7th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2009
AY Race Report 3

Fusion of colour around the islands
Downwind starts usually provide an extra degree of excitement and today's round the islands race start was no different. Most boats crowded the pin end on starboard tack and as the horn sounded the skippers turned the bow down, as the crews worked feverishly to get the spinnaker up and flying. This maneuver can get a bit hairy as the boats jockey for position and tacticians hope there time on distance calculations are correct. The radio crackled 'All clear' from PRO Mark Pryke signaling no one was over the line and the race has started in full earnest. Twenty eight nautical miles for the racing classes and 22nm for the cruisers.

Favourable wind and current saw the yachts gybing downwind looking for wind shifts and the best angle toward the mark. In the early stages Frank Pong's R/P 75 Jelik became locked in battle with Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi-Fi until they found the right lane and cleared away. As the fleet rounded the bottom gate and looked ahead a multitude of options opened in the lee of the hilly islands. Numerous wind holes behind the hills and gusty patches in the valleys. 'To go further out to sea or hug the coast?' became the question. As the leading boat Frank Pong's Jelik picked there way through the minefield, there path showed the rest of the fleet the conditions he is experiencing. After traversing this section the wind picked up and the gusts became more frequent which helped the back markers. The passage back up Bass Harbour became a long work to windward in more stable wind conditions and the aim was to keep in rhythm with the rest of the pack.

Ironically Frank Pong has always been in favour of an islands race, finished down in fourth place and Ray Roberts mostly prefers to race windward / leewards in Bass Harbour, won the inaugural islands race and reclaimed top spot on the overall pointscore. Peter Ahern's Farr 40 YO!2 took advantage of being behind and slipped into second place. Neil Pryde's Hi-Fi in the hands of Kevin Costin held on to secure third spot. As the racing has been so close and three boats were tied for first place yesterday, Ray Roberts proposed to the race committee to increase the schedule to 10 races instead of the 8 specified in the NOR. With agreement from all parties and providing the standard is not compromised there is now three races tomorrow and two races on Saturday weather permitting to settle the score.

Anthony Hastings Beneteau 53 Baby Tonga 99 Degrees East was back out on the course after retiring yesterday and luck was on his side as they made the most of the conditions in the lee of the islands overtaking some racing class boats to take out the daily double in the Premier Cruising class. Niels Degenkolw IOR 3/4 Ton Phoenix claimed second place and Jeff Harris Elan 37 Rapscallion also had a change of fortune with third place after a dismal start to the regatta. No change to the overall pointscore with Stuart Williamson's Beneteau 34.7 Skandia Endeavour of Whitby still on top but scores may even up a bit when the drop race is introduced.

Mike Van Zyl's 24ft Jandi skippered by James Hardie stayed on there winning ways, adding a fourth win to there tally and become almost unbeatable in the IRC 1 class. Second place for Alan Rimington's 32ft Atlantis Star from the Penang Swimming Club sees them break the tie with Jan Matthews Sunsail 35 and reverse the order in the overall stakes.

The Royal Malaysian Navy Platu 25 Navy 1 skippered by Mohd Masyuri Rahmat has been exerting a lot of pressure in the Sportsboat class and is starting to dominate proceedings with a race 5 victory to stay on top of the combined leaderboard. Razman Mat Ali's Platu 25 MYA/KFC scored second place in front of Gaetan Verhegee's more fancied Longtze 2 - Exocet in third. This leaves Navy 1 on top of the overall pointscore and the Platu 25 table with Gaetan Verhegee's Longtze 2 - Exocet leading the Longtze Class. Things may dramatically change when the drop race is introduced as most boats are carrying a bad score and the podium positions are entirely open to a shoot out in the final races.

The Club Cruising Class entrants could start individually anytime after eight o'clock and most took advantage of the offer to avoid finishing late in the afternoon. Des Kearns/Jerry Boelens 46ft Bad Habits was the last to get away and as the early birds concertinaed up in the passage between the islands, they went wide and caught the building breeze to overtake almost everyone and score first and fastest. Keith Garry's 41ft BeauX Esprits was back in action after retiring yesterday and although an early charge was stifled in the passage they managed to release themselves and go on to score second place. Third place for Christopher Kingsley-Smith 41ft Amandla Star keeps them on top of the pointscore but once again the drop race may significantly change the order.

In the Multihull class five wins in a row for Bob Brindley's Whiteheavan 11.8 Xcatriot not only gives them a clean sheet but raps up the series with two races to go. After a troublesome week Tim Milner's 33ft Seekronghuk rebounded with second place and although all three multihulls finished within a minute of each other, Bill Webb's 41ft Out of the Bag had to settle on third place. The overall order is reflected in the race results.

So its back to the outside courses tomorrow and Bass Harbour on the final day of racing.

More RLIR 2009 news and results can be found at: http://www.langkawiregatta.com

Goto RLIR09 Photo Gallery Here...

Online AY Race Reports with photos can be accessed from:
Race Report 5 & Summary: http://asianyachting.com/news/RLIR09/5.htm
Race Report 4: http://asianyachting.com/news/RLIR09/4.htm
Race Report 2: http://asianyachting.com/news/RLIR09/2.htm
Race Report 1: http://asianyachting.com/news/RLIR09/1.htm
Pre-Race Report: http://asianyachting.com/news/RLIR09/0.htm

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