Tanjung Lesung wants to invite neighbors to windsurfing event

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Tanjung

After three consecutive years of competition involving local contenders, the Tanjung Lesung windsurfing committee is looking to reach out to neighboring countries to take part in the next edition of the event.

"We will be seeking to invite surfers from other countries, such as Thailand and Singapore, to the tournament next year," said David Knowles, a committee official.

He was speaking during a media briefing on the sidelines of the International Regatta 2002 event in Tanjung Lesung, Banten, which was wrapped up last Sunday.

The regatta was launched as the first series of a planned four-leg circuit. The second series will be staged in Lampung in July.

The event, which coincided with a drive demo organized by main sponsor Ford Ranger, attracted up to 100 surfers, including a number of Indonesia-based foreigners from six different countries.

The number of participants, according to Knowles, was a fourfold increase over last year.

"And I expect the number will rise further next year when we go ahead with the plan to bring in surfers from neighboring countries," said Knowles, who originally hails from Britain.

Tanjung Lesung, a 20-kilometer long peninsula about a three- hour drive to the southwest of Jakarta, is located on the western tip of Java Island.

Matthijs Wiggers, an official of the Tanjung Lesung Sailing Club, said the club would build more cottages in anticipation of a likely increase in the number of visitors to the site.

"We already have 12 cottages and more may have to be added. With the competition likely to be expanded, more people will arrive here," he told The Jakarta Post.

"With a hotel resort only a ten-minute drive from here, Tanjung Lesung is the ideal site for an international-level sailing tournament," he added.

Meanwhile, Oka Sulaksana, a national surfer who is currently preparing for the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, complained about the below-standard organization of the competition given the fact that more than one class was competing in one-off races.

"This causes clashes among the boats which hinders movement. In a real competition, they are staged separately," said Oka, who is going on an overseas outing to the Netherlands next May.

Oka, a gold medalist in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok and 16th-placed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, outperformed his opponents to win the men's Mistral division.

His fellow Balinese Subagiasa finished in second place, followed by Mento of South Sulawesi.

Fadly, who represented South Sulawesi, was too strong for local hopeful Junaidi, who trailed behind by a lopsided margin of points in the Race-board competition.

The event involved contests in eight classes. The other winners included Sujatmiko from East Java in the men's Laser class, Nora Agus (Banten) in the women's Laser, Riki (North Sulawesi) in the boys' Optimist, Kholifatus (North Sulawesi) in the girls' Optimist, the West Java team in the Dinghy Open and Subiantoro (Navy headquarters) in the Laser Master.