44 yachts for Borneo International Yachting Challenge 2014

MIRI: The organising working committee is going all out to ensure the success of the 11th Borneo International Yachting Challenge (BIYC) this year.

Assistant Sports Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin disclosed that the event will start with registration on June 14 followed by the Miri Bay Race (June 15), Passage Race and Harbour Race in Labuan (June 16-18) and ended with another Passage Race and Harbour Race in Kota Kinabalu (June 19-21).

“The response is very overwhelming and to date, we have received 44 participating yachts,” he revealed at a press conference after chairing a meeting of the working committee at ParkCity Everly Hotel here yesterday.

Lee, who is also the chairman of main organising committee, said Australia has the most number of entries with 15 yachts followed by seven each from United Kingdom and Malaysia as well as six from New Zealand.

For Malaysia, the yachts are Miri’s Ulumulu, Miri Magic 1 and Miri Magic 2, two navy teams Uranus and Utraid as well as Azura and Keris.

Other participating countries are Singapore, South Africa, Germany, Holland, the United States, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

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One Sail triumphs in Borneo Yacht Challenge

KOTA KINABALU: New comer, One Sail, from Australia sunk last year’s champion Utarid from Lumut-based Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) in the Borneo International Yachting Challenge (BIYC).

Skippered and owned by Ray Roberts, One Sail edged the navy boat into second place and claimed the overall championship of the race which concluded in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

Another TLDM boat Uranus went into third placing.

Although Utarid lost the overall title, the navy boys did win the 95-nautical-mile Miri to Labuan and the 71-nautical-mile Labuan to Kota Kinabalu passage races.

Uranus came in second placing in both passage races followed by One Sail in third place.

Roberts remarked that the BIYC was extremely challenging despite the fact that his crew were mostly professional sailors.

“This my first Borneo International Yachting Regatta and I enjoyed the race from Miri to Labuan and then from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu. It has been an exciting challenge and not a simple race to sail,” said Roberts after accepting the challenge trophy from Sabah’s Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Kamarlin Ombi.

“I was amazed that some less experienced sailors can handle these conditions,” he added.

Roberts also commended Malaysia for their youth sailing programme.

The Sabah youth development programme was officially launched during the prize giving ceremony held at Sutera Harbour here. Twenty youth from the age of 16 to 36 are receiving coaching under local sailor Leonard Chin and utilising the Ulumulu keel boat for training.

“The future is not in the older guys but the future is with the youth of Malaysia. Malaysia has a long coastline such as wonderful Strait of Malacca. It would be left to the youth of Malaysia to carry on,” Roberts said.

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Nine countries participate in Borneo Yacht Challenge

MIRI: Twenty-eight yachts from nine countries set off on the Borneo International Yachting Challenge (BIYC) here yesterday.

The yachts from Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, Switzerland and Malaysia are from 3 categories, namely 5 IRC class, 3 multi – hull and 20 cruising class.

The event, which started in 2003 just after the completion of the Miri Marina, enters its 10th anniversary this year.

Organising committee co-chairman, Datuk Lee Kim Shin who is also Assistant Minister of Sports said, “The organising committee has proposed that the event profile be further raised internationally.

“Being the one and only international yachting event in Borneo, there is great potential for its future growth,” said Lee in a speech delivered by Miri Resident Antonio Khati Galis to welcome the participants here yesterday.

Modelled after the famous Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race, BIYC participants sailed from a city to an island (hence Miri to Labuan), covering a distance of about 160 nautical miles.

According to Lee, the inaugural race attracted 13 yachts from a number of countries.

Two of the yachts were local, namely the Sarawak Sea Horse and the Ulu Mulu. From then on, the event was held annually, with the exception of one year when there was the SARS epidemic.

The event has been growing and three years ago it was extended to Kota Kinabalu on the request of the Sabah Tourism Board and the Sutera Harbour Marina.

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Tourism promotion in Miri will be intensified

MIRI: The Ministry of Sarawak Tourism will intensify efforts to woo more tourists here as it has a long coastline vibrant with marine life and is also host to a number of international events.

Its minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said his office would also strive to secure more international air links to enhance the tourism industry, especially as a diving and fishing haven.

