2024 round up
Rolf Heemskerk’s The Next Factor captures 2024 Raja Muda Cup title
Going into the final day there was only three points separating the top three boats in the five-boat Racing Class with Nick Burns’ Blitz (a King 40, Mills Design) leading Rolf Heemskerk’s The Next Factor (a Farr 40) by one point, and Ray Roberts Hollywood Samurai (a Cookson 50) by two.
And when it was all sailed and down Rolf came away with his second Raja Muda Cup crown, having won it previously on the same boat in 2019. And it couldn’t be more fitting for Heemskerk’s and his crew, who lost last year’s title to Burns, then driving Witchcraft, by just two seconds on corrected time in the final race and only one second on corrected time in the penultimate race.
Ray Robert’s Hollywood Samurai (Cookson 50) ended up taking the bronze medal in this class with Steve McConaghy’s Aftershock (a Davidson 55) finishing fourth and the Malaysian Navy’s Uranus (DK46), skipped by Hasani, coming in fifth in the class.
The Raja Muda Selangor himself, Tengku Amir Shah, was in attendance at the final awards ceremony and he took the stage to hand out the overall prizes. One of the special awards he presented was to the youngest competitor in the regatta, Keshveneei A/P Longannmuthu, who sailed on Recca.
Earlier in the day PRO Simon James staged two races on this, the final day of the regatta, held in Langkawi’s Kuah Harbour, giving the regatta a total of seven races competed in overall in the competition.
Class two (Premier) saw Peter Cremers magnificent Shatoosh (a Warwick 75) capture its second straight Juga Cup victory, with Hans Rahmann’s custom-built sloop Yasooda playing the bridesmaid. Yasooda won almost every race in the class on elapsed time, but ended up giving way to Shatoosh on corrected time. Simon Piff’s Firstlight (a Beneteau First 50) was third overall in the three-yacht class.
Max Palleschi’s Prime Factor (an IOR Farr 40) did some wonderful sailing on the last two days of the regatta but it wasn’t enough to catch up to Lee Yi Min’s Jolt (a J99) and they finished second overall in the five-boat IRC class three. Jolt, despite ripping its spinnaker early on the final day, plus despite entering the regatta for the very first time, captured the “surprise entry” contest of the regatta; winning their class and surprisingly all with their skill and dexterity. Peter Jong’s Kesini (a Beneteau First 40.7) was third with Matt Whittingham’s Insanity (a Beneteau First 45) finishing fourth and Ian Pereira & Amir Zohri’s Malarbar (an MC31) placed fifth.
Class four saw James Duke’s colourful, charismatic and loud crew on Kimikimi capture the Cruising series finishing five points ahead of Antanas Danys’ Shardana in the overall scoreboard. RSYC Commodore and revered personality Ramasamay Menon and his VG Offshore (a 1989 Dehler 38) took third place overall – Rama, as Commodore, also handed out the final awards with the Raja Muda of Selangor. MJ Longa’s Recaa (a Beneteau First 45.5) was fourth in the five-boat class. It was terrific to see Recaa competing again, as last year just before the regatta started the vessel was severely damaged when a runaway Indonesia cargo vessel hit the RSYC dock. Lance Denby’s Ostara (a Bavaria 38) went walkabout on the first race of the final day, accidentally sailing the wrong course part of the way, and although they regained the course and their composure that result, along with their others, put them fifth overall.
Class five (Classic) saw Dash (a Yamaha 36) have a clean sweep, dominating this four-yacht class and winning every race as it dashed across the finish line in spectacular fashion. Second place was a much tighter contest, however, as the Navy’s Marikh (a Contesa 32) ended up defeating Shah Azlan Ramli’s Tofan (a Westerly Storm 33) by only two points to snare the silver chalice. The crew on Ken Yap’s Millennium 2 (a Hunter 326) didn’t fare so well on the scoreboard but showed true grit and determination throughout the regatta finishing fourth overall in the class. By the way, there are only two universal truths in life: tomorrow is another day and Ken Yap Millennium 2 will be the first boat to enter the next Raja Muda regatta.
In class six, Andrew McDermott’s trimaran Trident sailed down from Phuket to shade former RSYS Commodore Jeff Harris’ catamaran Serendipity by four points and capture the two-boat multihull division.
The final evening’s festivities, which went on well into the night, marked the end of the 8 days of racing, with every weather condition the Straits could throw at the fleet plus a number of “firsts” along the way, some stranger than others.
