Race Day 1 – 21 January 2025
Running in its 21st edition, the Royal Langkawi International Regatta has welcomed an impressive 35 registered boats from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, China, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Australia. This year’s event emphasizes competitiveness, inclusivity, women’s empowerment, and speed among the vessels. Notably, Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, and the Malaysian Navy are navigating the Andaman Sea alongside seasoned sailors. It’s heartening to see such a strong turnout, post – pandemic.
January is typically the windiest month in Langkawi, with wind speeds starting at 5 to 8 knots. The first warning signal was given at 9.30 am this morning—a light breeze to start the day. By mid-day, the wind picked up 14 to 15 knots, powering the boats to a pleasant racing speed. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Langkawi, YB Dato’ Haji Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, flagged off the first day’s race on time.
Today’s race at Kuah Harbour featured a windward-leeward course. The wind shifted from 050 degrees north to 080 degrees northeast, prompting Mark Boat A to adjust the windward mark for a smoother flow. The Racing class was the first to go, followed by IRC 1, IRC 2, Multihull, Club, and finally, Sports Boat. Three boats from the IRC 1 class crossed the starting line prematurely and had to dip down before starting again.
During the downwind leg, the RSYC Sailing Team encountered a gust of wind. With the spinnaker flying, Aqid Nurhaziqah briefly lost control, causing the boat to spin up. The skipper swiftly brought the boat head into the wind, regaining control without any chaos.
Success today required skippers to remain vigilant of the wind direction and pressure, particularly a bias to leeward. The tables turned from last year as ‘The Next Factor’ skippered by Rolf Heemskerk, led the Racing class, followed by ‘Blitz’, helmed by Nick Burns. In the IRC 1 class, ‘Char Chan’ skippered by Kazuki Kihara, came in first, followed by ‘Mata Hari’, helmed by Vincent Chan, and ‘Team Jolt’, with Lee Yi Min as captain.
In the PSC-IRC 2 class, ‘Phoenix’, helmed by Niels Degenkolw, captured first place, followed by the PDRM Sailing Team, skippered by Muhammad Izzad. ‘Haruki’ helmed by Douglas Jackson led the Multihull class with WOW coming in second with David Liddell as the skipper.
‘Dash,’ helmed by Mohd Azhar, claimed first place today, with ‘Wind of Change,’ skippered by Ilya Strakh, following closely behind, and ‘Suraya,’ helmed by Selwyn Enoch, showcased impressive skills to secure a spot in the top three for the Club class.
For the Sports Boat class, Rizal demonstrated his credibility by leading today’s race and is a strong contender to win the 2025 regatta.