Phuket King's Cup 2013. Ray Roberts eyes fourth King’s Cup trophy

by Phuket King's Cup Media on 4 Dec 2013 Cooler weather brought slightly lower wind speeds for the third day of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, creating conditions which required good tactical decisions from all of the teams.

In IRC0 class, Ray Roberts’ OneSails Racing team continued their exceptional form to secure another win today in race four, and a second place in race five, won by Neil Pryde’s Hifi team. The team came in third place in the final race of the day, with the last winner being team 'Oi!' from Australia. Today’s results put OneSails Racing at the top of the table in IRC0, four points clear of Ahern Bailey Wilmer’s 'Oi!'.

Ray Roberts, Skipper of OneSails Racing, said, 'We have a crew which consists of English, Malaysian, Australian and Singaporean sailors, a mix of professional (full-time) and amateur sailors. Our big advantage has been in our new sails, which are fused with carbon fibre; we have a lighter sail and a different shape. The light conditions require a mix of understanding of sail shapes, weather patterns, sailing tactics, race craft relative to the wind, so you need people who are highly proficient. We raced our first King’s Cup in 1995 and won it, plus a further two King’s Cup wins after. We are now focused on this week as being our fourth King’s Cup victory.'

IRC1 class today was won again by Bill Bremner’s Foxy Lady VI, following several excellent wins over the first two days of racing. Today’s final race went to EFG Bank Mandrake team, with Foxy Lady in second place – the first time they have not won this week. Foxy Lady and her crew are shaping up to be clear favourites in IRC1 however, with a huge point advantage going into the final two days.

In IRC2, Yasuo Nanamori and Karasu took victory with another excellent couple of runs, achieving two wins today and establishing themselves as unrivalled leaders in the division; they have won every race they have entered in this year’s Regatta.

Anthony Root’s Red Kite II team took the win in IRC3 race four, with the Royal Thai Navy team finishing in fifth place. LT. JG. Pontep Sookudom’s team will be trying very hard in the final two days to find the sort of pace they enjoyed yesterday. Peter Dyer’s Madam Butterfly (Team Kata Rocks) took the win in today’s second race, in which the Royal Thai Navy was third. Red Kite II now leads the table ahead of Ichi Ban.

In Premier class, Pine-Pacific were once more a long way ahead of all rivals, finishing first and consolidating their position at the top of the table.

Ithinai Yingsiri, Skipper of Pine-Pacific, said, 'The preparation we have undertaken with a crew that was together for last year’s Regatta has been key to our success so far. We were second last year but this time we are enjoying winds between 10 and 12 knots which is suiting us well. If the wind stays reasonably strong tomorrow, we will maintain our advantage over the lesser-handicapped teams. If we continue to make strong improvements and keep away from making any mistakes, we can be class winners at this year’s Regatta.'

Amongst the Sports Boats, Ippai followed up their great form with another two wins, with rivals Planet Blue finishing in fourth (last) place in both races today. The Japanese team look unassailable at the top of the class, having won all but one of their races.

In the Bareboat Charter class, Venture (AUS) were fastest on corrected times. The team is sitting on top of the table but a large number of competing teams are separated by small points differences.

In the Open Charter class, Gokova Sailing Agata won today giving them a good chance to catch up with Sarawadee who lead the table.

The Firefly 850 Sports class is being dominated by John Newnham skippering 'Twin Sharks' with the team achieving another two class victories today. They are now firmly at the top of the table in this one-design series. In Multihull Racing class, Asia Catamarans Hurricane came in with another two wins to maintain their top-of-class position.

In Multihull Cruising class, 'Minnie' skippered by Japanese competitor Norikazu Arai and his crew placed first. They are now joint top with Russian rivals Ariana.Amongst the Modern Classics, Jim Ellis’s Remington team were quickest again, following a win in the first two races, and now lead the division.

Sunshine Schooner skippered by Peter Wood was quickest again in the Classic class, to record another win on Regatta day three to stay top of the class.By not so much a country mile as several nautical leagues. Lady Bubbly won the Cruising class race today, creating a nice duel to be played out over the Regatta with nearest rival Rumrunner II skippered by Chris Hillier.