Bomoh Earns His Oats

Light winds on the first raceday had organizers worried as the 3rd BMW Royal Langkawi International Regatta got underway March 1. But the first race ran well with 10 knot breezes. The only mishap occurred when Pinocchio got her rudder tangled in the pin anchor line retiring her from race one. The second race caught the multi-hulls sleeping causing a traffic jam at the start. Later, many of the 47 registered boats got left floundering, as winds died and the courses were cut short.

But as the week continued, pre-regatta spells, cast by a local Bomoh, took effect and the winds built. So, on the second raceday, boats got a real test of helmsmanship and sail-handling during the major race by all boats and an extra race for only Racing classes. For the second day running the 50-foot MDB-designed sloop Yo led its class with plenty to spare. Other regional boats received line honours including Chameleon, a racing catamaran based in Langkawi; Phuket-based Securicor Somtam Express, racing as a Sports Boat, and the Premier Cruiser La Samudra, formerly owned by the Commodore of the Royal Selangor Yacht Club.

Raceday three got off against challenging 15-knot winds as two Club Class starters, Rigolarita II and Fistral, collided ending the regatta for both boats. But other classes got off clean on the first upwind leg, beating hard on an 11.5 mile triangular course. The sailing was quick with the first multi’s crossing the finish in one hour and Yo again led the Racers. But motorsailer Lady M surprised the growing gallery of two dozen regional media people, by lapping the Club cruising field and winning line honours for Classic’s after 1 ½ hours. Bolero led the Premier Cruisers in and Abraxas, the ICR Class. The 10.5 mile second round, for racers only, provided near perfect runs as winds began to ease off and Yo was honoured again.

Somewhat fittingly the last day of racing was performed under the most perfect conditions yet, including the strongest winds from a steady northeasterly direction (040 degrees) and no mishaps throughout the fleet. In addition to the regulars, boats receiving line honors included the cruising-catamaran Kilo and Nom de Plume a Langkawi live-aboard. Exhilarating racing, challenging sailing and perfect conditions combined to make the last day of the Regatta one to return for next year.