King’s Cup Regatta Returns To Its Roots

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King’s Cup Regatta returns to its roots

Dinghy sailing during the first weekend of the Phuket

King's Cup Regatta. Photo: Duncan Worthington

PHUKET: -- Action at the 23rd King’s Cup Regatta got underway over the weekend with two days of competitive dinghy racing off Kata Beach.

Now in it’s 22nd year, the event is Asia’s biggest and most popular regatta.

Inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, the event has been held every year since then during the first week of December and has grown in stature with every passing year.

This year’s event boasts a record fleet of 110 boats in various categories, culminating in a grand final on December 5, HM the King’s birthday.

The regatta began life as an event with a strong dinghy presence back in 1987 and went back to its roots last weekend.

While the bigger yachts might make the headlines, dinghy sailing is popular in Phuket with foreigners and locals, and races are held regularly at Phuket Yacht Club in Cape Panwa.

The fleet that took to the water over the weekend comprised four Tasers, eight Lasers and four Topaz dinghies.

Six children from the Sunshine Village were given the opportunity to participate in this prestigious event courtesy of Topper Sail Phuket who donated the four Topaz dinghies.

The pairing of Jonas Johansson and Tanawat Sarawaree secured victory in the Topaz class and they were presented with their award at the King’s Cup opening party, held at the Kata Beach Resort and Spa.

In the Laser class, 16-year-old Anusorn Loywat emerged as the winner, beating off seven other challengers to claim first prize, but it was the Tasers which provided the most competitive racing of the weekend.

After a series of tight races, the pairing of Phil Lawson and the Phuket Gazette’s own Thanasorn ‘Nid’ Chookate were crowned the eventual winners, pipping Andrew de Bruin and Donna Stephens to the post.

Ms Thanasorn was delighted to get her first taste of King’s Cup action.

“I have been sailing for six years but this is the first time we have won anything at a major regatta,” she said.

“There wasn’t a lot of wind to start off with, but it picked up and it has been a good two days of racing.

I know the King’s Cup used to have dinghies and I think it’s good that they’re back again. I hope we will be able to race again next year.”

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-11-30

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[LivinginKata]

Phuket King's Cup: Full Metal Jacket beats favorites

Racing on Day 1 of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta. Photo: Guy Nowell

PHUKET: With over 110 yachts and 18 dinghies entered in 15 different classes, this years Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is shaping up for another bumper season. The fleet contains a healthy contingent of old adversaries as well as some new contenders.

Ray Roberts on Evolution Racing and Neil Pryde on Hi-Fi were expected to set the running in the Racing Class but it was Chris Mead's Full Metal Jacket which scored a surprise victory yesterday in the opening race of day one.

King’s Cup veteran Frank Pong took the second race on Jelik and Neil Pryde won the third. The Racing Class looks set to be extremely competitive this year.

Elsewhere, Anthony Hasting’s Baby Tonga Hideaways Club won the only race in the Premier Class and Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban dominated the IRC 1 class winning all three races.

Brent Gribble’s Twin Sharks won two out of three races in the Firefly 850 class and Fergus Wilmer and Henry Kaye’s Thor set the pace in the Multihull Class – winning all three races.

The IRC 2 class was also competitive with Stuart Williamson’s Endeavour of Whitby winning the opening race, Alfie Rowson’s The Beaver the second and Peter Dyer’s Team Bentley the third.

Peter Dyer, skipper of Team Bentley, thinks the IRC 2 class is going to be closely contested this year, ‘It was a great day’s racing and I am happy to be in the lead after the first day. I think Koji Kikuchi’s Puma is going to be a threat and the Royal Thai Navy has entered three boats this year and they are always competitive,’ he said. – James Goyder

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-12-01

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[LivinginKata]

Phuket King’s Cup Day Two: Hi Fi takes lead

Racing on day 2 of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta.

Photo by Roelien Muller - Andaman Sea Club

PHUKET: Neil Pryde's Hi Fi is leading the way in the Premier Class after the second day of racing at the 2009 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.

Chris Meads on Full Metal Jacket came second and Pryde’s perennial Asian Yachting Grand Prix rival Ray Roberts settled for third on Evolution Racing.

Matt Allen's Ichi Ban looks set to run away with the IRC1 class after securing a fourth consecutive victory.

