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John McNae's S & S 36 Ambil Angin from Brunei took top honours in the cruiser / racer class while France's Kiki skippered by Roger Bussy was the winner in the Club Class. Philip Barbetti's Selkie kept the Aussie flag flying in the multi-hull class. |
| AY Race Report 3 Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge 2003 By Scott McCook - Asia Boat Rag
Further off shore, but only slightly, Shassy spent the evening on a sand bank about 5nm north of the marina. Stewart Cuthell's Banjo who lost some steerage on the passage race from Labuan, pulled into their homeport Brunei to effect repairs before ending up on the sand bank immediately at the marinas entrance. Stewart was last seen seeking the fellow who switched off the breakwater lights! After a short delay racing did get off the line under starters orders into a light but consistent breeze. Competing yachts left the marina so as to avoid the shallow spot in the entrance on the out going tide. A fleet of Optimists, Lasers and 470's departed Piasau Boat Club 4nm's north of the marina in a passage race so that they could take part on the water tomorrow. Quite amazingly, the kids some as young as 8 were making a better job of it than many of the big boats!
At this stage it is not certain whether Ulumulu will win the overall challenge trophy. Outward Bound, Ambil Angin and Sarawak Seahorse have entered the fray and with a few good placings, so the final results could go either way. One thing is for certain, Ulumulu will definitely carry off the IRC Division 1 trophy. But far more important than overall results is the spirit of the regatta. The Borneo Cup has all the ingredients of becoming an important event in Southeast Asia. It has an incredible amount of support within the local community and it is envisioned that the Cup will contribute to Sarawak Tourisms goal of making Miri a resort city by 2005. So as we enter the final day of racing there is more at stake than just a yacht race, riding on the results are the hopes and dreams of the whole steering committee. |
AY Race Report 2
The organizing authority is the Sarawak Sailing Association in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak, Labuan Corporation and the Malaysian Yachting Association. Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge
results can be found at: www.borneorace.com News Editors
and Webmasters take note:
To keep your records updated please find the published 2003/04
AsianYachting Calendar together with the AY Skipper and Yacht Ranking Events marked clearly as Five
Star Events for the 2003/04
AY Season.
Take a colour copy of the AY
website edition by simply clicking
on: http://asianyachting.com/asiancalendar.htm |
AY
Race Report 1
Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge 2003 by CaptMarty@AsianYachting.com  The
Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge got
into full swing on Monday with (part 1) the Labuan
Harbour Regatta held in variable and moderate conditions
infront of the Waterfront Hotel. After a short delay International race
officer Mark Pryke got on with proceedings for back to back windward/leeward
races. The bulk of the 9 yacht fleet being IRC cruiser/racers most of
whom are fronting up for their first ever racing series got off to a
clear start but as the breeze faded away the committee had no alternative
other than to shorten the course after the first lap. John Malthouse's S&S 36 Ambil Angin from Brunei that won the inaugural Labuan Cup back in 1995 continued on his winning ways despite 8 years elapsing since his last win. The Sarawak Tourism Boards newly purchased entry Sarawak Seahorse took 2nd place and Allan Riches Outward Bound from Brunei followed closely in 3rd place.
Race 2 got underway in a building breeze just as a massive windshift turned the windward beat and downwind leg into a broad reach. As a lengthy wait had taken place beforehand the race committee decided to allow the yachts to continue around despite the fluctuating conditions persisting. The podium positions remained the same as race 1 with S. Cuthell's Banjo from the UK piping Wally Smith's single handed effort on Patience from the USA by a couple of minutes in the Classic Class. Philip Barbetti's family sailed cruising catamaran Selkie from Australia is the only multihull competing here and put in a decent performance to finish mid fleet despite the changing conditions. Part 2 the overnight 115nm Labuan to Miri International Yacht Challenge starts on Tuesday and the committee are keeping a weather eye on Tropical Storm Ketsana hovering above the Philippines to the north of here as some severe local afternoon thunder storms have been experienced and blustery conditions are expected to sweep across the region. Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge
results can be found at: www.borneorace.com |
Pre
Regatta Report
Borneo Cup
Yachting Challenge 2003
by CaptMarty@AsianYachting.com The inaugural Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge gets underway on Monday
(20th Oct) with 2 windward/leeward races set infront of the downtown Waterfront
Hotel on the duty free Island of Labuan in East Malaysia. Yachts
from nearby Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah have been joined by visiting cruising
yachts from as far away as Australia, USA, France and the UK.
The event then moves on Tuesday
(21st Oct) to Sarawak with the overnight Labuan
to Miri International Yacht Challenge. The 120nm passage
race takes the yachts south through a maze of offshore oil platforms
with their blazing flares in the South China Sea before reaching the new
Marina Park development in
Miri.
