Some of the sail boats moored at the jetty.
THE evening sun breaks through the casuarina trees and creates wonderful dancing shadows on the newly set up landing and takeoff point for the Sukma 2016 sailing competition.
The marina is teeming with workers, busy making last minute touch-ups while some young athletes and their coaches keep watch over their equipment. Containers sit in a neat row behind the tents pitched for the Sukma sailing contingents, simulating some kind of watchful ‘eye’ over the competition ground.
Three Sukma 2016 events are scheduled in Miri City — karate, sailing and sepak takraw.
The sailing events include windsurfing bic techno, laser and optimist for under-17 athletes. So there will be many new faces and exciting moments to watch out for over the next few days.
“At this point, on the beach here, we see Sabahans settling in nicely while the Kedah team has been practising in the last hour, testing the waters,” a Zon Utara official told thesundaypost.
The Sabah sailing team is made up of 11 athletes who will compete in all the events while Kedahans will take part in five. The Kedah team shipped their equipment over by containers two weeks ago. The Sabahans did the same — from Kota Kinabalu.
All the contingents already have their equipment in place. Some, in fact, have been practising since their arrival. The sites are well laid out for the boats and tents have been put up for the different states.
“We are looking forward to the opening ceremony and, of course, the sailing events,” a Sukma fan said.
For the sailing competition, this year’s games, the 18th in the series, has special qualifications in that only sailors, aged 17 and under, are allowed to compete in windsurfing bic techno.
Informed sources say all the states are “looking for new faces”, adding that this itself should be something interesting to look forward to.
One parent from Peninsular Malaysia is happy to be in Miri for the first time. She has also given the thumbs-up to the large number of girls taking part in the sailing events.
Her daughter’s participation is good enough for her.
“She does not have to win a medal,” she said.
With all the participants under the 17, new faces are likely to outnumber experienced and wizened boaters.
A windsurfer stands beside her equipment.
A real treat
The marina is usually closed to the public, being part of a gated community, but it will be open for the Sukma sailing programme. So Mirians who love sailing or water sports in general, are in for a real treat.
The Marina Bay is where the Miri Marina is situated. It’s the popular name given to the whole area of reclaimed land. Supposedly the most up-to-date commercial project in Miri at the moment, it’s a good built-up area with hundreds of shophouses accessible via boulevards. There is also a new park with walkways, beautiful plants and trees. Overall, it’s a much awaited facility.
Just a few hundred metres from the South China Sea, the Marina Bay area exudes a sunny, resort feel — definitely a magnet for tourists looking for sunshine, good food and a relaxing time. One can watch ships and oil platforms from any of the vantage points amidst the soothing morning or evening breeze.
The Miri Marina, host to Sukma XVIII sailing events, is a privately owned jetty offering safe berthing for yachts up to 115 feet in length. Many foreign sailors have come to stay — some for a month and others longer.
The jetty provides modern facilities, security and a lovely serene setting. Some yacht owners have used Miri as a base to sail up the various rivers to Mulu and Niah, and even along the mighty Rajang to drop anchor at Sibu and Kapit.
In Miri, these foreign yachts are berthed in serene waterways, looking so at home. Some of the boats fly the Malaysian and British flags. Furthermore, the different types of sea-going vessels provide a lovely background for photo-shoots. There is an international feel about the jetty.
Some of the athletes, all soaked from their practice, can be seen taking photos with the Marina Jetty as the backdrop. The families of many of the athletes and officials are also around to give their moral support.
Popular sailing dinghy
The optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy, intended for use by children up to age 15. Nowadays, boats are usually made of fibreglass although wood is still used.
The optimist is one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world with over 150,000 officially registered under its own class. In fact, many more have been built but never registered.
Recognised as International Class by the International Sailing Federation, optimists provide real competition worldwide because they are manufactured to the same specifications by dozens of builders.
The First World Championships for optimists was held in Great Britain in 1962, and has since then been organised annually.
For the first 20 years, the class was dominated by sailors from Scandinavian countries which produced 13 world champions.
In the 1990s, Argentina was by far the dominant country but since the turn of the millennium, there has been no single dominant country with the 33 medallists coming from 20 countries on five continents.
Malaysia, being a very insular country, should be able to produce world class optimist sailors in the next few years.
The International Laser Class sailboat — also called Laser Standard and the Laser One — is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy.
One of two old anchors, estimated to be over 100 years old, at the entrance of the Marina Jetty.
According to the Laser
Class Rules, the boat may be sailed by either one or two people although rarely by two. The design, by Bruce Kirby, emphasises simplicity and performance. The dinghy is manufactured by independent companies in different parts of the world.
The Laser is one of the most popular single-handed dinghies in the world. As of 2012, there are more than 200,000 worldwide. A commonly cited reason for its popularity is that it is robust and simple to rig and sail in addition to its durability.
The Laser also provides very competitive racing due to the very tight class association controls which eliminate differences in hull, sails and equipment.
Windsurfing is still pretty new in Malaysia but most peninsula states are ahead in the sport because they have been sending their athletes to compete especially in Thailand. It is set to become more popular as a sport in the years to come.
The Sarawak Sukma sailing team is coached by Hamdan Yahya from Johor and made up of nine male and seven female sailors.
The whole Sukma programme consists of 24 sports to be held in Kuching, Sibu and Miri.
Here’s an Irish toast to all the young athletes and supporters coming to Miri for the sailing events,
“There are good ships
And there are wood ships
The ships that sail the sea
But the best ships
Are friendships
And may they always be.”
The Sabah Sukma sailing team checks on their boat.