In the IRC 2 class, Peter Dyer's Team Bentley moved into pole position, finishing almost 10 minutes ahead of Stuart Williamson's Skandia Endeavour of Whitby once the times had been adjusted.

A combination of light wind and a longer race course meant that only four boats in the Bare Boat Charter class actually finished the race, with Mike Crisp's Venture the eventual winner.

Brent Gribble's Twin Sharks won the Firefly 850 race and Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer's Thor won in the Multihull Class to give both boats a commanding lead in their respective divisions.

The extravagantly named Baby Tonga-Hideaways Club won in the Premier Class to make it two wins out of two.

Speaking after the race, crew member Mike Lamb said: “We've probably got the longest name out of any of the boats in the regatta, but without the support of the Hideaway Club, we wouldn't be here. There were very light winds today, but we are delighted to have won two races out of two, and we are hoping we can go on and win this regatta.”

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-12-01

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[LivinginKata]

Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Day 3: Pryde pulls a fast one

Racing action on Day 3 of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta. Photo: Rolien / Andaman Sea Club

PHUKET: Neil Pryde could be on course for another victory in the Racing Division after exchanging first places with Full Metal Jacket on day three of the 2009 King's Cup Regatta.

Hi-Fi finished the first race of the day in pole position while Full Metal Jacket with America's Cup helmsman Chris Dickson in charge had to settle for second.

Roles were reversed in the day's second race with Full Metal Jacket finishing first and Hi Fi second, although the latter still has a commanding five point lead in the series.

The Firefly 850 class is the only class consisting of identical designs of boats, meaning that the first boat over the line is automatically the winner. This makes for some exciting racing, and today was no exception, with Brent Gribble's Twin Sharks winning the first race by a margin of less than two minutes and Damian Ford's SEA Properties winning the second by less than a minute.

“We are showing signs of improvement but I think Twin Sharks has got is sewn up now. Conditions were good and it was an exciting day's racing. I am happy to have won a race,” said Damian Ford.

Fegus Wilmer and Henry Kaye recorded their fifth and sixth straight victories on Thor in the Multihull Class as did Matt Allen on Ichi Ban in IRC 1. Elsewhere, the IRC 2 class is looking set to go to the wire, with Royal Thai Navy skippered by Wiwat Poonpat recording back to back victories to move within two points of Peter Dyer's Team Bentley. – James Goyder

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-12-02

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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Day 4: IRC2 Class goes to the wire

Action from the penultimate day of racing for the Phuket King's Cup Regatta. Photo by Rolien / Andaman Sea Club

PHUKET: While the outcome in many of the classes remains a foregone conclusion, the IRC 2 class is wide open going into the final day of the 2009 King’s Cup after Thai Navy 1, skippered by CPO. 3 Wiwat Poonpat, won the only race of day four to cut Team Bentley's lead in the series to a single point.

Team Bentley, skippered by Peter Dyer, finished in second place – but only just – finishing three seconds ahead of Waka Teare and four seconds ahead of Phoenix, once the times had been adjusted.

CPO. 3 Wiwat Poonpat is confident that he will be able to defend his lead and win the King’s Cup for a second consecutive year.

“The wind today was good and the team worked very well together. We have a heavy boat, which gives us an advantage in windy conditions. If the wind is good tomorrow, I think we will be able to win the series,” he said.

Thai Navy 2 did not fare quite so well in the rough conditions; a broken mast effectively ending the boat’s participation in this year’s regatta.

Elsewhere, Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi looks certain to win the Premier Class after nearest rival Chris Mead’s Full Metal Jacket could only finish sixth. Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban has an unassailable lead in the IRC 1 class, as does Fergus Kaye and Henry Wilmer’s Thor in the Multihull Class, with both boats consistently finishing first.

Only three Firefly 850s finished race 6 with Brent Gribble’s Twin Sharks winning the race to give it a one point lead over Hans Rahman’s Voodoo Child. – James Goyder

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-12-04

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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Day 5: Royal Thai Navy takes honors

Neil Pryde's Hi Fi on the final day of racing for the Phuket King's Cup Regatta. Photo: Rolien / Andaman Sea Club

PHUKET: The crew of Royal Thai Navy 1 celebrated the 82^nd birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in style today, winning two races out of two on the final day to become the only Thai crew to taste victory at the 2009 King’s Cup.

