it might sound like some kinda horrible illness, but it is in fact a yacht race from the port town of Klang near KL, to the sunny paradise island of Langkawi. Although catching an illness from the Klang River is almost certain, it must rival the New York's Hudson river for pollution.

The Raja Muda is primarily used as a delivery from Singapore and Malaysia up the west coast of Malaysia to the Kings Cup in Thailand, however it is a great race in itself with a slightly different format that keeps the parties flowing into each other for a week long session of liver abuse and laughter.

Three distance races connect port Klang with the islands of Pangkor, a small island not visited too much but with a great atmosphere and really friendly inhabitants, Penang, site of the British Empires trading center and the party town of American troops during the Vietnam war, and Langkawi, a paradise that is just waiting to be explored. The final two days were round the cans racing in Langkawi.

The first race from Port Klang to Pangkor was just over 90nm and started in good westerly breeze and we close reached up the 4m contour line well into the night until the wind started to fade. We were the furthest boat to the east and the first to great the easterly as it came in and managed to fly the asymmetric spinnaker right through the night till about 3am when a lightning storm landed in front of us and forced us back to the smaller headsail. Black-black clouds and high altitude flashes soon gave way to tropical rain, warm and plentiful, and the thickest most brilliant water strikes of brilliant blue white lightning that seared your retinas if you were unlucky to be looking in the general direction. This was all occurring as we were sailing through a small archipelago towards the finish line, and thanks to natures flash bulbs we could safely navigate to the end without any nervous thoughts about the islands around us.

After anchoring the boat in the bay a water taxi delivered us to the bar of the Pangkor resort, which funnily enough was open and filled with all the crews of the previous boats to finish. In the racing division our Mumm30 called Happy Endings was 4th on the rating sheet, however we had made the most of things and came out first over the crews of 46' Hi-Fidelity owned by Neil Pryde, Mandrake, a 52' racer helmed by Wawrick Downes who some say beats Denis Connor in Etchelles racing, and Ulumula, a modern 44' yacht crewed by a Swedish match racing team. A couple hours drinking, a few hours sleeping and exploring, and it was time to party with all the yachts from all the divisions who were by now also anchored in the bay.

Due to this being a delivery race, a lot of boats had picked up backpackers and traveling sailors like me to help them race, and along with the racers that have been doing this event for years a night of sumptuous food and drink followed, after all the next race didn't start till lunch time. The next three days followed the same pattern of race into the night, finish, drink-sleep-party, and race again. The last race ended at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, with a bar on the waterfront, and a lay-day to follow.

The race finished about 6am for us, and the party on land was just getting into full swing, and unfortunately for my head the next day continued on till lunchtime before sleep claimed even the most hardy of souls. After a day of rest and recovery, a bit of sightseeing for the more sensible, race started up again in the harbor this time with a series of windward-leeward races for two days, and nightly parties at the Sheraton Hotel, and the Yacht Club for the final prize giving. We couldn't repeat our first place of the first race, but pushed hard on the inshore racing, beating them on the final race but missed out on third for the Regatta to Ulumula by one second.

Scooters are the preferred mode of transport, so seven of us race around the island to complete our sightseeing, taking in a waterfall for a swim, several fun roads, and a rain storm that saw us wander back into the bar as if we had just stepped out of the swimming pool.

Yachts and crews gradually left for Phuket some 120nm to the north and the Kings Cup Regatta in Thailand that is shaping up to be a big reunion party for all the great people we just met.....