Closing the 7th Miri International Deep Sea Fishing Competition at Imperial Mall here on Sunday, Abang Johari noted that the competition had quite a sizeable following even though it had not been widely promoted outside Miri. It managed to attract anglers from as far as China, Holland, Germany, Hong Kong, Brunei, Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia this year.

“I fully support this event. For next year, I will try to get a better budget for this event, particular for publicity efforts six months before the competition date.”

He added that he would also discuss with the new federal minister of tourism to tap the huge potential of this event.

Abang Johari told those present that Miri’s long coastline is home to rich marine life and this represented another plus point for its tourism industry.

“We have identified Luconia Reef and Beting Pantinggi Ali. These two locations are not only popular fishing ground but is also a good diving spot.

“Miri really have a good diving spot, which is comparable to Sipadan Island.”

Hence, he said plans were afoot to tie the diving attraction to the fishing tournament to show the world how the state had conserved its natural resources. “Miri will eventually be known worldwide as the city which has a lot of tourism activities, such as Borneo Jazz Festival and Borneo Yachting.

“Miri is really is a resort city made for tourism, and it is ideal for us to promote it.”

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Miri another potential international gateway

MIRI: Miri could be another international gateway in the northern region of the state.

In saying this, Assistant Minister of Communication Datuk Lee Kim Shin added with the expansion of the oil and gas industry and more international events being organised in this region, the need is there for a direct international flight service here.

“This would not only provide convenience to the people but could also tap the market around the region, including neighbouring Brunei,” Lee told a press conference at his office in Senadin yesterday.

He said as Miri hosted many international events, such as the Borneo International Yachting Challenge, Borneo Jazz Festival and the Sarawak International Triathlon, there is a good reason for direct international flights to the city.

In addition, Curtin University of Sarawak Campus is also based here, he noted.

Moreover, expatriate workers in the oil and gas industry had to travel to and from Miri often, he elaborated.

Currently, to get to Miri, people have to fly in from Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Brunei.

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Federal government help urged for Sarawak’s tourism industry

MIRI: Sarawak deserves more attention and support in as far as tourism is concerned from the federal government.

Assistant Minister of Communications Datuk Lee Kim Shin said such commitment from the federal was vital in helping the state to tap deeper in (CAN) culture, adventure and nature-based tourism products which were most preferred by Europeans.

“Sabah is very successful in this area and its airport is overflowing with international flights.

“I thus feel it is time the federal tourism ministry give more attention to Sarawak and help the industry players here to further explore the tourism potential for international market,” he said when met during the conferment of state awards by the Head of State Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin at Miri Marriott Resort and Spa here yesterday.

Citing Miri as an example, Lee who is also Senadin assemblyman said that the local authority and tourism players had been striving hard to project Miri as a lively and vibrant resort city among domestic and international markets but the response so far was still below expectation.

Although the city is blessed with many tourism products there was nothing much the tourism operators could do without ample air connectivity.

He said the poor connectivity had truly frustrated the business and Sarawak tourism operators here.

He said the organising committee of the annual Borneo International Yachting Challenge was facing financial constraint to further promote the event at the international level due to very low support from the tourism ministry at the federal level.

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Overwhelming response to Borneo International Yachting Challenge

MIRI: The Borneo International Yachting Challenge (BIYC) has attracted the participation of 37 yachts even before the official announcement of the date the race.

Since its inaugural race eight years ago BIYC has developed into the regions premier yacht race attracting entries from all over the world especially from Australia.

“Entries for the race keep increasing not only from this region, but from as far as Europe and the United States.

“We not only managed to hold the race every year for the past eight years, the event also gained a reputation of its own in this region,” said Assistant Minister of Communications and Sports Datuk Lee Kim Shin to The Borneo Post after chairing the first organising committee meeting here yesterday.

The Ninth Borneo International Yachting Challenge, jointly organised by Miri (Sarawak), Labuan and Sabah, will be staged from July 21 to 27 with two passage races from Miri to Labuan and from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu.

“Even before the official date was announced we have already received registration of 37 yachts with most number of entries from Australia. As it is still few months away from the event, we anticipate more entries . We are hoping to get 40 or more boats this year,’ said Lee.

In the past races yachts from Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Holland and United States were regulars in the race.

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