Ambon(ANTARA News) - Seventeen yachts in their international race from Darwin (NorthAustralia) to Ambon, Maluku province are competing to reach the finish line inthe coast of Amahusu village, Nusaniwe sub-district, Ambon.
"Theparticipants are competing making use of the strong wind to reach the finishline in the Amahusu village coast," coordinator of the Darwin-Ambon YachtRace & Rally 2011 Hellen de Lima told ANTARA on Monday.
He said themonitoring committee disclosed that the sail boat Fantasia with skipper AndrewStransky was leading the race.
Since theflag off at Darwin port, Fantasia from Brisbane, Australia, managed to lead therace.
Sinceentering the Indonesian waters, Fantasia of the Racing Multihull category madeuse of the wind velocity of 13.45 knots per hour.
But sincepassing the waters between Babar Island and Romang Island, Southeast Malukuregency, Fantasia sailed with a wind velocity of only 10.52 knots per hour.
Anotherparticipant Walk On The Wild Side with skipper Garth Curran and Australian Maid(John Wardil) are second and third.
Walk On TheWild Side moved with the wind blowing at a velocity of 9.20 knots per hour,while Australian Maid 9.51 knots per hour.
The twosail boats were known to win various international yacht races, the last beforethe Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race & Rally 2011, the two won Visit IndonesiaFremantle-Bali International Yacht Race 2011.
In themeantime, Freedom Express with skipper Ross McCombe, the third as RacingMultihull category in the Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race & Rally 2010, was fourthof the total of 17 participants in the event.
FreedomExpress sailed with the wind blowing at a velocity of 9.40 knots per hour,followed by Sue Sea (Brian Todd) 9.29 knots per hour.
Game Set(John Mulkearns) was trailing with the wind blowing at a velocity of 8.49 knotsper hour, followed by Even Karma (John Hard) 8.44 knots per hour.
"Mostof the participants have entered Southwest Maluku regency waters and the BandaSea, where some of the participants may have reached the finish line to night(Tuesday) or Wednesday morning," Hellen said.
The annualevent was held to fill this year`s Darwin-Ambon sister city cooperation programfollowed by 19 participants, in which 18 participants dame from Australia, andthe other one from the Netherlands, covering 634 nautical miles, the equivalentof 1,174.68 kilometers.
The flagoff of the participants was marked with start sign from on board the HMASArarat (89) patrol boat in Darwin port by Ambon Mayor Jopi Papilaja and DarwinGovernor Tom Pauling on July 23, 2011.
The yachtrace is competing four categories, namely racing monohull (IRC) followed by sixyachts, racing monohull cruising (six yachts), racing multihull (five) andrally (two).
The race isto win the cup of the Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism, was for thefirst time held in 1976 in an attempt to establish cooperation between theDarwin and Ambon administrations.
In 2009 thenumber of participants reached 100 yachts, but was later canceled as Ambon andMaluku were involved in a social conflict, and revived only in 2007.
Editor: B Kunto Wibisono
