Dalat Regatta 2008
Full support: The spectators watching the race from the riverbank
Off they go: Paddlers racing off at the start of the regatta.
Standing tall: Pusaka Satu's Rabani Taip (right) receiving the trophy from Dalat district officer Besri Benus after his boat become the “King of the River” for the regatta.Monday June 30, 2008
The kings of the river
Story and pictures by RAPEE KAWI
More than 5,000 people gathered along the Oya River for the two-day Dalat Regatta in Mukah division in Sarawak recently.
The event kicked off with a welcoming speech by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Fatimah Abdullah, who was also the organising chairperson.
She said although the Dalat Regatta was not as grand or well-known as the Sarawak Regatta held annually in Kuching or the Baram Regatta, it was still a popular social event for the local Melanau community in Mukah division.
Participants came from various parts of Sarawak including Kuching and Tanjung Manis.
The regatta was launched by Head of State Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng at the Dalat wharf.
This was followed by a kayak demonstration by students from SMK Dalat. There was also a boat parade and a longboat parade by Melanau women in front of the grand stand at the wharf.
The regatta comprises races in traditional boats known as “perahu bidar” with categories from 10 paddlers to 30 paddlers each.
Besides cheering on their teams at the grand stand or the finishing point, people also watched the race from their homes along the Oya River at Kampung Hilir, Kampung Seberang, Kampung Sungai Ud, Kampung Tengah and Kampung Brunei as the race routes went past their villages.
In the final event, the Pusaka Satu boat owned by Datuk Len Talif Salleh of the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) finished in first place to be crowned “King of the River”.
Among those present at the regatta were Assistant Minister of Environment Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen, Mukah MP Datuk Dr Muhammad Leo Michael Toyad, Jemoreng assemblyman Abu Seman Jahwie, Daro assemblyman Dr Murni Suhaili, heads of departments and local community leaders.
The kings of the river
Story and pictures by RAPEE KAWI
More than 5,000 people gathered along the Oya River for the two-day Dalat Regatta in Mukah division in Sarawak recently.
The event kicked off with a welcoming speech by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Fatimah Abdullah, who was also the organising chairperson.
She said although the Dalat Regatta was not as grand or well-known as the Sarawak Regatta held annually in Kuching or the Baram Regatta, it was still a popular social event for the local Melanau community in Mukah division.
Participants came from various parts of Sarawak including Kuching and Tanjung Manis.
The regatta was launched by Head of State Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng at the Dalat wharf.
This was followed by a kayak demonstration by students from SMK Dalat. There was also a boat parade and a longboat parade by Melanau women in front of the grand stand at the wharf.
The regatta comprises races in traditional boats known as “perahu bidar” with categories from 10 paddlers to 30 paddlers each.
Besides cheering on their teams at the grand stand or the finishing point, people also watched the race from their homes along the Oya River at Kampung Hilir, Kampung Seberang, Kampung Sungai Ud, Kampung Tengah and Kampung Brunei as the race routes went past their villages.
In the final event, the Pusaka Satu boat owned by Datuk Len Talif Salleh of the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) finished in first place to be crowned “King of the River”.
Among those present at the regatta were Assistant Minister of Environment Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen, Mukah MP Datuk Dr Muhammad Leo Michael Toyad, Jemoreng assemblyman Abu Seman Jahwie, Daro assemblyman Dr Murni Suhaili, heads of departments and local community leaders.
Belaga Regatta 2008
High energy: The 30-paddler event starting off.
Fast pace: 30HP speedboats in action.
Longest boat: A boat with capacity for 105 paddlers getting ready in the unlimited category of the event.Monday September 1, 2008 The Star
Story and pictures by RAPAEE KAWI
Long boats get on with the show
THE Belaga Regatta in Sarawak is a unique event featuring the perahu temuai, a longboat with up to 100 paddlers, in one of its races.
Other regattas in Sarawak do not have such a long boat in their races.
The team from Uma Kahei longhouse won the race, followed by the teams from Uma Aging and Sekapan Piit longhouses.
Other races in the regatta involved the 15-, 30- and 40-horsepower perahu bangkut (a type of speedboat) and the water scooter.
The regatta is an annual event for people living on the upper reaches of Rajang River, mostly from Orang Ulu communities such as the Kayan, Kenyah, Lahanan, Sihan and Kejaman Neh.
Many of them made their way to Belaga to watch the three-day regatta, with some of them putting up tents on the riverbank as temporary accommodation.
Belaga is the last town on the Rajang River, about 10 hours by express boat from Sibu.
The boat journey to Belaga passes through the Pelagus rapids and other smaller rapids.
The express boats stop at longhouses along the river to drop off passengers and unload goods.
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