Ambon, Maluku (ANTARA News) - Australian yacht Cruise Missile participating in the Darwin-Ambon International Yacht Race, was declared the first to have reached the official finish line at Amahusu Beach.

The verdict about the Cruise Missile, skippered by Wayne Huxley, was announced at the welcoming ceremony conducted by the orgainzing committee and Ambon City administration at Pattimura Park here on Friday night.

Cruise Missile was the first yacht to reach the official finish line at Amahusu Beach here on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 6.56 pm Eastern Indonesia Standard Time and was greeted by hundreds of enthusiastic well-wishers.

The yacht Sanuk II, also from Australia, skippered by Shayne Evan Farnell, was the second to reach the finish line the next day on Tuesday at 3 am WIT.

Less than two hours later, or at 4.32 on Tuesday moring, Sanuk II was followed by Freedom Express of Australia to be the third yacht to arrive at the finish line.

Those three yachts which were first to reach the finish line received souvenirs from the Ambon city administration, delivered by Mayor Jopi Papilaya and local Legislative Assembly Chairman Reinhard Toumahuw.

On the occasion Papilaya said he was glad because the Ambon-Darwin Yacht Race was conducted as part of a sister city cooperation.

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

The 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 yachts was dominated by stories of
"champagne sailing", overwhelming hospitality, lovely friendly people, the scenic beauty, the cultural diversity, the food, and clearly this would become an annual event not to be missed.

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

Entrants began to come from further and further afield. International skippers began to use Ambon as a starting point to visit some of the 13,000 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago. (*)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik
COPYRIGHT © 2012

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