Royal Langkawi International Regatta

The annual event attracts sailors from the world over, to compete for the coveted Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s Challenge Trophy. Yachts will race in eight classes: Racing, IRC 1, IRC 2, Sports Boat, Multihull, White Sail, Ocean Rover and Club Cruising Classes. The races are held with a combination of harbour and open-sea courses, including a day of round-island races. Races span over five days, from 12 to 16 January.

The RLIR was inaugurated in 2003 by Former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Hj. Ahmad Badawi and the RLIR is the brainchild of the Founder of Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, the Late Prince Abdullah. The event is sanctioned by the ISAF and Malaysian Sailing Association (MSA), and is supported by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism and Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Teams participating will be competing for the Prime Minister’s Challenge Trophy (Racing Class), the RLYC Commodore’s Cup (Club Class Cruisers), the LADA-IRC Challenge Trophy (IRC 1 Class) Malaysian Multihull Challenge Cup (Multihull Class) and Langkawi Sports Trophy (Sports Boat Class). The ‘Tunku Abdullah Sportsmanship Award’ in memory of the regatta’s founder will be presented to the best team, both on the water and land during the regatta, voted for by participants.

Over the past 13 years, the RLIR has attracted world-class sailors and participant numbers have shown tremendous growth. More than 50 teams are expected in the 14th edition of the RLIR to test their skills in the waters surrounding the cluster of 99 beautiful islands in Langkawi. As the organizers, we’re looking forward to welcoming new participants and the return of many regulars who’ve been competing in RLIR since its inception.