Australians Stuart and Nanette Simpson are on an extended cruise in south Asia on their Seawind 1160 catamaran. They sent their sailmaker John Penfold of UK-Halsey Sydney the following article and photo about their latest rally results.
�TRUEST PASSION competed in the Borneo International Yachting Challenge with 53 yachts that were divided into four divisions, including an eight-boat Ocean Multihull division that we raced in. We were up against two 50-plus footers and the a lightweight Gun Boat 44 OUT OF THE BAG. Our Seawind 1160 TRUEST PASSION finished second in the round the cans races at the start of the series and we were third, by 16 seconds, in the passage race to Labuan. The passage race to Kota Kinabalu was most frustrating as we were in good shaped to beat OUT OF THE BAG. After they finished, we had four hours to sail the final seven miles for in order to win the race, but the wind gods frowned on us and we sat totally becalmed for seven-and-a-half hours.
�We won the next race round the cans and in the final race were less than two miles behind OOTB when they finished...... then the wind died and we drifted in with barely enough wind to fill the sails � robbed again!
�However we still managed a very creditable 2-3-2-1-2 beating the other lightweight catamaran, a Chincogan 40, on all points of sail -- particularly upwind where we killed them thanks to these magnificent sails from John Penfold, which have drawn a lot of comment.
�We are now 60 miles up the Kinabatangan River with Proboscis monkeys, pigmy elephants and lots of crocs � great stuff. We are continuing to cruise to Sandakan and Tawau before returning to Phuket for Christmas.�
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