King's Cup Regatta

[khall64au]

Have been involved in organisation of the last 3 year's Kings Cup regatta's here on Phuket. Just wondering if there are any sailor's on the forum who will be taking part in the races or attending the festivities. Come in sailors!!!

[jimbob]

I am not sailing but I am going to the parties. Kata Beach Resort was a nice opening but the unlimited Chang (the draft tastes much better than the bottles though) has caused damage to my head so not going to Mom Tri's. I am going to save myself for RPM tomorrow. Friday and Saturday should be most excellent nights. Hopefully I will have time to fit in a few PIMEX parties too.

It would be nice to get on a boat at some point this week if it can be fitting in among the partying.

[avatar]

Have been involved in organisation of the last 3 year's Kings Cup regatta's here on Phuket. Just wondering if there are any sailor's on the forum who will be taking part in the races or attending the festivities. Come in sailors!!! 

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Is this Kerrie from Pimex????

[khall64au]

Have been involved in organisation of the last 3 year's Kings Cup regatta's here on Phuket. Just wondering if there are any sailor's on the forum who will be taking part in the races or attending the festivities. Come in sailors!!! 

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Is this Kerrie from Pimex????

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Same spelling but no. Is there a Kerrie on PIMEX? I was more involved on the committee side but not this year. Just curious how many members get involved in the racing. I will definitely be on the press boat for a day and at the closing party on Saturday night........ always an excellent party!!!

[jimbob]

Firdya and Saturday should be very good. THAI and Raimon Land are fighting it out for best party this year.

[jimbob]

I thought I would post this to prove that there has been some sailing going on among the eating, drinking and being merry. Seems there has been some decent first day action (and a few complaints). I look forward to all the gossip at RPM tonight.

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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta – Race Day 1 report

FIRST DAY BLUES

King’s Cup committee members are beginning to think that it wouldn’t be the KC if something unusual didn’t happen on the first day. Last year’s opening day of racing saw a collision that nearly cost the life of one of the entrants. The 19th outing of this now internationally celebrated regatta has so far been no exception. The huge fleet of 84 racing yachts weighed anchor from Kata Bay in pale blue skies and barely a breath of wind. It would be almost two hours after the allotted 8.35am start time before race officers would feel confident enough in the breeze to allow the first racers to take off.

The start, however, did not go without incident – as one of the Sunsail One Design class (name withheld to protect the embarrassed) steered a little too tightly across the line and straight into the Royal Thai Navy cruiser carrying the race officers. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey received minor damage to its port bow, not sufficient to keep it out of the race.

Less than half an hour after the first of the fleet set off on the challenging south island course, sponsored by Beer Chang, than the wind took a turn for the better and for the next three quarters of an hour the fleet enjoyed steady winds of 20-25 knots.

However, while racing continued apace, disaster threatened just off the Kata Beach Resort headquarters of the regatta. The Warwick 65, Intrigue of Stornaway – casually resting in the bay, while her owner, Willie Roberts, was racing aboard Mandrake – did not fair so well against the sudden heavy seas and powerful gusts, pulled her anchor and made for the beach.

Frantically, those sailors that had remained at HQ set out to try to rescue the fast foundering Intrigue. Mike Downard of Sail’n Asia was one of the first aboard, but all his initial efforts to get the boat off the sand were to no avail. Hours past as the sand-stranded yacht pitched hard against the ebbing tide, but longtails and dinghies were no match for the well-wedged Warwick. Eventually the services of a passing squid boat were acquired and just as it seemed that all was lost, Intrigue stirred herself out of danger.

Though the winds eventually died out on the race course, Hong Kong-based veteran skipper Neil Pryde was making good time in his new boat Hi Fi. But the renamed Farr 52 was no match for Frank Pong’s enormous Reichel-Pugh 77, Boracay, which stormed across the line a full 12 minutes before its nearest rival and 30 minutes ahead of Pryde. Alas it was far from enough to give Pong the win. Indeed Boracay’s corrected time on handicap left it wallowing at the end of the results table.

