By Norzu

Ahoy!

The last weekend of November has always been one of my favourite times of the year for many reasons. In 2016, I spent it in Langkawi after completing my first full Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta with the boat Old Pultney Blue Angel. It was also the year I turned 40, which I got to celebrate with my sailing buddy Eddy and being among fellow sailors.

In 2017, I was on the South China Sea heading towards Kuantan from Vietnam on my first overseas assignment as a Public Affairs Officer onboard a Royal Malaysian Navy ship. We reached Kuantan Naval Base in the morning of my birthday and that was the best gift I could receive, really.

Fast forward to the present, I was in Langkawi for the final leg of the Raja Muda regatta. The plan was for me and Eddy to be onboard the Malaysian Armed Forces boat SY URANUS for the final race day on Saturday. Alas, waking up on a Saturday morning, I noticed the sky was grey and had a bad feeling about it. As we waited for our ride to the yacht club, we got word that the races planned for a 11.25am start have been postponed due to lack of wind.

Arriving at the club, I saw participants going about their business unhurriedly while the race officials were still making preparation to head out to Bass Harbour where the races were supposed to take place. Eddy and I met Jamil, the skipper of SY MARIKH, another boat belonging to the MAF sailing team. The wait for the latest update was slow and another round of rain did not help matters.

The regatta’s sailing instructions had stated that the cut off time for the day’s race was at 2.30pm and by 1pm, the organisers had called it off as the wind condition was patchy at best and would not be fair to all participants. That is the way of the sport that relies on steady winds for short course races.

However, it’s different when it comes to passage races, which the Raja Muda regatta participants can attest to. The race started in Port Klang and boats sailed to Pangkor for the first leg, then Penang and finally to Langkawi. This year saw a number of boats retiring for various reasons as they had met with storms during all three legs and many suffered damages such as ripped sails and faulty equipment.

The Raja Muda of Selangor, who was sailing onboard Venture skippered by Dominic Liddell in the Sports IRC category was not spared when braving the elements. His Royal Highness the prince sailed with Venture all the way from Port Klang to Langkawi. Venture was the overall champion for the five-boat category.

Although the races were cancelled, Eddy and I got to sail with Jamil on SY MARIKH. We were joined by Azhar, Amir and Latif for a short trip out to Harbour Bass. I’ve sailed with the guys before, except for Latif, who is the latest addition in the MAF sailing team. An hour flew by enjoyably with nice gusty winds and I got to experience helming the Contessa 32 classic yacht. We headed into the marina afterwards and cleaned ourselves up for the closing dinner later that evening. Definitely a worthwhile trip.

Sailing is my happy place, especially on a sailboat. Warships are very different, but that will be a story for another time.