Sail-World.com : Dates for the 23rd Phuket King's Cup Regatta announced
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Dates for the 23rd Phuket King's Cup Regatta announced |
The regatta is traditionally held during the first week of December each year, including December 5 which is His Majesty the King of Thailand's birthday (Patron of the regatta). This year, the final day of racing and the closing party will fall on HM's birthday.
'We are looking forward to the 23rd Regatta. Following a survey of participants at last years event, and listening to participants during the event, we are taking onboard the feedback and looking to improve the Regatta experience further for all this year,' said Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Organising Committee.
The Phuket King's Cup Regatta will be headquartered at Kata Beach Resort and racing will take place in the waters off Kata Bay.
The closures of Bangkok airports just prior to the 2008 regatta made it difficult for participants to make their way to Phuket, except for those lucky enough to have direct flights to the Island. Despite the difficulties, 93 yachts made it to the start line on day one and the regatta turned out to be a great success with a number of participants saying 'it was the best in years'.
Entries for the 2009 regatta will soon open online. Only then will the organisers begin to get a feel of the number to expect this year.
'Last year was unusual. The global economic crises may or may not affect the number of yachts entering this year, but at this stage it is too soon to say,' said Simon James, Race Management Director.
'We have already had a good number of entry inquiries, and queries as to dates, race courses and details, so that is positive. We will be posting the NOR on the regatta website soon which will give the required details for participants to start making their plans,' added James.
The 2009 Regatta will follow a similar program of sailing and social activities to previous years (last year's 'no lay-day' was an exception). Registration will take place Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November, with the practice race scheduled to be held in the afternoon on the Sunday. Racing will take place Monday 1st December, Tuesday 2nd December, Wednesday 3rd December, Friday 4th December and conclude on Saturday 5th December with the Royal Awards Ceremony and Closing Party. Thursday 4th December will be the Reserve Day.
Sponsors of the 2009 regatta include Raimon Land, Kata Group, Chang Beer, Mom Tri's Boathouse, Sunsail, Mont Clair and Phuket Magazine. Media partners include Blue Wave 90.5FM, Ensign Media, The Nation, Phuket Gazette, Sail-World and Yacht Style.
Under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, the Regatta is organised by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organising 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.
by Event Media
2:24 AM Thu 7 May 2009 GMT
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