A week earlier, after 2 days of prep at Royal Selangor Yacht Club, including a family farm visit by Selangor Tourism, for those not busy with their boat prep, the event kicked off with the opening ceremony at RSYC, preceding a tricky Saturday morning, coping with a 5 metre, 2+knot, ebb tide running past the club, seeing boats being very careful with their undocking procedures before heading for the start of Race 1 at the north end of Port Klang. However, the wind and tide gods favoured them with the tail end of the outgoing ebb tide, still running at about 2 knots northward, plus a decent breeze from the North West.
Rocket launch out of Port Klang (Sat 16th - Race 1)
So PRO Simon James was able to send them all off on time at midday in 2 rolling starts. Amazingly the wind stayed in at 15+knots all the way up the course for the bigger boats, allowing 2 class 1 and 2 class 2 boats to smash the elapsed time record by over 2 hours. As the trackers will show, some only tacked once the whole way to Pangkor. Hollywood Samurai now holds the record of crossing the finish line at Fairway Rock at 21.33 with an elapsed time of just 9hr 33min on this 82Nm race (over 8.5knots VMG for those reaching for their calculator). This meant that they were anchored off Pangkor’s Puteri Bayu Beach Resort and itching to get ashore even before the overnight beer and snacks stalls had even been set up. One crew member remarked it was the first time on this leg that he was able to reach Pangkor, have a beer or 2, grab a good night’s sleep and be still be up in time to catch breakfast the next day. In the past, crew would usually stagger ashore throughout the night having taken at least 12 hours to complete this leg, then recover during Sunday morning. However the slower boats and those in class 3, 4 & 5, who started in the 2nd start and who finished at the 4 degree Lat line at the Sembilan Islands, didn’t fare quite so well, with winds dying and tide changes as the night progressed, with Tofan just beating the cutoff time by 12 minutes.
When handicaps were factored in, Hollywood Samurai finished third in the five-vessel class one (Racing) behind Nick Burns’ Blitz (a King 40, Mills Design), and Rolf Heemskerk’s The Next Factor. The Malaysian Navy’s Uranus, skipped by Hasani, was fourth while Steve McConaghy’s Aftershock, only six minutes behind Hollywood Samurai on elapsed time, placed fifth when their handicap was applied.
Class two (Premier Cruising) featured the two belles of the ball with both Peter Cremers sleek Shatoosh, and Hans Rahmann’s equally slick custom-built sloop Yasooda, speeding through the course, also finishing a couple of hours earlier than predicted breaking the race record. On corrected time, Shatoosh finished 37 minutes ahead of Yasooda, with Simon Piff’s Firstlight taking third place in this three-boat class.
The five-boat class three (IRC) saw Peter Jong’s Kesini beat Matt Whittingham’s Insanity by less than a minute on elapsed time, winning the class on handicap as well. Max Palleschi’s Prime Factor was third in this class with Lee Yi Min’s Jolt (a brand new J99) in fourth and Ian Pereira & Amir Zohri’s Malarbar finishing fifth as they had trouble with their main sail early in the race.
Class four (Cruising) saw RSYC Commodore Ramasamay Menon and his trusty VG Offshore win on elapsed and corrected time. Antanas Danys’ Shardana was second followed by James Duke’s Kimikimi, who was OCS at the start, but decided to take the % time penalty rather than return to the start against the strong ebbing tide. MJ Longa S’ Recca was fourth with Lance Denby’s Ostara being fifth in the class, as it had an incident with VG Offshore during the start of the race.
The four-boat class five (Classic) saw Dash finish seven minutes behind Hasani Hassan’s Marikh on elapsed time, but when handicap as applied ended up beating Marikh on corrected time by less than half a second. Ken Yap’s Millennium 2 was third and Shah Azlan Ramli’s Tofan fourth in this class.
Jeff Harris’ Serendipity was supposed to meet up with Andrew McDermott’s Trident in Penang to form Class 6 (Multihulls) but had engine trouble leaving Port Klang. Once the engine was fixed, he started motoring up to join the fleet.
Tom Sheppard is on board as the fleet’s adjudicator. He brings his over three decades of experience to the regatta and will resolve any disputes, if, or when, they arise. The regatta’s technical guru Malcolm Elliott has again installed a YB3 tracker on each boat. This utilizes the Iridium satellite network, so the committee will know where each boat is during the passage races and what time they cross race gates and the finish lines into his online results system.
