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Published on October 8, 2014

The grand annual sailing event that crosses the Indonesian archipelago from Australia to Singapore: the Sail Indonesia 2014 will be making its final stop in Indonesian waters at the enchanting island of Bintan,in the Riau Archipelago Province. To welcome sailors and yachters, a number of activities will be presented for these explorers of the Indonesian waters from 23rd to 26th October 2014, to be centered at the Sei Anam Area, in the East Bintan District on Bintan Island, where the ships and yachts will be docked.

50 international yachts participating in the Sail Indonesia 2014 yacht rally are expected to arrive at Bintan on 23rd October 2014. Yachtsmen will be greeted with an official welcoming ceremonyy by the Regent of Bintan, H Ansar Rahmad, along with other officials. Yachters will be met with the traditional Malaywelcomi8ng ceremony, and further presented with a traditional “pencak silat” martial art performance.

During their stay in Bintan, the marine adventurers will be taken on a city tour to Pasar Kijang, see theRelief Monument, Mini zoo, and other fascinating places on the island. There will also be traditional art performances of Kuda Kepang, Kuda Lumping, jazz music, and other festivities at the Sei Anam Fieldbesides a gala dinner hosted by the Regent of Bintan. On 26th October, the yachts will sail out from SeiAnam and out of Indonesian seas to continue their journey to Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Slightly different from last year’s event which was centered at the tourist resort of Lagoi, this year all activities will take place at Sei Anam. Sei Anam was chosen as this year’s Sail Indonesia venue in Bintan in order to include the involvement of local communities as well as to introduce the many wonderfulattractions to see and do on Bintan.

Bintan is the last stop of the series of sailing adventures of Saill Indonesia 2014 yacht rally that was flagged off in Darwin, Australia towards the end of July,

This year the Sail followed the route of Kupang-Kalabahi/Alor-Wanci-Ereke-Buton-Baubau-Benteng/Takabone Rate-Medana Bay(Lombok)-Lovina Beach(North Bali)-Kumai (to Tanjung Puting Orang Utan reserve) -Manggar-Tanjung Kelayang (Belitung)-Bangka-Sei Anam, Bintan. The other route was from Saumlaki to Banda Islands, and which then joins the others at Takabone Rate

Bintan is the largest island in the Riau Archipelago, which comprises almost 3,000 large and small islands,located immediately across Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The Riau islands stretch from the Straits of Malacca all the way to the South China Sea. Bintan itself has interesting historic remains in Tanjung Pinang and Penyengat island, and offers plenty opportunities for surfing, adventure and ecotours for schools and family, but is also ideal for relaxation and wellness.

Whilst, Bintan Resorts on Bintan’s north coast offers top-class luxury hotels, each located in over 300 hectares of land, featuring world class golf courses designed by internationally renowned golf architects. Bintan Resorts also offers an array of beach activities and luxurious spas and is ideal for meetings away from the hustle and bustle of busy Singapore but located very close to it.

On the west coast of Bintan lies the town of Tanjung Pinang, once a quiet town, now the province’s busy capital. Here you can still find quaint houses built on stilts at Senggarang. There are Buddhist temples on Senggarang, including an old temple embraced by the roots of a large banyan tree.