Phuket King’s Cup Regatta marks 30th Anniversary

by Phuket King’s Cup Media on 13 Oct 2016 The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is one of the top international sporting events in Asia, annually attracting entries from around the globe.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the event (it started in 1987, if my maths are correct) and once again sailors will be competing on the sun swept waters of the Andaman Sea, 3-10 December 2016. And as usual the regatta headquarters will be at the Kata Beach Resort & Spa.

As well as the main drawcard of the event, the IRC Racing classes, the regatta will include Cruising classes, the Phuket Dinghy Series, International Dinghy Classes, Multihulls and this year a new CRX Kiteboard class. Kiteboards were included in the PKC programme some years ago, but attracted little attention.

Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organizing Committee, is in charge of an event that has changed very little in recent years. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the motto at the PKC. In the recent past there have been a number of calls from competitors for some new course formats. Nevertheless, many of the competing teams still believe that the Phuket King’s Cup is the very top prize in Asian sailing, and keep coming back year after year.

In 1987 ten boats and a good party crowd got together, intent on celebrating the King of Thailand’s 60th birthday with a regatta and in style. Today, the Phuket King’s Cup plays an important part in promoting sailing in Thailand. This year an anticipated 190 entries and over 1,500 sailors from more than 30 nations will be welcomed not only by host sponsor the Kata Beach Resort & Spa, but also by a myriad of local residents and small business operators gladly welcome the economic boost that the event brings.

Whitcraft notes that 'Throughout the three decades of the regatta, fleets have of course changed, and now with so much interest in sailing and yacht racing among Thailand's juniors, the regatta committee installed the Phuket Dinghy Series which has inspired youths in Southern Thailand from many sailing clubs in Phuket, Phang Nga, Songkhla, and as far as Chon Buri, to take up sailing since its introduction in 2010. There is great hunger and motivation especially among young sailors here for competing at world championships.'

This year, fleets expect to comprise different classes of Keelboats and Multihulls: IRC Zero (international ’Grand Prix’ boats), the highly competitive IRC 1, IRC 2, along with Sports Boat, Modern Classic, Classic, Premier, Open Charter, Bareboat Charter, Cruising, Firefly 850 Sports, Multihulls Racing and Multihulls Cruising. Sailors and support crews will hail from many countries, including USA, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong.

2016 will be special as it will also feature the new CRX Kiteboard Class, providing three days open clinic for young riders 5-7 December, and the racing will held at Chalong Bay during the regatta, expecting more than 30 riders around Asia to participate. It is hoped that this new element will appeal to kiteboarding enthusiasts and a younger sailing audience, although the racing takes place away from the main King’s Cup course area.

For the youth sailing races, the 30th anniversary continues a dedicated International Dinghy Class. The inclusion of dinghies has played a part in the development of youth sailing in Thailand, encouraging more young sailors to take up the sport. New this year is the long distance race for the dinghy fleet (as well as the main fleet, if wind conditions permit).Victorious Thai sailors from the Phuket Dinghy Series, which takes place from July to November, will receive trophies together with other winners at the prize giving ceremony.

Whitcraft said, 'We are proud of our new wave of young Thai sailors. Bam Kamolwan Chanyim (KC Laser winner 2012), was the first female Thai sailor to join the Olympics in Rio, together with Keerati Bualong, KC Laser winner 2015. Early this year, our 2014 and 2015 Optimist champion Nattapong (Max) Yuang-ngam was crowned at the Rooster International Topper 4.2 World Championships 2016 in Northern Ireland.”

“We are also pleased to note that Thailand will host the Optimist World Championships 2017 at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, Pattaya.”

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