Darwin mayor wants yacht race to Ambon maintained

Antara News, Monday, August 2, 2010 17:42 WIB

Ambon, Maluku (ANTARA News) - The annual Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race will be maintained as it is having a major impact on the continuity of the sister-city cooperation between Darwin and Ambon, the Australian city`s mayor said.

Darwin Mayor Graeme Sawyer said here on Monday the race was of great importance to the strengthening of the Darwin-Ambon sister city cooperative ties.

Sawyer admitted the prestigious international yacht race was also important to strengthen the relations between the peoples of Darwin and Ambon.

"The people of Darwin have a very friendly relationship with their friends in Ambon, and thus they make use of the yacht race every year to visit Maluku provincial capital," Sawyer said.

He expressed optimism that in the years to come the participant of the Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race would continue to increase following conducive situation in Ambon after almost three-year sectarian violence from 1999-2002.

The Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race was initially organized by the Cruising Yacht Association of the Northern Territory Incorporated (CYANT).

That Association ran the event from 1976 until 1998 when it was suspended for safety and security reasons.

The 600 mile downwind race attracted six yachts in its inaugural year.

For months afterwards, conversation amongst returning yachties was dominated by stories of "champagne sailing", overwhelming hospitality, lovely friendly people, the scenic beauty, the cultural diversity, the food, and an annual event not to be missed.

Entries steadily increased over the years as the event?s reputation spread and its tradition grew.

International skippers began to use Ambon as a starting point to visit some of the 13,000 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago. Some sailed north to Manado and onto the Raja Muda Selangor Regatta in Malaysia.

Others headed southwest to the amazing Buton Passage and then on to visit the famous Komodo Dragons en route to Makaassar or Bali and beyond.

A big factor in the growing popularity of the race was related to the excellent facilities Darwin offered for yachts and their crews. For many, Darwin would be the last access to western comforts and familiar language for many months.