Please select your home edition
Edition
V-DRY-X

Phuket King’s Cup 2018. A trip round the islands.

by Guy Nowell 4 Dec 2018 08:56 PST 01-08 December 2018
Under the watchful eye of the Buddha. Phuket King's Cup 2018 © Guy Nowell / Phuket King's Cup

Another grey day to start with, but it burned off pretty quickly and out came the sun with his hat on. The Cruising fleet (Bareboat A and B, Cruisers, Multihull Cruisers, Classics and Modern Classics) got an off-wind start and set off towards Koh Kaeo Noi, Koh Hi, and back again. RO Simon James had an interesting time at the boat end, anchored in 50m of water, and took care to explain that the black-and-white buoy was an IDM, not the end of the start line. Really this didn’t matter, as everyone started at the upwind end of the line anyway, reaching into the sunshine towards the first gate mark.

The space ‘inside’ the islands had some pretty healthy tide running against the racecourse, so the trick was to stay over towards Koh Hi and out of the current, but it was still slow going. Eric Alfredson’s Lisanne (Cruising) understood the programe, leading the way through the paragliders and around the top of the island, and then escaped in the softest of breeze to extend her lead all the way to the finish and a hefty victory – 63 minutes on the clock in front of the next finisher and 42 minutes on corrected. Kinnon (Andrey Eliseev) in Bareboat A got it right as well, putting 28 corrected minutes between themselves and second place.

After a quick windward/leeward ‘put-another-race-on-the-scorecard’, in which Team Hollywood, Aquarii, Highlead Encouragers, Firstlight, Voodoo and Fugazi in the various Racing divisions made the most of the breeze by putting bullets on their results sheets (and Java corrected out for a dead heat with SHK Scallywag Fuku bld), the Race Officer prescribed an islands course, chasing the departed Cruisers. There was a General Recall and a couple of Individuals on the next try, and then they were off towards Koh Aeo.

The tide was still ebbing, and the boats had to beat up the same patch of water, but they were going a little further (to the top of Koh Aeo) so crossing over to Koh Lon and short-tacking up the northern shore was an option. Some of the tacking was very short, and very close, and the navigators below decks were glued to the depth sounders. Around the end of the island, and then spinnakers up for the run home. Sunshine had already turned into threatening storm clouds, which sometimes in this part of the world produces gleaming jade coloured water beneath the leaden overcast – check out the pic of Scott Badley’s East Marine Emagine. Then the rain came – a proper deluge, briefly bringing visibility down to near-nothing.

Sarab Jeet Singh’s much travelled Windsikher knows her way around very well, and scored an IRC 0 victory with 3m 30s to spare in front of Team Hollywood. Mandrake III scored 2,2 today but retains her place at the top of the IRC 1 table. Highlead Encouragers are still in charge of the IRC 2 division, but Igor Gorikvov’s Uminoko (that wiped the Cruising class last year) and John Grendon’s beautifully-prepared Die Hard have picked up the ball and are running hard. It is really good to see some older IOR boats resuscitated and racing!

As usual, you can find Full Results at www.kingscup.com/result

Standing by on 72.

Related Articles

Luna shines bright in 2025 Morgan Cup Race
This was a truly international fleet with the majority of the teams from the UK and France The start of the Morgan Cup Race was a spectacular sight with over 100 boats beating to windward into the Western Solent for the fourth race of the Cowes Offshore Racing Series and the 11th race of the 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship. Posted on 30 Jun
Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 3
RORC and EAORA fleets converge on Ramsgate in the Cannon Ball race The combined RORC and 14 boat EAORA East Coast Race fleets converged on Ramsgate in the Cannon Ball race from Ostend on a Fastnet qualifier race on Saturday 28th June. Posted on 30 Jun
Introduction to the Admiral's Cup/Fastnet 2025
After a 22 year abscence, the renowned Admiral's Cup is back. After a break of 22 years, the renowned Admiral's Cup is returning to the international yacht racing scene in July 2025. One short ocean race, three days of inshore racing, and then the fabled Fastnet to finish Posted on 29 Jun
Key Yachting Mid-Summer Regatta 2025
65 boats took part at the Royal Southern Yacht Club Last weekend, the Royal Southern Yacht Club hosted the second event in our flagship Summer Series for 2025 - the Key Yachting Mid-Summer Regatta. Posted on 28 Jun
Rolex Fastnet Race at 100 – the making of a giant
At present 469 yachts have entered this special edition - a far cry from its humble origins in 1925 One month remains until the 26 July start of the Rolex Fastnet Race, this year celebrating both its centenary as well as that of the club it spawned: the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Posted on 27 Jun
2025 Marion to Bermuda Race concludes
Celebrating the remarkable seamanship and sportsmanship of every team After days of strategic sailing, shifting winds, and open-ocean challenges, the results are in—and we're proud to celebrate the remarkable seamanship and sportsmanship of every team that took part. Posted on 27 Jun
Tschüss 2 - Transatlantic Titans
Line Honours for Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 in the Transatlantic Race 2025 Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA), owned by Christian Zugel and co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has taken Line Honours in the West to East Transatlantic Race 2025 in an elapsed time of 07 Day 15 Hrs 29 Mins and 10 Secs. Posted on 26 Jun
GBR IRC Championship continue into Autumn & beyond
Attention now turns to the second half of the season With the first half of the GBR IRC Championships successfully complete, attention now turns to the second half of the season, running from July to the end of the year, with events spanning the East Coast, South West, Channel Islands, and inland waters. Posted on 26 Jun
Summer Series at Royal Temple YC race 2
Perfect blue water sailing on the day after midsummer The fleet had perfect blue water sailing on the day after midsummer in a North-going neap tide. Peter Jackson set a course for Class 1, at 19 miles a little longer than recent habit. Posted on 26 Jun
Hamilton Island Race Week Olympic sailing showcase
40th anniversary celebrations are hotting up Hamilton Island Race Week's 40th anniversary celebrations are hotting up, with more than 160 entries confirmed for the annual sailing regatta to be contested from 16-23 August in the glorious Whitsunday Islands. Posted on 26 Jun
Exposure MarineLloyd Stevenson - Catalyst Yacht Tender 1456x180px BOTTOMC-Tech 2020 Battens 2 728x90 BOTTOM