On 22nd July, 96 boats headed out of Darwin in light winds on the first leg of the 3,000-mile Darwin-Bali-Langkawi Yacht Rally bound for the first of the official stopovers at Kupang, Indonesia. The unique Rally ends in Langkawi, Malaysia in November, arriving in time for the inaugural Langkawi International Boat Exhibition – LIBEX. All this after calling in at other places in the Indonesian archipelago on the way including Alor, Riung, Makassar, Lombok, Bali, Karimun Jawa and Kumai, where local festivities and trips to the interior of these more remote locations await.

Then after an official stopover at Singapore’s Raffles Marina, the boats will head into Malaysian waters bound for Port Dickson, Pangkor and on northwards up to Langkawi.

Of the fleet that set sail in July, the majority of the participants are expected to make the full journey to Langkawi in time for LIBEX, with others already confirmed to join in along the way. This year’s Rally contingent ranges from the baby of the group, the 25ft Cool Change from Canada, skippered by Peter Bowman, up to the daddy of the fleet, the 80ft Silver Fern from New Zealand with Bryce Sommerville at the helm.

According to Alastair Campbell, Executive Director of LIBEX organizers SailAsia Sdn Bhd, both the Rally and LIBEX are predicted to make a healthy contribution to the Malaysian economy. “From our experience of last year’s SailAsia Rally event, each of the 42 yachts that came to Malaysia spent an average of four months here, with some staying six to nine months and others even longer. This year, with the higher numbers in the Rally combined with LIBEX, some RM20 million (US$5.48 million) is expected to be channeled directly into the Malaysian economy. This excludes the multiplier effect of onward travel, accommodation, boat maintenance and refurbishment costs and potential property sales in conjunction with the Malaysia My Second Home Programme.”

Exhibition Bookings | Sponsorship Opportunities