10th
Phang Nga Bay Regatta
Racing Day 4
What
starts well, ends well...
By Alan Parkhouse
The final day of the Puravana Phang Nga Bay Regatta featured a long race
from Phi Phi island back to Nai Harn Bay in Phuket with nine of the 50
boats retiring when the wind dropped halfway through the long leg to the
mainland. The day's racing started in good conditions off Phi Phi with
light but steady winds of about seven knots when the five classes contesting
the regatta began, but by the halfway mark the wind dropped to zero for
about an hour before picking up with a vengeance. Most of the fleet drifted
with the tide for an hour before the wind returned, but nine frustrated
skippers decided to call it quits and motor on to the party venue at Nai
Harn Bay, the Puravarna Yacht Club, which was formerly known at the Phuket
Yacht Club. Word had leaked out that the sponsors were flying in 150 models
for the final party on Chinese New Year and many skippers and crew were
determined not to be late.
Those who persevered when he wind dropped were rewarded when the wind came back in at about 10 to 14 knots and there was some exciting racing over the final stages. At the end of the final race experienced local skipper Scott Duncanson finished almost 30 minutes in front on corrected time on his boat Somtam Express, but his win wasn't enough to give him the overall honours in the Racing class. Ben Copley, who was second in the final race on Asia Spirit, took first place overall after two first places and two second places. Somtam Express was second overall in the Racing class while veteran Kiwi skipper John Vause sailed his boat Ruby Tuesday into third place overall.
Nils
Dgenkole's Phoenix rose to the occasion and won four from four in the
Cruising A class to take the top prize, while Kevin Gillow's Minx
bought up second place after three seconds and one third. Another veteran,
Robert England, sailed his boat Emerald Blue into third place
overall.
The
almost all-girl crew on Michelle Pippen's boat Tropicbird had
a win on the final day which was enough to take them to first place overall
in the Cruising B class. Bill Crump's Fistral managed to hang
on for second place, while Kevan Perrins' Rusalka took third
place overall.
David Wales' The Sting was too good in the Multihull class and took first place after two wins and a second place, while Kim Mitchell's Alpha Centauri 2 claimed second place and boat designer Mark Pescott skippered Sumersalt into third place overall.
The hotly contested Firefly 850 class was won by yet another veteran of the Asian sailing circuit, Henry Kaye, who steered his boat Mamba to victory. Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi was a close second, while Bill Phelps' Twin Sharks claimed third place.
Race
organizers decided to call it quits at 4.30 in the afternoon and a few
unlucky boats sailed in just too late. The party after the final day's
racing was one of the biggest seen on Phuket with the sponsors catering
to not only the regatta contestants but also using the occasion to promote
their venue. A group of Thai celebrities plus 150 models were flown to
Phuket by private jet for the party, which was also held to celebrate
Chinese New Year. There were also international DJs to provide the music
and a spectacular fireworks display as the sailors and other guests partied
into the early hours of the morning.
Regatta organizer John Everingham was a happy man at the end of a hectic five days and paid tribute to his big team of volunteers who helped make the Phang Nga Bay Regatta a special event in its 10th year. "All the people on the water, the people helping set up the parties and all the others that have helped run this regatta in their own time and for no reward have done a fantastic job," he said. "I can't thank them enough. In previous years we've had a few things go wrong, but his year everything has gone very smoothly."
Event website http://www.bayregatta.com
Next
stop is Phi Phi island...
There are five classes of boats contesting the four-day regatta which
has been racing through some of southern Thailand's most spectacular scenery.
In the top flight Racing class, Ben Copley's Asia Spirit clocked
up its second win in three races to take the overall lead, while New Zealander
John Vause on Ruby Tuesday cemented second overall with a second
place. Former junior world sailing champion Scott Duncanson - who skippers
Somtam Express, a Phuket 8 boat designed by his father - finished
third in but is fourth overall.
In
the Cruising A class, Nils Dgenkole completed a hat-trick of wins on Monday
to lead overall with three wins from three races. Mia Gillow sailed Minx
into second place on Monday and now has three second places from three
races, while George Eddings' Tag finished third but is fourth
overall behind Nick Band's Emerald Blue.
There
was an upset in the Multihull class when Terry Crisp's Ridgee Didge
won the day from Kim Mitchell's Alpha Centauri 2 and Mark Pescott's
Summersalt. However, David Wales' on The Sting still
leads the class overall with two first places and a fourth. Following
The Sting in the overall placings is X-Cat Riot and
Summersalt.
Day
2 in paradise...
But
it was not all smooth sailing for two of the larger boats in the fleet
- Cordelia and Kiara, which are contesting the Cruising
B class, had trouble getting over the start line in the strong tide and
eventually entered the fray two hours after the rest of the fleet. Sunday's
race was held in one of the most spectacular settings in Asia as the boats
made their way through a maze of small islands from Phang Nga to Krabi.
Mike
Downard's Switchblade finished second in the Racing class on
Sunday - the second race of this year's regatta - while Fergus Wilmer
skippered his boat Foo into third place. In the Cruising A class
Phoenix took the honours on corrected time with Minx
a long way back in second place and Aleph back in third place.
The slightly slower Cruising B class was won by Rusalka, while
Remington finished second and Fistral was third.
David
Wales' boat The Sting made it two wins from two races after winning
Sunday's race in the Multihull class by 15 minues on corrected time, while
boat designer Mark Pescott skippered Summersalt into second place.
Alpha Centauri 2 finished a credible third.
Record
Fleet are off and racing...
Phoenix
rose to claim first place in the Cruising A class, followed by Minx
and Emerald Blue. The Cruising B class has Tropicbird
well out in front after the first day’s racing with Fistral
second and Russalka third. The Sting ran away with the
first day’s honours in the Multiull class, while X-Cat Riot
won the battle for second place, just beating Summersalt, which
was relegated to third.
Record
Fleet for 10th Phang Nga Bay Regatta
The
regatta became Asia’s second biggest sailing event in 2006 when
46 yachts sailed the four-day course spanning three provinces of southern
Thailand. The organisers were taken by surprise when the regatta grew
so quickly, expanding from an average of 30 boats in previous years. The
organisers had earlier planned to limit the event to about 30 boats, for
unlike other big sailing events which are run from one place, the Puravarna
Phang Nga Bay Regatta moves to a new anchorage each day, making it much
more difficult to manage.. Last year the volunteer committee managed 46
boats and 300 plus crews around the islands of the Andaman Sea, and the
regatta’s reputation for fun and casual sailing in beautiful and
spectacular scenery continues to spread rapidly. By the end of January
– more than two weeks before this year’s sailing – some
49 yachts had already registered for this year’s regatta, which
will be sailed from February 16-20.
The
reputation of this regatta continues to pull in more and more boats –
so many that the organisers tried – unsuccessfully – to cap
this year’s fleet at 45. Worrying about getting too many entries
is an unusual problem. National regattas in nearby countries such as Singapore,
Malaysia and the Philippines struggle to get 25 to 30 yachts together
to form a respectable fleet. This year’s record fleet is a testimony
to the huge potential of sailing along Thailand’s amazing Andaman
coast.