Phuket King's Cup celebrates with Sail Past

by Rob Kothe on 5 Dec 2006 December 5th 2006 is the date of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 79th Birthday, this year is the Diamond Jubilee of his accession to the Thai Throne in 1946 and it is the 20th Phuket Kings Cup.

This morning there was a historic celebration at the Phuket King’s Cup, a magnificent spectacle as more than 100 yachts staged a Sail Past.

From a tiny Shaw six-metre sports boat to Frank Pong's magnificent maxi, a Reichel Pugh 25-metre sloop, yachts flying burgees from opposite ends of the world, from the Antipodes, across Europe, Asia to North America sailed past the bedecked Royal Thai Navy frigate.

The Royal Thai Navy crew lined the deck, resplendent in white uniforms, as the passing flotilla 'Chai Yo'd' from their own decks, raising caps in salute.

While the King's Birthday celebration has been a regular part of the Phuket Kings Cup event over the last two decades, this is the first ever Sail Past and it was a cherished moment for the sailing community. As Thai sailor Radab Kanjanavanit commented, ‘the Sail Past really gave me Goosebumps.’

Back to business then for the 101 boat fleet and it was a 'tough day in the office' for the race officers.

On the windward leeward course in the Thai Beverage series sailed by the Racing, 1 and 2, Sports boats, IRC 1 and Firefly 850’s, the north north easterly was at five-six knots but swung right to north east and then softened. There were patches of glass. The second race provided similar difficulties, but the third race for the Racing fleet settled in at eight-nine knots.

In the Racing Division 1, Race 2, Toby O’Connell’s Dhevatara Drumstick (DK46) won by over a minute on corrected time from Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi (Farr 52) and Paul Winkelmann’s Island Fling (TP52). Jelik was the fastest boat on the course.

In Race 3 Island Fling was fast off the line and crossed the fleet on port tack but Mandrake (Nick Burns) beat her and Hi Fi on corrected time. In Race 4 Dhevatara Drumstick again took the honours by over a minute on corrected time, from Island Fling and Hi Fi. Line honours in both races went to Island Fling.

Drumstick tactician Steve McConaghy was smiling when he came ashore. 'We had a good day. Yesterday was always going to be a big boat race, as the wind died away, but today we all sailed in the same conditions. Very similar to the light weather conditions of last year, when we won. '

In Racing Division 2, Race 2, Niels Dgenkolf’s Phoenix won from Jonathan Mahoney’s Happy Endings and Peter Dyer’s Madam Butterfly. Madam Butterfly was fastest round the course.

In Race 3 Happy Endings did one better and won convincingly, with Madam Butterfly second and Panic (Jeff Davidson) in third. A good day for Happy Endings, also taking line honours in this race.

IRC 1, Race 2 Rhythm Stick, an X442 owned by Ryuji Nakata took the double, line honours and a handicap win, from the Swan 55 of Andy Pape, Big A, just thirty seven seconds in arrears on corrected time. Valdemar Bandolowski’s Di Hard, a Frers 41 was third today. Rhythm Stick again won the double in Race 3, topping off a good day for her, with Octopussy (Jaray Tipsuk) in second and Sita (Peter Wintle) in third.

In Coutts Premier Division, Geoff Hill’s Lyons 49 Strewth had a brilliant start and she took the honours by over two minutes on corrected time from Andrew Rickards’ Warwick Moon Blue. Frangipani Girl, a Swan 53 owned by David Ross, finished third. Line honours went to Yasooda.

Strewth was again triumphant in Race 3, this time with Nix, (Nico Cortiever) the line honours winner second on corrected time, with Moon Blue third.

In the Firefly 850 Sport Division, Marc Cudennec’s Chi Machine took line honours but Henry Kaye's Mamba was first on corrected time. Chi Machine was second and Andrew Marshall’s Pink Lady completed the top three. In Race 3, Chi Machine completed the double, taking line honours and seizing the top spot on corrected time, from Moto Inzi (Roger Kingdon) and Twin Sharks (Bill Phelps).

In the competitive Sports Boats Division, Race 2, G4S Somtam Express was line honours winner, but Motornet (Kenichi Takahashi’s Platu) again performed well to win on corrected time from Just (Shuji Hagihara’s Platu) and Platu (Ket Manghlaseranee’s Platu).

In Race 3 Motornet continued on her winning way from Vino (Phil Wardrop), with G4S Somtam Express (Scott Duncanson) in third. Vino was the fastest boat around the course.

Today was the Mom Tri’s Boathouse Race for the Multihull 1 and IRC 1 and Sunsail One Design fleet, which sailed a 15 mile course, while the Multihull 2, Bareboats, Ocean Rover and Classic fleet sailed an 11 mile course.

While the start breeze was more than six knots, the fleet parked for a while near the first mark as the wind went from north east round to west north west and lightened off to four-five knots, with patches of glass.

Out in the distance, it seemed a storm might be building off Karon Beach and when new pressure came in up to ten knots, the back of the fleet languished for some time. The last leg was meant to be a shy reach, but it ended up as a square run in seven-ten knots of breeze.

In IRC 2 Race 2, Minx (Rob Taylor) was first, two minutes and twenty fives seconds ahead on correct time, from Next Page (Peter Forbes) and Royal Thai Navy 1 (Lt Peera Sagultem). Next Page, an X372, was fastest around the course.

Ocean Rover Division Race 2, Calypso JJ (Geoff Wilson’s Dufor 54) completed a good day, taking line honours and then won convincingly on corrected time from Rainbow Dream (the Robertson of Simon Piff) and Festina Lente (Roy Ellad’s Discovery).

In the Multihull Racing Division, Atmosphere was first across the line, but it was Seekronghuk, Tim Milner’s Pescott that won on corrected time from Philip Day’s Corsair The Sting with Radab Kanjanavanit’s Cedar Swan, third.

In the Performance Multihull Division Race 2, Gone with the Wind (Liam Nichols) streaked ahead of her rivals on corrected time. Raimon Land Chameleon (Chris Runnegar) and Ambre (Alfred Poulsen) completed the placings for the day. Raimon Land Chameleon took line honours.

In the Bareboat Charter Division Race 2, Bintang (Maddern and Blankly) clearly won on corrected time from Fidgi, (Naoki Wada), with Intan (Theodore Bakker) third. Bintang completed the daily double, after taking line honours in this race.

In the Classic Division Race 2, Argo Brendon Baumeister’s elegant Langan Designed schooner won from Mathew Harsley’s Don Poole designed Jubilaeum. Argo also took line honours.

Princess Athena (Antonio Escribano) today won the Sunsail One Design Division from Princess Isabella (Keith Harding) and Princess Christina (Robert Yeltes). Identical Sun Odyssey 35’s makes this class very competitive and each crew is hoping to win the Sunsail Trophy presented at the end of the regatta.

There is still a protest outstanding that may affect results in the Racing Division.

Final full results will be available at www.kingscup.com

Tonight there will be a candle light ceremony on Kata Beach, with sailors and the Phuket community in attendance, part of the national celebration that will be televised nationwide.

Tomorrow’s Kata Group Andaman Sea race is scheduled to be the longest passage race of this week’s regatta, provided favourable sailing conditions hold for the long haul. However there is a possibility that the conditions may in fact be very light.

In contrast, the typhoon currently off Vietnam may influence the regatta later in the week.

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