Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta 2013

If you have a yen for yachting, as a competitor or a spectator, then you should perhaps consider heading to Malaysia this month, for the country’s eagerly anticipated annual sailing extravaganza, the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta 2013. This exciting event is scheduled over a period of nine days from 15^th to 23^rd November at various locales off Malaysia’s beauteous western coast.

 This grand yachting tourney comprises of a series of offshore sailing events, organized by the Royal Selangor Yacht Club in association with the renowned offshore racing organization, the RORC (the Royal Ocean Racing Club).

The Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta dates back to 1990, when it was organized as a sequel to the five annual offshore series of races linking the most popular and beautiful isles off the west coast of Malaysia, namely Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi.

His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Selangor has been a patron of the Regatta from its inception and this year too his highness, will be on hand to meet and mingle with the sailors at the various events and to hand out the magnificent Raja Muda trophy to the winning team.

The 24^th edition of the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta in 2013, will feature three overnight passage races encompassing a total of 260 miles (from Port Klang to Pangkor, Pangkor to Penang and Penang to Langkawi), along with three days of harbor racing in Penang and Langkawi.

The event will as usual welcome a wide variety of yachts ranging from IRC1 racers to classic yachts, multihulls and ancient, slow moving100-year-old cruisers. All these vessels will set sail from a new starting point in Port Klang, the new Royal Selangor Yacht Club (RSYC) Marina Annexe at Pulau Indah. They will also finish at a new termination point, the Telaga Harbor in Langkawi, which will also serve as the site of the prize distribution.

The nine-day long Regatta will feature a bouquet of exciting races including passage races and inshore harbor sprints, guaranteed to enthrall and delight participants as well as spectators. Aside from its competitive element, the Regatta will also feature various glitzy social events like regatta dinners, a rickshaw race and the Miss International Yachting Malaysia contest.

 

 

Urbanscapes: A Celebration of Malaysia’s Contemporary Arts

Have you ever wondered about Malaysia’s contemporary arts scene?  Then its time to introduce you to KL’s annual Urbanscapes festival, a yearly celebration of the vision and creativity of Malaysia’s contemporary arts fraternity. This arts exposition brings together artists, creative communities and business, hailing from the fields of music, fashion, arts, design and more.

A local company Freeform Sdn. Bhd, founded the festival by hosting a first kick-off arts event at a small, KL eatery, in 2002.  Since that initial launch the festival has grown tremendously and now draws massive crowds. As a result, it is now hosted on larger venues and is usually conducted over a weekend, popularly referred to as ‘the Big Weekend’. This year’s edition of Urbanscapes, is scheduled for the weekend of 23^rd and 24^th November and will be hosted at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) at Serdang, Selangor. A venue easily accessible from Kuala Lumpur by various modes of transport.

Aside from attracting increasing numbers of arts enthusiasts, the festival portfolio has also expanded to include much international participation from the region and beyond. Music concerts, stand-up comedy performances, dance recitals, shadow puppetry, poetry readings, beat boxing presentations, percussion and ukulele routines, all feature in the festival program at Urbanscapes.

The exciting lineup for Urbanscapes 2013, features acts like Scotland’s chart topping rock band Franz Ferdinand, Canadian indie-rock duo Tegan and Sara, Northern Ireland’s dance-rock trio Two Door Cinema Club, Efterklang, a electronica rock outfit from Denmark along with  various other international acts like the Obedient Wives Club from Singapore, the Black Voices from the UK, the Last Dinosaurs from Australia and many more. The lineup additionally features popular standup comedy acts like Pierre Hollins from the UK and Malaysia’s very own Kuah Jehnan who describes himself as tall, dark and comedian.

Urbanscapes also has a strong retail component in the form of popup shops showcasing the works of ingenious artists and businesses and offering apparel, accessories, home wares, lifestyle products, vintage wares and other knick-knacks for sale. In addition to retail outlets, the festival grounds also host several food and beverage kiosks, to cater to the dining needs of festivalgoers.

So if you would like to uncover Malaysia’s contemporary arts scene, why not plan a trip to Kuala Lumpur and pencil in a visit to Urbanscapes as a part of your shopping, dining and sightseeing in KL itinerary.