Sandeq Race
2011
Every year eagerly awaited by Indonesia’s traditional fishermen as
well as the international sail sports community, the annual race for
traditional sandeq outrigger sailing boats will start this year the
6th
of September in Mamuju and end the 15th of August in Makassar. For the participants this world-class 300
nautical miles sailing race is the most important event of the year:
Winning The Race is the dream of many sandeq sailors.
A century old-tradition, these unbelievably fast blue-water
outrigger vessels have been competing in local races in the Mandar
area of South Sulawesi, about 300km to the north of Makassar, the
peninsula’s capital; only after the first Majene-Makassar race was
held in 1995 did these spectacular sailing events come to the notice
of the broader public. Today the Sandeq Race is one of the
Archipelago's main nautical events: A full 10 days of racing and
cultural events attracts tens of thousands of people all along the
coastal course of the race, including yearly increasing numbers of
tourists, academics and international sailing professionals who
follow The Race as spectators, researchers or participants. Not
surprisingly, the Sandeq Race meanwhile became topic of dozens of
reports, features, articles and films in national and international
printed and electronic media.
Below an impression of last
year's race
that started the 29th of July 2010 and atmosphere after arrival on 7
August 2010 at Pantai Losari in Makassar. People who
have seen the boats in the early years of the race will notice that
nowadays the hulls of the vessels are far more slender. These are
clearly boats especially built for the race and no longer the vessels
used for fishing. Like every year with a European Cup or World Cup
the flags of favorite and winning countries decorate the boats.
In case you have joined or witnessed (a part of) the race and have
some photos of the boats under sail, we will be happy to place your
pictures in this website's category "your contributions".
The photos below are by courtesy of Muhammad Ridwan Alimuddin (Iwan) and
Sybout Porte.
Catching the wind
Experienced skipper
Start in Polewali
Audience in Labuang Somba
Short after the start
Balancing the boat
"Go Green" with a tree-less slope in the background
Repair of boom
Sandeqs after the finish of the race at Pantai Losari in Makassar
After Spain won the World Cup the Spanish flag became even
popular in Sulawesi
The hull of the Sandeqs used for racing are nowadays clearly
slimmer than in the past
The trophy ready to be brought home
The first boat leaving Makassar back home
