 14.57.47
Intrigue New Zealand Ian Nicholson 14.58.15