KUALA LUMPUR: The sails are all set to soar in the 17th Royal Langkawi International Regatta which begins tomorrow and ends on Jan 12 at the legendary island.
Thirty-five boats will compete in the most prestigious sailing competition in Southeast Asia for the various titles at stake.
Organised by the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, the regatta will see veteran sailors as well as 10 new faces from Australia, France, Denmark, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
The battles will be in different class races, with the Prime Minister's Challenge taking centre stage. The others are IRC 1, IRC 2, Sportsboat, Club Cruising, Multihull, Ocean Rover and White Sail.
The main class event trophies will be presented by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club patron at a dinner function on Jan 12.
Royal Langkawi Yacht Club general manager Tayfun Koksal said: “We aim to make this event even better to place Langkawi as a sailing destination as well as to promote tourism on the island.”
For the record, the Racing class was won by THA72 in the last edition, and the father and son team of Kevin and Tom Whitcraft are back to defend it.