Pryde, however, had set his sights on Nick Burns’ Mandrake. Even on adjusted time the big Mills 51 had a good 35 minutes over Hi Fi and 28 minutes on nearest finisher, Ray Roberts’ Drumstick. However, Hi Fi raised a protest against Mandrake, claiming that it had missed a mark, gaining – according to Hi Fi – 2 minutes and 15 seconds on its classmates. The international jury agreed with Pryde’s estimate but was satisfied that the missed mark was an error of misreading the course notes rather than a felonious attempt to subvert the regatta, and penalized Mandrake exactly what Hi Fi had requested – 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Not unsurprisingly, rumblings from Hi Fi’s corner continued far into the night and even into the following day’s racing.

With reporting by Alan Parkhouse of the Nation.

http://phuket-post.com/article.php?id=85

[khall64au]

Mike Downard of Sail’n Asia was one of the first aboard, but all his initial efforts to get the boat off the sand were to no avail. Hours past as the sand-stranded yacht pitched hard against the ebbing tide, but longtails and dinghies were no match for the well-wedged Warwick. Eventually the services of a passing squid boat were acquired and just as it seemed that all was lost, Intrigue stirred herself out of danger.

Now that's what I call action. A multi-squillion dollar sailing regatta with a passing squid boat to the rescue ...... community involvement indeed!

ps. Bumped into Mike D at The Lighthouse tonight and he lost his wallet overboard during the rescue attempt!!

[khall64au]

Going sailing now............. YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Up with the roosters

[jimbob]

Going sailing now............. YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Up with the roosters 

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I don't think I could go near a boat after last night at RPM. Still not sure how I got home........

[jimbob]

King's Cup Day Two Report

EASY DOES IT

After the near debacles and interminable debates of the first day racing, Day Two dawned to a duet of blues skies and calm seas. Light breezes rippled the surface of the crystal Andaman Sea and the race committee considered this more than enough to get the fleet off to a prompt and clean start - unlike yesterday when one of the Sunsail One Design clas( name withheld to protect the embarassed) steered a little too tightly across the line and straight into the Royal Thai Navy cruiser carrying the race officers. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey received minor damage to its port bow, not sufficient to keep it out of the race.

Racing class were called upon to do battle three races on tis hot calm day, and Australian Ray Roberts aced all three holding defending champ Neil Pryde to secodnd place in each of the races. Roberts in his new DK 46, Drumstick Quantum Racing has made a flying start at this year's regatta but 2004 and 2001 champion, Pryde, is hot on his heels.

In the Premier class Vida, skippered by Australian Brian Hayde, has the overall lead after two races today, with fellow Aussie Geoffrey Hill's Strewth a very close second and Thai boat Lawana, with Suwan Poopopksakul at the helm, in third place.

Very little separates the leaders in the hotly-contested Sports Boats class, with Thailand's Riku Ruokolahti on Yachtpro 106 takingthe overall lead after the three races held so far. Another Thai-registered boat, Emma Mathilde, with skipper Kenichi Takahaci of Japan in charge, is in second place overall and Singapore's Morten Jakobsen on Happy Ending's is third.

Phuket boat Somtam Express, with former world junior sailing champion Scott Duncanson calling the shots, is a very close forth in the Sports Boatclass and is expected to mount a strong challenge in the next few races.

The Royal Thai Navy 1 boat have blown their opposition out fo the water in the IRC 2 class after twof rist places in the two races contested in their division so far, with David Lindahl's La Samuydra second and Singapore;s Jeremy Muller on Scallywag third.

Kevin Gillow's Thai boat Minx - skippered by his daughter Mia, has won both races in IRC3 class and is the overall leader, Singapore's Graham Lind on Sumatra is second and Denmark's Bo Sondergaard on Patrice III is third.

http://phuket-post.com/article.php?id=86

[khall64au]

I went sailing today....... yay. I feel sick was very exciting racing ......... but I feel very sick now. Boats

[jimbob]

I went sailing today....... yay. I feel sick  was very exciting racing ......... but I feel very sick now. Boats 

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Have another Chang and you will soon forget about it.