After a lay day racing continues with 2 days of harbour racing in front of the Park City Hotel and Marina Park for the Miri Bay Regatta (Oct 24 - 25) with a further 4 windward / leeward races before the overall champion is produced from a yacht that has successfully competed in all 3 phases of the event. The big yachts will be joined for the final 2 days by a contingent of dinghy sailors from the Piasau Boat Club that has produced many past 420, Laser and Optimist champions in Malaysia. The organising authority is the Sarawak Sailing Association in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak, Labuan Corporation and the Malaysian Yachting Association. Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge
results can be found at: www.borneorace.com |
The merry
month of October marks the News Editors and Webmasters take note: To keep your records updated please find the published 2003/04 AsianYachting Calendar together with the annual AY Skipper and Yacht Ranking Events marked clearly as Five Star Events during the 2003/04 AY Season. Take a colour copy of the AY website edition by simply clicking on: http://asianyachting.com/asiancalendar.htm First off this year is the inaugural Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge (Oct 20-25) jointly organised by the Malay State of Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan to promote regional maritime activities and the local tourism industry by hosting and conducting International sporting events. Ray Roberts old custom Sydney 46 Luna Nuova now renamed Ulu Mulu was recently purchased by Troy Yau and delivered by the Miri men to Sarawak should start favourite at this inaugural event amongst a mixed fleet of cruiser racers. AsianYachting June 2003 Yet, another regatta to promote regional marine and sporting tourism is joining the growing number of Asian events. The Borneo Cup Yachting Challenge is jointly organized by the State of Sarawak on Borneo and the Federal Territory Island of Labuan will take place on Oct 20-25.
The Sarawak Sailing Association together with the Piasau Boat Club will be managing the event and races. More can be found at www.borneorace.com and interested entries can contact the secretariat at ngmiri@tm.net.my Return to AsianYachting
Homepage |
A
boat with the same name spelt backwards Ulumulu
emerged as the inaugural winner of the converted Borneo
Cup Yachting Challenge 2003 trophy.
The
custom Sydney 46, owned by Troy Yaw and skippered by Bill Nicholson, won the cup "by a very close margin" announced
PRO Mark Pryke at the presentation ceremony in Miri, Sarawak (East Malaysia) 
Yesterdays
lay-day was not without action as well. Sarawaks Minister of Tourism,
Dato Sri abang Haji Abdul Rahman, officially launched the stunning Borneo
Cup Challenge Trophy and gave an insight into the exciting things to
follow for next years event.
The
keelboat fleet saw the inclusion of a couple of local boats. At the
start in about 8 knots of southerly breeze Ulumulu as expected, lead
the fleet around the top mark. At least this time spinnakers were actually
full of air and not hanging limply from the masts.
The building afternoon
sea breeze had the quick yachts close hauled reaching for the first 40
miles as a dangerous looking tropical storm built up over the land which
eventually swung over to a land breeze right on sunset as we picked our
way through the numerous offshore platforms along the oil rich Brunei
coast. Most boats reported being becalmed for up to 2 to 3 hours
around 3 in the morning before the SE land breeze returned with vengeance
giving the yachts fast reaching conditions over the final stages which
strengthened to a fresh 18 knots from Tg Baram across the final 12 nautical
miles to the finish line in Miri.
Troy
Yaw's custom Sydney 46 Ulumulu
took line honours setting the inaugural Labuan
to Miri yacht race record taking 19hrs 29mins
45 secs to complete the course finishing at 06hrs 46mins 45secs
in the morning. Philip Barbetti's
45ft catamaran Selkie from Australia was next
to finish at 11:20:10 taking exactly 1 day and 3 minutes and closely followed
by John McNae's well sailed
S&S 36 Ambil Angin
only 11minutes and 14 secs further behind them. The provisional IRC results
had Allan Riches Outward
Bound from Brunei being lifted to first place after
handicaps have been applied. As the yachts finished they where directed
to berth in the hurriedly completed Marina
Park facilities being developed on the Miri waterfront
by The Samling Group which
will become Sarawak's first marina for pleasure craft.
After
a lay day racing continues with 2 days of harbour racing in front of
the Park City Hotel and
Marina
Park for the Miri
Bay Regatta (Oct 24 - 25) with a further 4 windward
/ leeward races before the overall champion is produced from
a yacht that has successfully competed in all 3 phases of the event.
The big yachts will be joined for the final 2 days by a contingent of
dinghy sailors from the Piasau
Boat Club that
has produced many past
420, Laser and Optimist champions for Malaysia.
Troy
Yaw's custom Sydney 46 Ulumulu (formerly Luna Nuova) being the
only IRC racing class yacht competing here easily outclassed the opposition
to take line honours in both races held today. A full costumed Sarawak
tribal warrior dance onboard Ulumulu entertained the assembled
press corps and race committee before proceedings got underway.
The
program includes a offshore race from Labuan
to Miri and a number of day races in Miri.
Pantai Bayu Indah the developer
of the soon to be completed Marina Park
in Miri have offered free berthing for the duration of
the event.