15th Raja Muda International Regatta 2004 - AsianYachting Race Report 1

And they're on the way...
Most yachts opted for a very conservative start to Race 1 on this years RMIR. Perhaps after the opening welcome dinner at the RSYC the crews realised that it is going to be a long, hard week and decided to pace themselves if they want to give themselves any chance at winning. The first leg from Pt Klang to Pangkor Island is a 90 nautical mile drag race and the skippers welcomed the 7 to 8 knot North Westerly to send them on the way. The Malaysian Navy's tall ship Tunas Samudera graced one end of the start line and it was fitting that the first yacht to cross the line in the reversed starting order was Lt. Hamdan skippering Musytari, one of the navy's training yachts.

The three big racing class yachts of Neil Pryde's HI-FIDELITY, Nick Burns/Warwick Downes MANDRAKE and Troy Yaw's ULUMULU were quick to hit their straps off the starting grid and settled in to the fine reaching conditions, checking each others pace, until well after sunset when all havoc usually breaks out. Who turned of the lights? The wind completely died forcing some astute yachtsmen to anchor (as they were going backwards) before filling in from the other side with a land breeze. Allot of time can be gained or lost during these periods of changing gears up and down which requires good crew communication and management skills on a big yacht. Jonathan Mahony and crew certainly had a HAPPY ENDING on his Mumm 30 when the results were tabulated as they snatched victory from Neil Pryde's HI-FIDELITY by a mere 1min 48secs. Troy Yaw's ULUMULU skippered this time by Bill Nichols snuck into third place from the fast finishing MANDRAKE who lead the fleet into Pangkor taking Line Honours for Leg 1 shortly after 2:00 in the morning.

For anybody still out on the water approaching the islands around 3:00 - 4:00am a big thunderstorm struck leaving a huge area completely windless and shrouded in mist until a light sea breeze started to fill in around noon or about seven hours latter. All the big Premier Cruisers and the leaders in the Cruising Classes managed to sail through it all and finish but those further back endured hours of drifting in the current before deciding to call it a day and gracefully retiring.

Full RMIR 2004 results can be found at: http://www.rmir.com/event/results.html

Pangkor Island is the largest of a delightful group of islands at the mouth of the Dindings River in the state of Perak. An exclusive resort hailed amongst the finest in Asia has been constructed on the privately owned island of Pangkor Laut where international celebrities and business tycoons are known to take some time out. There are also numerous sheltered bays that offer a welcome stop-over for yachtsman cruising through the Straits of Malacca.

The Race Reports with photos and can be found at: http://asianyachting.com/news/RMIR04.htm