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Writer's pictureSie Kee Lau

PENINSULAR SAILING CLUB (PSC ) Pulau Indah Marina , MalaysiaSECOND NATIONAL SQUIB MALAYSIAN CHAMPIO

PSC were delighted to have 10 Squibs taking part in the Second National

Championships, held over three days from Saturday 3 June.

It was a great complement to the shore team that nearly all the entrant’s boats

were cleaned and freshly antifouled.

PSC had invited the Star Sailors League in Switzerland to send two teams as SSL

are the organisation responsible for Malaysia’s international Participation in a

World Series. With a further entry from the National Sailing Centre in

Langkawi with a crew of SEA Games medallists, some exciting racing was

guaranteed! The PSC sailors had rather hoped that the visitor’s unfamiliarity

with Squibs would make up for their own limited experience in this type of

racing, so it was all to play for.

PSC were fortunate to once again secure the support of Simon James, from

Puhket, as Race Officer alongside his assistant Chandran, who laid the marks.

Their professionalism, seen at first hand on the Committee boat by

Commodore and organising Committee Chairman Jeremy Camps, was

something to marvel at.

Rear Commodore Jega‘s, X 34 Leopard Dream was used as the committee boat

to start and finish the races.

The building flood tide made both course setting and sailing challenging but

made for great racing. Simon recorded the rounding order at each mark and

the place-changing in the main fleet was akin to musical chairs.

Each day the wind was in a different direction, varying from southwest to

northwest.

A number of boats starred at the start all against the tide in particular

‘Ratatosch’ (a mythical squirrel from Norsk mythology, AKA the Squirrel) sailed

by Gavin Baxter and Yasid was noticeably to the fore.

On most occasions the three visiting boats pulled away from the chasing pack,

but mention must be made of local Squib ‘Lady VG’, sailed by PSC Founder

Rama Menon and his crew Justin, who in Race 5 rounded the first mark in a

remarkable second place but were unable to maintain their position.


Two races were sailed each day using a combination of ‘Sausage/Triangle’

courses.

Each day , due to the tide and with a perfect windward mark, competitors

were faced with a decision of whether to sail inshore and beat up to the mark

or cross to the mark and punch the tide. The visitors mostly got it right – with

local boat ‘Peach 2’ also choosing the right strategy and landing a podium

finish on Day 3, when helm Harro Koopmans and crew Simon Thompson had

their first day on the water, having been laid low by Covid at the start of the

weekend.

‘Alice 447’ sailed by Muhamad Uzair Amin b Mohd Yusof and Ahmad Hakimi b

Ahmad Shukri from SSL, former Malaysian Champions in the 470 and 420

dinghies, had an extraordinary set up of results and won every race bar one.

They sailed their Squib beautifully and really deserved their victory and the

title of ‘National Champions’.

They were followed by Tom Rizal Mahardi b Sasli / Ahmad Faizal Aswad b

Mohd also representing SLL, sailing the Commodore’s boat ‘Wombat 509’ with

a solid set of results including one victory, three seconds and two thirds. Tom is

a friend of PSC as he is the Chief Sailing Instructor at RSYC.

Third was Kairunneeta M Afendy from Langkawi, a well-known SEA games

competitor and now a top sailing coach, sailing Jeremy’s other boat ‘Cabaret 7

780’, formerly ‘Quantum’ from Weymouth in England. It was great to see the

Squib Nationals API spinnaker, but some brave tacks out into the tide didn’t

pay off leaving them with two seconds, three thirds and a fourth place.

There was much fun to be had in the PSC fleet who were racing for a new

trophy presented by the PSC s founders for the first PSC boat.

Five different boats won races in the championship including:

‘Kittiwich 376’ sailed by David Long and Rainer Kloberg

‘Ratatosch 343’ sailed by a returning Gavin Baxter and Yasid

‘Lady VG 723’ sailed by PSC Founder Ramasamy Menon with guest crew Justin

from Singapore

‘Zomark 330’ sailed by Sophie A Rahmen, making her Squib debut, with former

Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta winner Dr Izham plus Emy


and ‘Peach 2’ sailed by Harro Koopmans and Simon Thompson who won the

PSC section in two races in which they participated.

Other competitors were the clubs ‘Second Wind 645’ well-sailed by Charles

David and Martin Crookes and ‘Recaa 2 x Tom 292’ sailed by MJ and his family

Kesh and Rhish, who enjoying some great racing before suffering broken

rudder pintles in Race Four. Fortunately, a large stock of Squib spares, kept by

the Commodore, meant new ones were quickly fitted and they sailed in race

six finishing a creditable third.

Overall PSC champion on 10 points after discard was ‘Zomark’, second

‘Ratatosch’ with 15 points and third on countback, also with 15 points, was

‘Second Wind’. Fourth was ‘Kittiwich’ on 16, fifth ‘Lady VG’ with 20, sixth

‘Peach’ with 29 and seventh was ‘Recaa 2’ with 30.

Congratulations to our overall Champions Muhamad Uzair Amin and PSC

champion Sophie and Dr Izham.

Most importantly everyone had fun and good sailing and that’s what PSC is

about.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped run this year’s event. We also

appreciate the support from National Squib Class in the UK and wish everyone

great sailing at the forthcoming Squib Nationals in Weymouth. With 86

entrants, it really shows there is life in the old boats yet!

We have Squibs for sale at PSC and we race every Sunday so why not contact

us and come along and try a boat?


Jeremy Camps

Organising Committee Chairman


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