Marine Police and Malaysian Coastguard (MMEA) vessels were out in force to provide RC vessels, security and safety cover, plus ensure fewer fishing boats and nets needed to be avoided.
Sunday evening’s prize-giving ceremony for the first race was staged at the Puteri Bayu Beach Resort where regatta participants were treated to a spectacular Chinese drum show (tang gu) by young students from the Hwa Lian Chinese Primary School, aged 7-12.
It’s a minefield out there – yes REAL ones!!(Mon 18th Race 2)
On Monday November 18th, competitors set out from Pangkor Island, but the wind didn’t want to cooperate so they ended up lounging under the hot Malaysian sun for a couple of hours.
Then came another first for this year… the navy was conducting mine-sweeping exercises in an area right where race 2 normally kicks off…so it was a very careful detour around the no-go area to hunt for wind further north. So it was
13:50, after dropping the AP flag, that PRO Simon James pulled into his bag of tricks, letting loose a gust of wind and the second leg was underway with two rolling starts as all five classes sailed the same 65NM passage race from Pangkor to Penang.
Ray Roberts Hollywood Samurai (a Cookson 50) had line honours again as it whooshed across the finish line in 09:24:02, capturing the five-vessel Racing class on handicap as well. Rolf Heemskerk’s The Next Factor was second, five-and-a-half minutes behind on corrected time. Nick Burns’ Blitz was third, followed by the Malaysian Navy’s Uranus, while Aftershock, led by former Australian Olympian Steve McConaghy, placed fifth in the class.
Class two (Premier) saw Hans Rahmann’s sloop Yasooda cross the line first on elapsed time (09:58:55), but they lost their advantage coming into Penang ceding the class to Peter Cremers sleek Shatoosh, which just won on corrected time. Simon Pfiff’s Firstlight took third spot in this three-yacht class (but first place in the strange dress-code contest).
The five-boat class three (IRC) saw Lee Yi Min’s Jolt win on both elapsed and corrected time. Max Palleschi’s Prime Factor beat Peter Jong’s Kesini by just 17 seconds on corrected time to capture second place. Amir Zohri’s skippering Malarbar was placed fourth with Matt Whittingham’s Insanity coming in fifth spot after unfortunately snagging a fishing net.
Class four (Cruising) saw James Duke’s Kimikimi have a good day winning the class on both elapsed and corrected time. Antanas Danys’ Shardana placed second again, followed by RSYC Commodore Ramasamay Menon and his trusty VG Offshore. MJ Longa S’ Recca was a respectable fourth, with Lance Denby’s Ostara placed fifth in the five-boat class.
Class five (Classic) saw Dash, with a completely new to the boat, but very skillful crew capture its second straight race with the Navy’s trusty Contesa 32, Marikh, a veteran of this regatta, finishing second. Tofan flip-flopped spots with Ken Yap’s Millennium 2 taking third spot in this four-yacht class.
Former RSYS Commodore Jeff Harris was able to pull start Serendipity’s engine and motored up to Penang where it will compete against Andrew McDermott’s Trident in the harbour race in Penang tomorrow in class six (multihulls).
Yachts had to be particular careful this year both at the finishing line at the south end of Penang island, and entering the area around Straits Quay. They had to be guided in as a massive land reclamation project is underway and sailors had to be very careful navigating their way because of all the dredging and land infill underway. To further make matters difficult the annual Penang dragon boat races, usually held on the now rather dry reservoir on the island, were due to be run the same day as the regatta left for Langkawi, so the entrance was dotted with multiple race course buoys and lines. However as all the dredging had helped increase Straits Quay marina’s entry depth it was possible to bring in the smaller entrants to raft up on the pontoons and be able to step ashore rather than endure the sometimes rough and wet ferry trip from the anchorage.
This regatta is steeped in tradition and part of that continues today with the famous Raja Muda rickshaw race on the boardwalk of Penang’s Straits Quay Marina followed by the in-shore harbour racing in Penang the following day. It is also a great opportunity for the regatta participants to catch up with former regatta chairman John Ferguson, who is currently the Straits Quay marina manager. John played a vital role in the growth of this regatta and still has many friends both on the regatta committee and those sailing as well. The Malaysian Navy team won this infamous rickshaw race, which saw KimiKimi’s crew member, Rick Fielding, stealing the show with his debut as the events MC. With hardly any preparation at all he was able to deliver one-liners in rapid succession – no one was spared and a good time was had by all. He vowed to return next year armed with even more friendly banter…. we have been warned!
