Pahang, blessed with some 210 kilometres of beautiful shoreline, once again played host to the annual windsurfing and kitesurfing regatta.
Dubbed as Kuantan Challenge 2008 - Windsurfing and Kite Surfing Regatta, the 3-day event (Feb 1 to 3) was held at Balok Beach's Recreation and Water Sport Center, Kuantan.
Balok Beach, 15km north of Kuantan in the sub-district of Berserah is also the official venue of the annual international windsurfing event, the "Monsoon Madness". Here many stunts and antics of professional windsurfers and kitesurfers are displayed as they boldly challenge the rolling waves of Balok Beach.
Almost 40 participants from Thailand, Singapore, Britain together with local surfers participated in the regatta which was divided into three categories - windsurfing, kitesurfing and power kite.
Top winners of the various categories for the recent regatta include, Yeap Leong Soon for windsurfing (Formula Board), Sakulfaeng Kookiat for windsurfing (Shortboard), Zainal Misran for windsurfing (Raceboard), Phaetraksa Phanuwat for kitesurfing (Professional) and Martin Fernandez for kitesurfing (Beginner).
Windsurfing is a popular offshore water sport fast gaining popularity among local surfers. Although the sport has long been popular among westerners, it was only in early 1980's that windsurfing was introduced to Malaysian waters when a group of windsurfing enthusiasts from Kuala Lumpur tried the game in Balok, Kuantan during the monsoon season. They found out that the open water with the wind speed 8 to 20 knots per hour was very suitable for windsurfing.
Malaysia windsurfing grew steadily during the 80's and early 90's, attracting major sponsors, media coverage and culminating in the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) holding major World Cup events in Kuantan in 1990, 1992 and 1993.
The Kuantan Challenge 2008 - Windsurfing & Kitesurfing Regatta is organised by The Pahang State Government through Fraser's Hill Development Corporation (PKBF) and with the cooperation of Hudata Intergrated Co.
