Monsoon Cup
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Classes | Foundation 36 |
| Venue | Johor, Malaysia |
| Type | match racing event on the World Match Racing Tour |
| Most recent champion(s) | Ian Williams (2015) |
| Most titles | Ian Williams (3) |
| Official website | monsooncup |
The Monsoon Cup is a yacht race in Malaysia, held in the state of Terengganu.
The Monsoon Cup is an annual event on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour calendar. It is also widely considered as the most formidable leg of the Tour. As the final event of the season, it sees the conclusion of an adrenaline fueled tournament with the crowning of the tour winner with the premier 'match racing' prize being the 'ISAF World Match Racing Champion. The match racing sport differs from other sailing disciplines in that the boats race one-on-one in supplied racing yachts. The yachts supplied for the Monsoon Cup are Foundation 36 type racing yachts.
The Cup was first initiated by the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during a fishing trip in Terengganu. The Prime Minister thought the monsoon season should be used as an advantage to the state rather than being seen as a hurdle. The economic objectives of the whole exercise was for the Monsoon Cup to serve as a catalyst for development in the state and to create economic opportunities in services and manufacturing sectors related to the event. Amongst the businesses that benefited from this event were the hoteliers, restaurateurs, boat-makers, food suppliers as well as tourist related industries such as the arts and crafts, textiles and souvenirs. The Monsoon Cup has helped modernize Pulau Duyong which is the venue for the event, from a sleepy fishing and boat-making village into a modern international-class resort and marina complete with boat repairing facilities.
The Monsoon Cup in 2011 was held at Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, from the 23 to 28 November 2011 which started with the Asian Qualifier leg and was followed by the Malaysian Qualifier.
In the year 2012, Monsoon Cup was the eighth and final event on the World Match Racing Tour 2012. Twelve of the best match racing teams met on the waters off Terengganu in Malaysia from 3 to 8 December 2012 to contest the event. The battle for the championship trophy saw the top sailing teams in the world pitting their skills against each other in the last leg of the tour.
The 2013 Monsoon Cup event will be held in the second half of November. The main match racing event will occur on the 25th till the 30th of November. Prior to the main event, the 'Malaysian Match Racing Championship' which serves as a local qualifiers for a spot in the Monsoon Cup will be held from the 15th to 18 November. This will be followed by a youth sailing program called 'Belia Berlayar' which will be held on the 19th till the 22nd of November with participants receiving their certificates of participation during the main event.
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