Raja Muda’s inshore race highlights Penang skyline (Wed 20th – Races 3&4)
Tom Petty’s ballad “The Waiting is the Hardest Part” could become the theme song for this leg of the regatta as competitors had to wait two hours and twenty-five minutes before PRO Simon James could find enough wind to get them under way. Once he did, however, all was forgiven, the sailors got a good race in with Penang’s skyline making for a very scenic backdrop.
Ray Roberts Hollywood Samurai, after winning the regatta’s first two passage races, did not capture the top prize today as that went to Rolf Heemskerk’s The Next Factor who won it on corrected time. Steve McConaghy’s Aftershock had line honours with a time of 16:33:41, but finished third on corrected time in the five-boat Racing class. Nick Burns’ Blitz (a King 40, Mills Design, just like his other boat Witchcraft) was just over a minute behind The Next Factor when all was sailed and done, Hollywood Samurai was fourth and the Malaysian Navy’s Uranus, skipped by Hasani, placed fifth.
Class two (Premier) saw Hans Rahmann’s sloop Yasooda cross the line in first place again on elapsed time (02:26:08), but they again lost to Peter Cremers sleek Shatoosh on handicap as well as Simon Piff’s Firstlight, who beat them by less than a minute on corrected time in the three-yacht class. Indeed the class 1st to 3rd was separated by just 6 minutes after a 3 hour race. Simon has seen many Raja Muda regattas, with various boats over the years ranging in size and speed, but always with a loud and enthusiastic, fun-loving crew.
The five-boat class three (IRC) saw Lee Yi Min’s Jolt win for the second straight day. They were followed by Peter Jong’s Kesini, who were the first in this class to cross the line at 02:41:30. Max Palleschi’s Prime Factor beat Matt Whittingham’s Insanity by just over a minute on corrected time to capture third place, and Malarbar, with a high IRC rating befitting its slick racing design, was placed fifth.
Class four (Cruising) saw Antanas Danys’ Shardana come in first today on corrected time after finishing second in the first two races.James Duke’s Kimikimi snared second spot, while RSYC Commodore Ramasamay Menon, and his trusty VG Offshore came third, even though they crossed the line first in the class with a time of 02:39:51. MJ Longa S’ Recca was fourth with Lance Denby’s Ostara fifth.
Class five (Classic) saw Dash continue to impress, winning its third straight race. Shah Azlan Ramli’s Tofan was second even though it did cross the finish first in this class with a time of 02:59:06. Marikh was in third spot & Ken Yap’s Millennium 2 was fourth in this four-yacht class.
The multihull class (6), was finally able to get under way as Andrew McDermott’s trimaran Trident and crew sailed down from Phuket to compete against former RSYS Commodore Jeff Harris’ catamaran and it was Serendipity that won the first race in this series.
Because of the very delayed start due to the fickle and miniscule wind coming in from every point of the compass, only one race was held, which did make sub-series results easy to calculate.
The evening awards presentation were held at Straits Quay and regatta participants were treated to both some spectacular lighting of the atrium plus a thoroughly entertaining acrobatic lion’s presentation by the Penang Hong Guan group. Former RSYC manager John Ferguson presented the awards to the winners of the Pangkor-Penang passage race while current RSYC Commodore Ramasamay Menon handed out the awards to the winners of both Race 2 and that day’s Fay Khoo Penang Series races.
Hollywood Samurai captures third straight passage race (Thurs 21st - Race 5)
PRO Simon James, aka “the Wind Whisperer”, had to move the fleet 12 nautical miles to the northeast of Straits Quay before he could find enough breeze to get the competitors off on the Penang-Langkawi leg of the 34th sailing of the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta with a 1:25pm start.
Baking in the noon-day sun in the Straits Quay is no easy task and can be as draining as dealing with a big gust of wind but as seen in past regattas; as shown in past regattas, good wind in the Penang harbour races the day before is not a harbinger of good wind for the start of the Penang-Langkawi passage race.
