However, Ben is looking forward to this, his first competition in the Royal Langkawi International Regatta, as well as the first competition for KATSU - which means "Victory" in Japanese. He is also hoping this is a prophetic name!

Another new boat - FULL METAL JACKET - will be on the line-up too. The boat, a 43-foot John Corby design, was launched in October of 2007, shipped to Singapore, then sailed to Phuket. There, FULL METAL JACKET competed in the King's Cup and placed 5th Overall in the series. Chris Meads, the owner, lives in Hong Kong and is also no stranger to Asian racing competitions.

The yacht is sponsored by SLAM, an Italian clothing company that designs high tech nautical sportswear. This definitely puts FULL METAL JACKET’s 10 member crew in the running for "Best Dressed" on the race course!

First To Sign Up

First to step up to the registration tables on the upper deck of the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club was the skipper of TAG, a 36-foot IRC class boat. The skipper Zainol, more fondly known as Fred, is from Penang and when not at the helm of TAGAG, he is the Sailing Coach for the Penang Swimming Club. Fred was also an active participant in previous RLIR competitions in the platu boats.

Size Matters

Did you know that the only registered Quarter Ton boat in Asia is JANDI? This 24 foot IRC class boat was built 32 years ago in England. Mike Van Zyl is the owner and keeps her in Port Klang. JANDI participated in the last year's Raja Muda Regatta for the first time. Since then she has been berthed in Langkawi awaiting her first competition in the Royal Langkawi International Regatta. JANDI is skippered by Hakim, a German boat builder, and will have a crew of four.