At the start of the day, which the entire fleet marked with a sail past in honor of His Majesty The King, Royal Thai Navy 1, skippered by CPO.3 Wiwat Poonpat, was a point behind Peter Dyer’s Team Bentley in the IRC 2 class.

Royal Thai Navy 1 took honors in the first race of the day to establish a slender series lead, while Team Bentley had to settle for third. This put Royal Thai Navy 1 a point ahead of Team Bentley going into the final race of the regatta.

The Thai boat secured a fifth consecutive first-place finish to claim victory and the series.

Neil Pryde and Hi Fi were all but assured of victory in the Racing class at the start of the day. A second-place finish in the opening race made the series secure and ensured the crew had the luxury of watching the final race from the shore.

Asian Yachting Grand Prix rival Ray Roberts made a disappointing start to the regatta on Evolution Racing but back-to-back wins on the final day were enough to ensure a top-three finish.

Fergus Wilmer and Henry Kaye’s Thor continued their record of winning every single race in the Multihull Class, although David Liddell on Miss Saigon was only 10 seconds off the pace in the day’s first race.

A third-place finish in the opening race was good enough for Brent Gribble’s Twin Sharks to win the Firefly 850 series while Anthony Hasting’s Baby Tonga Hideaway Club won the only race of the day – and with it the series in the Premier Class.

Race organizer Simon James declared the 2009 Phuket King’s Cup a success: “It went really well. It was good to see such a big fleet, and the racing has been some of the most competitive ever, with finishing times separated by a mere second in a number of fleets.” – James Goyder

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-12-05

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[NBT TV Phuket]

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item--a--- Sailors from across the world joined a Sail Past ceremony in honor of HM the King of Thailand during the final day of Phuket King’s Cup Regatta in the Andaman Sea

The Royal Thai Navy’s Royal Bangpakong vessel was anchored at Kata Bay in the Andaman Sea for the participating boats and crew members of the 23rd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta from across the world to carry out the sail past ceremony. The activity took place on December 5th before they began their final races. The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is organized in honor of HM the King, by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket. The organizers have been organizing the sail past for four consecutive years. Infinity Communications also informed Andaman News that Thailand was voted the favourite sailing venue in Asia, and Phuket King’s Cup Regatta remains the most popular and is voted the best regatta in Asia. Their survey found also that the Regatta generated approximately 40 million baht for the island economy during the 2009 event. The sailing survey was conducted by the Top of The Gulf Regatta in co-operation with the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta with the aim to find out sailing trends and provide useful information in helping to attract more sailors to Thailand.

item--b--- A Privy councilor presided over the closing and prize giving ceremony for winners of Phuket King’s Cup Regatta

Mom Rajawong Usni Pramoj, representing HM the King of Thailand, presided over the traditional ceremony, followed by a special candle lit tribute and huge fireworks for HM the King's Birthday at Kata Beach Resort last Saturday evening. 111 international yachts had fought for podium finishes across the 11 divisions. The stars of the day were the skippers and crews who were all worthy winners –Rene Tiemessen's Alondra in Classic, Rod Heikell's Skylax in Cruising, Brent Gribble's Twin Sharks in Firefly 850, Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer's Thor in Multihull Racing, Anthony Hasting's Princess Sharda in Bareboat Charter, Timothy Robins's Nipper in Multihull Cruising, Peter Wood's Windstar in Modern Classic, Wiwat Poonpat's Royal Thai Navy 1 who got the biggest cheer in IRC2, Matt Allen's Ichi Ban in IRC1, Anthony Hastings's Baby Tonga Hideaways Club in Premier, and Neil Pryde's Hi-Fi in Racing division, the main winner. His crew enjoyed the fruits of their hard-fought Racing division victory. In the last two King's Cups, Pryde had lost first place on a count back. This time he took hold of the trophy with no doubts as to the ability of his boat, his crew and himself, as he told Andaman News just after the ceremony, this was his 4th Kings Cup win: voice ****** 3 minute interview with Neil Pryde, Kings Cup winner

weekly Andaman News NBT TV (VHF dial) at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 3.30pm, 7pm, 1.30am & 6.30am, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & maybe Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, Friday 11th December 2009 & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ & www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews Send comments to [email protected]