Ray Roberts Hollywood Samurai, was back at the top of its game, capturing the regatta’s third straight passage race line-honours along the way with an elapsed time of 06:07:47. Steve McConaghy’s Aftershock was a very close second, only 2½ minutes behind. Nick Burns’ Blitz was third followed by Rolf Heemskerk’s The Next Factorwith the Malaysian Navy’s Uranus, coming in fifth in Racing class.
At the beginning of the race, Uranus was almost called for barging on The Next Factor as it wedged in between Rolf Heemskerk’s yacht and the start vessel in a very tight squeeze, but, upon review, however Adjudicator Tom Shepphard decided not to penalize them declaring there was just enough room to perform their manoeuvre.
Class two (Premier) repeated its pattern of behaviour with Hans Rahmann’s custom-built Yasooda again crossing the finish line first with an elapsed time of 06:28:40, but losing again to Peter Cremers magnificent Shatoosh when handicap was applied. Simon Pfiff’s Firstlight was third in the three-yacht class.
The five-boat class three (IRC) had the same order of finish as yesterday with Lee Yi Min’s Jolt win for the third straight day on corrected time, followed by Peter Jong’s Kesini and Max Palleschi’s Prime Factor. Matt Whittingham’s colourful crew on Insanity had line honours in the class with a time of 09:06:50, but had to settle for fourth spot when handicap was applied, while Malarbar, new to the regatta and still fine tuning the rig was fifth in this class.
Class four (Cruising) saw James Duke’s Kimikimi win on elapsed (10:16:46) and corrected time. RSYC Commodore Ramasamay Menon, VG Offshore, the vessel with the largest fan following, was second, with Antanas Danys’ Shardana placing third. Lance Denby’s Ostara was fourth, while MJ Longa S’ Recca was fifth in the five-boat class.
Class five (Classic) saw Dash continue to impress in this four-yacht class winning its fourth straight race. Tofan was second and Hasani Hassan on Marikh third. Though Ken Yap’s Millennium 2 placed fourth and though it has been the last boat to finish in each race, the spirit Ken and his crew have shown, both this year and the past 12 he has entered, remains an inspiration to all who participate in this regatta.. it is more about the camaraderie and enjoyment of participating than the results. One of the newcomers this year, of which there were many, said it was “..like being part of an old, well established, friendly sailing club that sails along the coast sampling different, venues, conditions and types of races along the way”.
The multihull class, class six, was able to complete its first passage race of the regatta as former RSYS Commodore Jeff Harris’ catamaran Serendipity beat out Andrew McDermott’s trimaran Trident.
The regatta has been hailed as a “tactician’s regatta” as the strong currents, tides, sea and land breezes demand the utmost concentration and planning. Years past, pirates made the Straits of Malacca one of the most dangerous passages on earth. But today, it’s not pirates that sailors fear, but container vessels, fishing trawlers, and floating debris. The regatta’s night passages can be particularly hazardous as many of the fishing vessels use the “Bic” system for illumination (flicking their lighter on just before a yacht’s bow is set to cut them into two). However, the very visible presence of both the Malaysian Maritime Police and the Malaysian Coast Guard make manoeuvrability and safety much easier for the regatta’s participants these days.
A big shout-out must go to regatta coordinator Norhamizah Amirudddin. Moving this regatta, all its participants, their belongings, and all the equipment needed to keep the regatta running, from Port Klang to Pangkor to Penang and finally on to Langkawi is no easy task and Miza and her team do a fabulous job with the logistics of this event.
Awe inspiring beauty of Langkawi Archipelago draws raves from sailors (Mun Wai Series day 1 – Race 6)
The breath-taking beauty of the Langkawi archipelago can take your breath away, especially on a sunny day. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case today though for the sixth race of the 34th Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta, as overcast skies hung over the competitors chomping at the bit to make a dent in the scoring tables as the regatta drew close to an end.
Malcolm had gone down to the south end of Kuah harbour at midday to lay the yellow course buoys and check the wind, reporting 18 to 25 knots thoughout the course. The start was scheduled for 14:00 to allow crews time to recover from the previous nights race, but luckily the wind stayed in till then, allowing Simon James to send them away with two rolling starts; the first for the racing, premier cruising and classic class; the second, on a similar but shorter course for the rest of the fleet. This proved an excellent tactic as the whole fleet came together through their final gate of the courses so that all could tack their way to the finish line in rapid succession. The wind remained for the rest of the day allowing many to sail quickly right up to RLYC.
