60 SAILORS AND OFFICIALS ARE EXPECTED TO CONVERGE IN SANDAKAN

PICTURE SHOW….James (third left) ,Mohamad Mostaman and his colleagues from the Royal Malaysian Navy with the sail boats which will be used for the event.

BY: KURAFAT A/L MUNAFIK

Wednesday October 05/2016

SANDAKAN:  More than 60 sailors and officials are expected to converge in Sandakan for the one of the oldest regattas in the country, The Borneo Interport Regatta, taking place at the seafront of Sandakan Yacht Club this weekend.

Eight 470 class sail boats were transported from the Royal Malaysian Navy Yacht Club in Sepanggar to Sandakan Yacht Club where the event will be held on Oct 8 and 9.

Five Royal Malaysian Navy personnel led by Mohamad Mostaman Ismail who is also coaching the Sandakan Yacht Club sailors, arrived to assist in setting up the sail boats. 

They were received by Sandakan Yacht Club rear commodore James Leong who is also organising chairman, at the Sandakan Yacht Club.

The teams that are participating in this edition of the regatta are Sandakan Yacht Club, Sabah Sailing Association, Kinabalu Yacht Club and the Royal Malaysian Navy Yacht Club Kota Kinabalu.

The Borneo Interport Yachting Trophy or Hales Trophy was presented in 1954 by Dato R.E. Hales, C.B.E. Commodore of the Miri-Belait Boat Club. It is competed for annually by teams from any properly constituted Yacht or Sailing Clubs in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.

Dusty Millar Trophy was presented by the Sandakan Yacht Club in memory of Assistant Commissioner of Police A.R. Millar, a member of the Jesselton and Sandakan Yacht Clubs, killed on duty in a flying accident in December 1958. It is competed for annually by teams composed of the crew members taking part in the Hales trophy.

The Sandakan Darts Trophy was presented by the Sandakan Yacht Club in 1967 for the winning team in the Darts event which is played by sailing teams of the Interport. Since 1998, the Optimist sailors have been included.

Another new trophy , The Sandakan Optimist Darts Trophy, has been introduced in this edition of the regatta.

The Borneo Optimist Regatta Trophy was presented by the Kinabalu Yacht Club in 1998 for Optimist Team racing. The Optimist Interport was originally planned to run concurrently with the Borneo Interport . This is so young visiting sailors can be accompanied by the adult sailors of the same team. Whilst not mandatory that it be held concurrently, it is very much encouraged.