SELANGOR
GAPURNA INTERNATIONAL YOUTH
MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Race
Report 4
THE
SUN SHONE, THE
WINDS BLEW & A
NEW CHAMPION WAS BORN
by Dave Moxey - Sailing Manager - RSYC
The
Royal Selangor Yacht Clubs inaugural Gapurna Youth Match Racing Championships
came to a close with Australia 1 becoming the 2007 champions with 3 straight
wins against New Zealand in the final, first to 3 wins part of the competition.
The Australians have sailed a near faultless championship, losing only 3 races in the first round robin (9 races), then achieving a clean sheet in the second round robin (7 races) and 3 wins from 3 in the final. Evan Walker and his crew of Jeremyy Wawn, Amanda Scrivenor, Cat Trew and Samantha Boyd flew back to their home club exhausted, but delighted with their success, and looking forward to coming back to defend their title next year.
Team New Zealand, skippered by Michael Thorpe and crewed by James Williamson, Reuban Corbett, Bradley Farrand and Michael Edmonds, who sail at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Lion Foundation Sailing Academy finished in the runner up position.
In
the battle for 3rd and 4th place, again it was the
Australians who proved the stronger, although they faced stiff opposition
from the Philippines. However their skill won through in the end, taking
the top spot with 2 straight wins in the first to 2 wins heat.
The
best placed local boat, Team Gapurna Selangor 2, Skippered by Ng Ai Li
and her crew of Mohd Rashidee bin Shariff, Muhd Faiz bin Norizan, Muhd
izzad bin Samdin and Muhd Shaifulla bin Ali almost made the semi finals,
but lost to the Philippines in the last race of the 2nd round
robin. The team take the Division 1 trophy for best placed Malaysian entry
and have qualified to participate in the Bavaria Yachts Australlian International
Youth Match Racing Championships in Sydney Australia in November.
The remaining places were taken up by the Malaysian Yachting Association (6th) Royal Malaysian Navy (7th), Team Gapurna Selangor (8th) Hong Kong 9th and Johor Yachting Association (10th). Unfortunately, the entry from Singapore had to withdraw in the days leading up to the event.
This is the first time such an event has been run, not only in Asia, but
also in Asia, with a competition specifically for Youth sailors. The
host club is very grateful to our sponsors, Gapurna Group, who have done
so much by funding the whole youth training programme in the first year,
allowing our two teams to make so much progress. Also to the National
Sports Council of Malaysia and to Selangor State who have contributed
financially to ensure that the event is a success, to all three of these
organizations, we owe a huge vote of thanks for their support.
The
event, nicknamed "THE LITTLE MONSOON CUP" by the competitors
will now become an annual event, taking place on the waters adjacent to
Royal Selangor Yacht Club in August of each year. The club already has
confirmed entries for next year from 5 of this years competitors, and
has received an enquiry from the United Kingdom who have also indicated
they would like to compete next year.
The Clubs Commodore Dato Richard Curtis is rightly delighted to have been involved in the instigation of what will now become one of the principal youth keelboat racing events in Asia for 2008 and beyond.
WINNER
Yesterdays
Sumatra storm had disappeared over the horizon by the time the sailors
for Malaysia's inaugural match racing event went afloat for Match Day
3. Today's weather was much more pleasant, with bright sunshine and force
3 to 4 winds providing near perfect conditions for the days racing.
The
day got underway with the final flights of the 1st stage round
robin being completed. As expected, the experience of the two Australian
teams skippered by Evan Walker and Tom Barker, along with New Zealand
skippered by Michael Thorpe saw them easily through to the second stage.
A fight back by both of the Selangor Gapurna brother and sister teams
(Hen Li & Ai Li) saw them safely into the second stage with the top
runners, the Philippines (Rafael Buttre), MYA (Razman bin Mat Ali) and
Royal Malaysian Navy (Haris Fabillah bin Muhamad) filling the final 3
slots for the 8 places in the second round robin to determine the final
two pairings for the semi finals and finals. Hong Kong and Johor Yachting
Association unfortunately missed the cut.
Fun
and Games in Pt Klang 
Racing
got underway as the storm abated. Big match ups to look forward to included
Australia verses New Zealand and the Asian tiger countries going head
to head. All in all forty five flights will be needed to complete the
Round Robin. Getting the best of the pre-start dial up action and crossing
the startline first usually determines the winner on these short fifteen
to twenty minute races. After yesterdays quick rules familiarisation,
today saw less penalties being awarded and more aggressiveness shown by
the skippers as they get used to match racing. The swirling nature of
the storm kept the race committee busy resetting the course after each
flight until it steadied latter in the afternoon.
Johor
Yachting Association - Mohd Yusuf 1 - 6
22ND
– 26TH AUGUST 2007 - ROYAL SELANGOR YACHT CLUB
This
discipline has a rule book of its own and requires a team of race officials
to conduct the races and a separate team of umpires to follow the yachts
that instantly make rule decisions then impose penalties as it happens
on the water. The starting sequence becomes a cat and mouse affair where
two skippers try to catch each other offside and use the rules to their
benefit. Umpires were kept busy throughout afternoon making rulings, imposing
penalties after a few minor collisions and a couple of black flags and
disqualifications took place. All part of the steep learning curve the
local sailors are experiencing. 
After
a short wait for the wind to materialize, eighteen flights were fired
of in quick secession. The ten boats will race each other at least once
in a Round Robin over the next two days before elimination takes place
for the final rounds. The more experienced Australian and New Zealand
teams came to the fore and at the end of Day 1 are unbeaten in their matches.
The Philippines put up a brave showing after a little confusion over a
red flag incident that meant they should take their penalty turn straight
after they started. The boats have a time limit to enter the starting
area from different sides and disqualified if late, which the Aussie's
successfully used to prevent a Malaysian team from competing. Quick crew
change over's and as the breeze steadily increased through the afternoon
bought a successful conclusion to the first day of racing.
It
is hoped that on the back of this event, next year will see the establishment
of a youth one design racing circuit in Malaysia (2), Singapore, Philippines
and Thailand.