The Belia Belayar grassroot sailing programme in Langkawi ended today with a mini regatta which was won by students of SMK Ayer Hangat.
The team won two races out of the total three held at the National Sailing Training Centre. The other teams which took part were SMK Mahsuri, SMK Kedawang and SMK Tunku Putra.
The regatta was held as part of the second stage of the Belia Belayar programme where students from four schools which took part earlier in the week were selected for another day of sailing. The participants first sat through a more detailed theory lesson followed by a boat familiarisation session in the morning.
The mini regatta was held in the afternoon where the wind conditions steadily picked up which saw the teams manoeuvring the Foundation 36 boats as best they could with their coaches to guide them.
Amiera Hadzareena Ibrahim, the winning skipper from SMK Ayer Hangat, said that the team’s two coaches have taught them how to handle the boat and gave them tips for the regatta which resulted in their win.
âWe started from the back during the first race but we managed to find wind and overtake the others to win. Our teamwork was also very good, everyone was able to handle the boat in their respective positions,â the 16-year old Amiera said.
Prizes and certificates were given away by event manager Arif Yap from Innovatige Sdn Bhd.
Eight schools have participated in this edition of Belia Belayar, including the Kedah Sailing Association, with a majority of the participants were first timers. The two-hour sessions started on Tuesday May 26 until Friday where a total of 472 participants were introduced to the sport of match-racing as an initiative to create a bigger talent pool of Malaysian match racers.
The Belia Belayar programme will continue in Port Dickson in mid-August.
