Phuket King's Cup Regatta
he 18th Phuket King's Cup Regatta
finished on December 11 with several changes on the leader board and a fantastic
representation on the winner's podium from boats built or registered in Thailand.
Sailing conditions were consistently good all week and the final day's 15-20 knot
winds provided a tremendous final race.
The fiercely contested Racing class
was won by Neil Pryde's High Fidelity, a regular and very successful King's Cup
contender, knocking Yo! off its top spot into second place. Third was Mandrake.
In the Sports Boat class Thai built Buzz 8 claimed victory dominating the class
with six consecutive wins. Second, and ten points behind, was Jativa and third
was Pink Pussy Cat. In the closest class of the competition, the Premier
Cruising, the eventual winner Yendy's won by the slimmest margin. Equal on points
to second place Vida both boats were identically matched in their results across
the week. After consulting the Racing Rules of Sailing the judges awarded it to
Yendy's based on their final placing on the very last day. Hocux Pocux 2 was relegated
to third despite being first home, the only boat to complete the course in under
two hours. In the Sunsail class Christian Eschenburg in Princess Anna finished
his amazing week winning every race in the class. Princess Arieta came second
with Princess Athena in third place. The IRC1 class finished two races on the
final day and was eventually won by New Zealand boat Ruby Tuesday. Second went
to Foxy Lady and Di Hard was awarded third. Dominating the IRC2 class the
Royal Thai Navy 1 and 2 were awarded first and second place respectively. Third
place La Samudra was a consistent challenger all week with all other boats in
the class experiencing mixed fortunes. In the biggest class IRC3 Abraxas
won the series with Minx second and Patrice III third. Again dominated by three
boats the Ocean Rover class was won by Aquavit III with Cordelia second and Tarawadee
third. Twin-masted, twin-sailed catamaran Coco Blues won the multihull
class from Charro in a tight race. Third place was awarded to Ceberus and all
the first four in the class were Thai boats. In the Classic race Greensleeves
won the series with Phuket Sail Sanook second and recently built Sunshine third.
The King's Cup is the first race for newly built Sunshine, which was originally
designed in 1900. For full results check http://www.kingscup.com.
See more sailing events...
OverviewThe annual Phuket King's Cup Regatta, the jewel in the
crown of Asia's yachting circuit, takes place each December off the shores of
Phuket. With a range of yacht classes that includes everything from racing yachts
and sport boats to cruisers and classics, the Regatta is the region's premier
international sailing event, attracting some of the world's best yachtsmen.
The
King's Cup Regatta was inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His
Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. It has been held in early December
every year since then. In addition to exciting competition, the Regatta
is also a major social event for the island, with several parties and other activities
held throughout the week. Most of the action is at Kata Beach - the bay bustles
with crew preparing to sail off in the mornings, while in the evenings the hotels
lining its shore play host to glamorous soirees for participants and fans of the
event. The Regatta is held under the Royal Patronage of HM the King, and
organized by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organising Committee and the auspices
of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association
of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket. | 
