The premier sailing event, which is part of the Asian regatta calendar, is being hosted for the fifth consecutive year since 2003 and will see competition in five gruelling events over four days.

Over the years, the regatta has seen the participation of multihulls, racing yachts and sports boats from as far away as Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.

The regatta has also become significant with the participation of an all-women team last year and the entry by youth sailors.

Promising to be even bigger than previous years, the 2007 edition is part of the Asian regatta calendar, drawing regular boats as well as new participants who actively race in regional yacht circuits.

It will see competitors vying for two premier trophies and three supplementary titles.

The main trophy -- the Prime Minister's Challenge Trophy -- is open to internationally registered yachts while the Commodore's Challenge Cup is open to club-registered cruisers.

The Langkawi Sports Trophy is for winners of Sports Boats, the Malaysian Multihull Challenge Cup for winners of yachts with multihulls and a newly introduced Challenge Trophy for IRC Class.

RLIR Advisory Committee chairman Tunku Soraya Dakhlah Tunku Abdullah said the regatta had slowly but surely carved its niche within the region's sailing circuit.

"Malaysia has produced some notable sailors like Datuk Azhar Mansur and we hope to raise the profile of yachting as a sport in Malaysia by providing home-grown talents and aspiring young sailors a suitable platform to establish themselves," she told Bernama Monday.

Tunku Soraya added that such efforts were also made possible with the establishment of more marinas around the country and the strong backing of the government.

The RLIR is the brainchild of Tunku Abdullah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the Commodore and principal founder member of the RLYC.- Bernama