Although Ray Roberts Hollywood Samurai streaked across the line to earn line honours yet again with an elapsed time of 01:31:55, it was last year’s Class 1 winner, Nick Burns’ Blitz, who won this class today, while Hollywood Samurai had to settle for third. Rolf Heemskerk’s The Next Factor was second with Steve McConaghy’s Aftershock coming in fourth and the Malaysian Navy’s Uranus coming in fifth.
Class two (Premier) had an all too familiar story with Hans Rahmann’s Yasooda winning on elapsed time of 01:36:24, but losing again to Peter Cremers magnificent Shatoosh when handicap was applied. Shatoosh has already won this class – the battle of the belles of the ball while Simon Piff’s Firstlight was third today, sealing their fate as third overall in the three-yacht class.
Max Palleschi’s Prime Factor shook up the order of the five-boat class three (IRC) winning today; they now sit tied for second with Peter Jong’s Kesini at 24 points. Lee Yi Min’s Jolt continues to hold down the lead with 22 pts despite their third-place finish today. Matt Whittingham’s Insanity placed second today, but sit in fourth spot overall while Malarbar finished fifth and is in fifth spot overall heading into tomorrow’s final day of racing.
Class four (Cruising) saw James Duke’s Kimikimi win its third race in the series on both elapsed (01:35:58) and corrected time. The Dufour 455 GL sits two points ahead of Antanas Danys’ Shardana, who finished third today. Coming in second spot today was MJ Longa S’ Recca but they sit fourth in the five-boat class heading into tomorrow’s finale. The charismatic and lovable RSYC Commodore Ramasamay Menon and his VG Offshore, was fifth today but still sits in third spot with 30 points. Lance Denby’s Ostara had a fourth-place finish today putting them fifth overall with 35 points.
Class five (Classic) saw Dash continue to dominate this four-yacht class winning its fifth straight race and it now has the title sewn up. But as Hasani Hassan’s Marikh placed second today it now sits tied for second overall with Shah Azlan Ramli’s Tofan – both boats have 13 points. The crew on Ken Yap’s Millennium 2 should earn the dogged determination award but will finish fourth overall in the class.
In class six (multihulls) Andrew McDermott’s trimaran Trident came out on top as former RSYS Commodore Jeff Harris’ catamaran Serendipity was forced to retire as it had trouble with the clew on its mainsail and would have ripped it severely if they continued. Trident leads this class by two points heading into the final day of racing.
Truth be told, even the grey skies couldn’t disguise the stunning karst topography of the surrounding landscape, making most sailors do a double take as they flew through the course. Thus the stage was set for the final day of racing.
The regatta was founded in 1990 and has only missed one year, 2020, due to the COVID pandemic. Entries were light in 2021 & 2022 because of the tough entry requirements getting to Malaysia, but now things are back again in full swing.
Coastal conditions in the Straits of Malacca really do set this event apart. Strong tides, unpredictable winds, shallow mud banks, fishing nets strung out across the course and “Sumatra” storms that appear from nowhere all contribute to making the three-night passages races uniquely challenging. Local knowledge certainly helps the navigator but it takes a combination of skill and luck to successfully decide if it's best to hug the coast, sail out offshore or take a more or less straight line up the middle.
This regatta is unique in that travels over 300 Nm up the west coast of West Malaysia (Melaka Straits), sailing three offshore legs, interspersed with harbour racing and prize giving dinners, at multiple venues along the course between Klang, Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi. This gives the crews plenty of opportunity to get together after racing, and see different locations in the process. This is likely the reason why so many are keen to return to what many say is their favourite regatta in the region. But what really sets this regatta apart is its three passage races (Port Klang to Pangkor, and then on to Penang and finally Langkawi). They take a toll on all crews, firstly, in terms of weather conditions encountered – anything from light-and-shifty to quick and dirty tropical squalls. Then, endurance-wise each race is long enough to keep all the boats sailing through the night, but not long enough to drop into a rotating watch system. Three very long, dark sprints, in effect. And then there are the tactical and navigational challenges to cope with, from the notorious rounding of the Kra Bank on the way into Penang to the ever-taxing decision to “stay in” towards the coast or “go out” looking for offshore breeze – neither option carries any guarantees. Not for nothing has the event long billed itself as “Asia’s most challenging regatta”.
The dates for the 35th Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta are set for November 14-22nd 2025. Don’t miss out if you want to be part of Southeast Asia’s most exciting and challenging regatta.... online entry will be opening in January.