Held in the waters off the west coast of peninsular Malaysia, the nine-day Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta covers four locations, including Penang and Langkawi. Editor Chad Merchant took to the seas of Langkawi to watch the regatta’s exhilarating displays of seamanship and teamwork in one of Malaysia’s most picturesque maritime settings.

Heading out from the protected harbour at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club courtesy of a sleek-looking police boat equipped with a pair of 350-hp outboards, it took us just moments to reach our destination.

Just outside the race course for the invigorating nautical action of the 27th Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta(RMSIR).

Drawing over 250 sailors crewing 28 yachts from countries near and far,this year’s regatta finale saw mostly beautiful weather and terrific – and often variable – race-friendly winds to ensure a good competition.

With the final inshore faces set against the striking backdrop of Langkawi’s numerous smaller islands and the emerald waters of the Andaman Sea, these speedy sailing yachts harnessed the winds and put their crews’ considerable nautical skills on full display.

The spectacle of a small fleet of sleek yachts listing precipitously into their turns, with crews deftly manoeuvring the sails and unfurling billowing spinnakers to harness the power of the wind was an adrenaline charged sight to behold.

A pedigreed regatta

The RMSIR was established in 1990 by the Royal Selangor Yacht Club’s Royal Patron, the Sultan of Selangor HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (who was then Raja Muda Selangor) together with Dato’ Johan Ariff and Jonathon Muhiudeen. The RMSIR is organised annually by the Royal Selangor Yacht Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Malaysia Sailing Association; assisted by the Royal Malaysia Police and Royal Malaysian Navy.

Yachts competing in the regatta range from top class IRC1 racers to beautiful classic cruisers with long overhangs dating back over 100 years.

Skippers and crew will have to cope with unpredictable weather, varying tides, changing tactics,and even heavy shipping traffic in the Straits of Malacca, all of which make the regatta a matchless experience that can provide plenty of challenges and excitement for even seasoned sailors. Add to that a little bit of sightseeing and fun social events at every stop, and you have a regatta with everything.

The RMSIR is also somewhat unique in the regatta world, in that it is made up of a collection of offshore passages,interspersed with inshore “round the cans” races, and travels up the west coast of peninsular Malaysia, stopping at various islands en route. This provides for much socialising at each venue, as well as giving constantly changing conditions for the participants.

This world-class event requires participating boats to push onwards from the start point of Port Klang to the islands of Pangkor, Penang, and Langkawi in an attempt to win the prestigious Raja Muda Cup, among other prizes.

The fleet takes the familiar course along Malaysia’s west coast, and makes its way to the various checkpoints via the Straits of Malacca, with inshore racing,awards, and dinner parties all part of the agenda. The 27th RMSIR kicked off on 18 November in Port Klang and ended on 26 November in Langkawi, unofficially marking the final race of the calendar year of Asian regattas, three of which are held in Malaysia.

The Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta is joined by the Royal Langkawi International Regatta and Terengganu’s Monsoon Cup to comprise Malaysia’s trio of annual regattas.

The thrill of victory

This year, after a challenging jaunt up Malaysia’s west coast and a series of exciting races taking over a week to complete, last year’s Class One champion once again proved to have the right stuff to retain the top spot.

Class One defending champion Windsikher (skippered by Sarab Jeet Singh) faced stiff competition throughout the regatta, but managed to pull into the lead to successfully retain the division title and earn the prestigious Raja Muda Cup.

Coming in second in the Class One races was EFG Mandrake (Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns), with Black Baza (Steve Manning) taking third place. Uranus (Royal Malaysian Navy), Zanzibar (Jonathan Mahoney), and Team Hollywood (Ray Roberts) finished fourth, fifth, and sixth,respectively.

Thrilling local regatta aficionados, Zuhal (Malaysian Armed Forces, skippered by Masyuri Rahmat) caused an upset in Class Two when it became the first Malaysian team to win the division title and the Jugra Cup. Defending champion Antipodes (Geoff Hill) had to settle for second place this year. In third place was Starlight(Andrew Cocks), while Outlaw (Adrian Bell) was fourth.

Class Three defending champion Fujin (skippered by David Fuller) managed to stay the course throughout the regatta to take home the title and the Dato’ Abdul Aziz Ismail Challenge Trophy once again. The other Class Three boats had to jostle for the middle positions – Popeye (Craig Douglas) eventually finished second,followed by Insanity (John Kara) in third and Nijinsky (Jeff Harris) in fourth. Pasaya (Schle Wood-Thanen) maintained its fifth position throughout the race.

The absence of Class Five defending champion Sophia (Philip Auger) in this year’s RMSIR saw Lady Bubbly (ChrisMitchell) moving in to claim the title and the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club Cup,leaving VG Offshore (Rama) in second place and Delite (Arne Hayn) in third. Finishing fourth was Zoo Too (Kevin Steppe), with WYSIWYG II (Jerry Lau) in fifth and Millennium 2 (Ken Yap) in sixth.

Old Pulteney Blue Angel (Jeremy Camps)pulled back from a rough start overall to take home the Class Six title and Eveline trophy, relegating defending champion Sade 2 (Keith Miller) to second place and Aeolus XC (Simon Read) to third. Eveline (Trevor Richards) placed fourth, followed by Kay Sira (Barry Wickett) in fifth.

A fitting finish

Lying just south of the Thai border,Malaysia’s Langkawi island is a fine choice to host the finale of the RMSIR. Langkawi rightly receives much praise for its laid back island vibe, luxurious resorts, and fine beaches, but stepping off the land and going out to sea here adds an entirely new dimension to the enjoyment of this island,and unquestionably showcases Malaysia’s appeal for sailors and yachtsmen.

The tropical seas, stunning scenery, and excellent port facilities from Langkawi to Penang and Port Klang to Port Dickson all contribute to a location tailor-made for those with a love of nautical adventures. If you’re not quite ready to crew a racing yacht, there are still plenty of seafaring opportunities available along Malaysia’s picturesque coasts, from day cruises to week-long charters.

The fun-filled and always-competitive RMSIR just keeps getting better, and after over a quarter century, is becoming legendary in Asian yachting circles.

With the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club just putting the finishing touches on an impressive new major renovation project,this year’s RMSIR was a great opportunity to highlight all the new facilities and get things ready for the next big curtain call… after all, the 2017 regatta calendar kicks off in mid-January with the 15th Royal Langkawi International Regatta.

This article was originally published in Senses of Malaysia (Jan/Feb 2017) which is available online or in print.