Andaman Sea Race returns to the race program

by Asian Yachting multimedia on 5 Dec 2013 03 Dec 2013: After a few years in the wilderness the classic Andaman Sea Race made a comeback today. All classes set off on variations to a course that featured a gate laid at Ko Racha Yai, approximately 12 nm to the South of Phuket and back. With a 10 to 15 knot North Easterly they made quick work of the short windward beat, then set spinnakers for the close reach along the coast to Gate 1 near Ko Kaeo Noi. While the hardened racers had an extra windward beat around Ko Hi thrown in to make their course length 31 miles, the Cruisers and Classics carried on straight to the island with a beam reach and returned on a fine reach, which turned into a drag race for the quickest boats. With all sails flying, the two classic schooners fully powered up is a sight to behold and make good photography despite the hazy gray sky as a backdrop.

Frank Pong's Custom 75 Jelik is alone at the front of the pack and often sailing in different wind speed and direction to the other IRC 0 yachts. Although Jelik completed the course with an average speed just short of 10 knots, the three 52 footers behind are racing in close company and urging themselves on, which could also be detrimental to their cause. As the computer crunched the numbers, Ray Roberts’ TP52 One Sails Racing comes out on top by just over one minute from Neil Pryde's Welbourn 52 Hi Fi and the Ahern/Wilmer & Bailey's TP 52 Oi! a further 39 seconds behind. Only two seconds separates Oi! and Jelik making it one minute seventeen seconds from first to fourth on corrected time for the leading contenders. This win extends Roberts’ One Sails Racing overall lead by a couple of points.

While the newer high performance 40 footers fight over IRC 1 line honours, the smaller displacement yachts are plugging away and sailing up to their ratings to claim the handicap honours. This time Paul Winkelmann’s HH42 Island Fling breasted the finish line first, but could not hold back the advances of Bill Bremner's Mills King 40 Foxy Lady 6 for handicap honours. Sarab Jeet Singh's Sydney 40 Mod Windsikher slotted into second place and the Patrick Pender/Jamie McWilliam's Ker 40 Signal 8 edged out Winkelmann’s Island Fling for third and fourth respectively. That makes it three wins in a row for Bremner's Foxy Lady 6 and an incredible start to the series with a high octane caliber of competitors.

After rounding the top mark just behind Japan's Yasuo Nanamori's Beneteau First 40.7 Karasu, Peter Sorensen put the pedal to the metal on his Beneteau 44.7 Fujin and found the passing lane on the shy spinnaker leg to the gate and never looked back. When the IRC ratings were applied they both corrected out with exactly the same time to share first place. The Russians on Kirill Sakhartsev's Beneteau First 47.7 Sailplane finished in third but need to go harder if they are to make an impression on the leaders.

Anthony Root's Archambault 35 Red Kite II continues to set the pace in the IRC 3 fleet but its not wise to discount the Royal Thai Navy as LT.JG.Pontep Sookudom steered the Farr MRX Navy 1 into first place after a slow start yesterday and in doing so climbs into third overall. Second place for Root's Red Kite II extends their overall lead. Third for Matt Allen's Adams 10 Ichi Ban is unfamiliar territory for this team but there is still a long way to go.

Thailand's Ithinai Yingsiri's X-55 Pine-Pacific romped away to claim the daily double in the Premier Cruising Class by the proverbial mile. Christoph Ganswindt's Hanse 545 Pachmo came good with a distant second place and Robert Nash's Beneteau Sense 55 Empirical slipped into third. Two wins for Yingsiri's Pine-Pacific places them firmly on the top of the leaderboard.

With 29 yachts on the combined Bareboat and Open Charter Class start line, there is bound to be some incidents and certainly a lot of shouting going on. Once everyone got sorted and progressed around the course, David Boekemann's Hanse 400 Venture set the pace for line honours. But it is Petr Kochnev's Sun Odyssey 44i Rambutan that corrected out in first place and reduced Boekemann's Venture down to second place. Third place for Evgeny Neugodnikov's Beneteau 40 Alexa keeps the Russian charge alive. Two second places keeps Boekemann's Venture on top of the Bareboat pointscore.

Maxim Taranov's Bavaria 34 Little Eva continues to improve by scoring first place in the Open Bareboat class. Second place for Nikiforov's Sun Odyssey 32 Sarawadee has them tied on three points with Little Eva for the overall lead. Third place for Vladimir Oleynikov's Gokova Sailing Agata elevates them to third overall.

Although Sam Butler-Hogg's S/Y Argo got away with the best start, it didn't take long for Peter Wood's Gaff Rigged Schooner Sunshine Schooner to run them down on the long reaching leg to Ko Racha Yai. At the finish Wood's Sunshine Schooner crossed the line 44 minutes in front but with the overnight adjustment to the arbitrary handicaps, managed to hold on for a win by a mere two seconds and lead the Classic Class.

Chris Hillier's Cole 43 Rumrunner 11 reveled in the fresh conditions to score the daily double in the Cruising Class. Chris Mitchell's Nat 40 Lady Bubbly engaged in a close battle with Simon Piff's Lavranos 34 Rainbow Dream, finishing within 15 seconds of each other. Lady Bubbly's lower IRC rating gives them second place and Rainbow Dream settles in third. In the overall stakes Lady Bubbly is still first and Hillier's Rumrunner 11 leap frogs Rainbow Dream for second place.

Despite some breakages on the outward leg, Jim Ellis' S&S 42 Remington took a high line on the way back and recovered to score their second win in as many races and grace the top of the Modern Classic Class. After a slow start yesterday, Thailand's up coming sailing star Patinyakorn 'Ging' Buranro's Commanche 42 Sansiri slipped into second place and elevated themselves to third overall. Peter Waa's Farr 1104 Farrgo Express is relegated to third place today but still holds onto second overall.

Hans Rahmann's Voodoo roared off into the distance after the top mark but John Newnham's Twin Sharks wore them down to eventually beat Voodoo by seven minutes at the finish line. With a 2, 1, 1 scoreline Newnham's Twin Sharks leads in the Firefly 850 Sports overall stakes. Third place for Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi has them tied on seven points with Rahmann's Voodoo for second overall.

Peter Wilcox's Schionning Gforce 1500 Mojo hammered home line honours but Alan Carwardine's Stealth 11.8 Asia Catamarans Hurricane still managed to collect the handicap honours and lead the Multihull Racing Class. Third place for Scott Duncanson's Stealth 11.8 Multihull Solutions brings them back into contention. Although Mark Pescott's Andaman Cabriolet Da Vinci could only mange fourth place today they still hold onto second overall in front of Wilcox's Mojo.

Three of the four Cruising Multihulls managed to start correctly and completed the course. Nikikov's Sunsail 384 Ariana rose to the occasion with Roman Shirokov's Lagoon 380 Star Fruit snaring second place. Yesterdays winner Norikazu Arai's Lagoon 410 Minnie ended in third place and in doing so hands the overall lead over to Nikikov's Ariana for the time being.

At any one time during the one design Platu 25 race the three leaders were within shouting distance of each other. Eventually Kazumi Asai's Planet Blue came to the fore with Lincoln Redding's Team Tornado only a minute and a half behind after five hours of racing. A minute latter Makiko Matsuishi's IPPAI crossed the line for third place but two wins yesterday keeps them on the top of the Sportsboat scoreboard.
Racing continues tomorrow with Race Day 3 and the prize giving party is hosted once again by Kata Beach Resort & Spa the home of the King's Cup.

Optimist and Laser racing is in full swing in Kata Bay with keen parents observing with telescopes from the beach.

More info and results on the 2013 King's Cup at: http://www.kingscup.com
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