4th
EVASON PHUKET RACEWEEK 2007
AY
Race Report 4 & Summary
Sheer
persistence pays off in the end...
Several attempts at getting racing underway were disrupted when the wind
continually changed direction and varied in speed. Closing in on the 2:00pm
cut off time on the final day of racing, PRO Simon James frustrated with
trying to set a windward/leeward course decided to send the fleet on Course
21, the three island passage race. After setting a brisk pace around Koh
Bon and on the downwind run to Koh Lon, it all came down to selecting
the right path (inshore or offshore) through the patchy conditions in
the lee of the islands that would determine the final race results.
IRC
1
After close to 4 hours of hanging around on the water for the wind to
settle, the crews were still all very keen to race which resulted in the
closest start of the regatta. Peter Ahern's Farr 40 Yo!2 as usual
took an early lead but when they reached the minefield behind the islands
they found a parking lot inshore with their name on it. Scott Duncanson
decided to take his Phuket 8 (26ft) Som Tam Express a little
further offshore and staged a classic come from behind overtaking maneuver
that was to leave YO!2 wallowing in their wake. Not only did
Scott Duncanson and his Som Tam Express crew collect the daily
double but also wrapped up the overall series with a resounding win over
the more fancied and much bigger Farr 40 class yacht.
IRC
2
The overall placing's hinged on today's final race. A close three way
tussle has developed between Peter Dyer's 3/4 tonner Madam Butterfly,
Niels Dgenkolf's Phoenix with the Malaysian crew from the RSYC
Sailing Academy showing their racing prowess and Mike Downard's nippy
Platu 25 Evason Phuket Tua Lek. Peter Dyer and the crew on Madam
Butterfly came out with all guns firing, established an early lead
and kept a close cover on his rivals to win the race and the overall series.
Mike Downard edged his nippy Platu 25 Evason Phuket Tua Lek onto
the tail of Niels Dgenkolf's Phoenix to claim second place today
and lift them to second overall. Niels Dgenkolf's Phoenix stayed
on the pace to finish third and missed out by less than a minute on second
place overall.
Multihull
Class
Bob Mott's Chameleon took the wide outside path around the islands
staying in the wind to score a brilliant victory. Bob Brindley's X
Catriot and Tim Milner's Seekronghuk chose the inside line
and could only watch on as Chameleon disappeared into the distance.
By recording three earlier wins Tim Milner's crew on Seekronghuk
already had the overall prize in the bag.
Firefly
One Design
Roger Kingdon has sailed Moto Inzi exceptionally fast around
the courses this week to add another win to his tally making it five wins
out of six races. This blistering pace has well and truly earned Roger
and the crew a race six win, overall PRW 07 class victory and also Champion
of the inaugural Raimon
Land sponsored series. Bill Phelps on Twin Sharks
has consistently been up with the leaders and today's second place keeps
them in second overall. The boats have been neck and neck all week and
everyone has shared the lead at some time or other to make this class
one of the most exciting things that has happened in SE Asian waters for
a long time. Class Captain, fleet motivator and Far East veteran Henry
Kaye must be happy sailing Mamba into third place but also congratulated
for bringing all this into reality. It is a very difficult task to set
up a one design class anywhere in the world let alone in SE Asia.
A
separate course for the Classic Class was set within the bay and a wonderful
parade of sail could be viewed from the Evason Resort. Gunther Nutt's
Norwegian classic Kerida
made it
three wins in a row and a run away victory in the overall standings. Mark
Myking's second place on Idiom was a gallant effort but they
had to settle on third overall when the points were tallied. Tom Howard's
101 year old Danish schooner Seraph dipped to third today but
their earlier Race 1 win keeps Seraph in second place overall.
Summary
Once again Image
Asia Events must be congratulated for taking the initiative
and running the 4th Phuket Raceweek in the middle of the year. This regatta
may not attract the big name teams in the racing class but it serves the
purpose of honing the local sailors skills up to international standards
throughout the year and before the big events in December. Unfortunately
the strong SW Monsoon winds are not always guaranteed, as they come in
cycles but inevitably some breeze appears and with a little bit of perseverance
the full program of races has been completed. It is good to see the newly
formed Selangor Youth Team garnering some International exposure and hold
their own against the more experienced and older sailors within their
class. Event organisers and the racers alike are very optimistic that
the ever-increasing number of boats visiting Phuket each year will contribute
to the regatta's continued growth and success.
Full PRW 07 results at: http://www.phuketraceweek.com/results.htm
Grinding
out the results...
The
battle at the top of the IRC 1 leaderboard continues with Peter Ahern's
Farr 40 Yo!2 taking line honours on his much preferred windward/leeward
course. Had they done enough to regain their standing? A short wait for
Scott Duncanson's Phuket 8 Som Tam Express to cross the line
revealed that Yo!2 had missed out by 44 seconds and had to settle
on second place. After a good start David Lindahl's Swan 42 La Samudra
redeemed themselves after mixed performances to score third place although
a protest was being lodged against them for a top mark incident. With
only one race to go, mathematically speaking and after securing three
wins Scott Duncanson's Phuket 8 Som Tam Express has won the class.
After
the results of today's two races the IRC 2 class has been reduced to a
three horse race. Peter Dyer's 3/4 tonner Madam Butterfly scored
1st and 2nd to elevate them to the top of the leaderboard. Niels Dgenkolf's
Phoenix crewed by the RSYC Sailing Academy from Malaysia have
been very quick out of the starting box and scored a 3rd and resounding
1st place to climb into 2nd overall trailing the leader by a mere point.
Overnight leader Mike Downard on Platu 25 Evason Phuket Tua Lek
2nd and 4th placing drops him down to third overall but still within striking
distance on the final race tomorrow. Mick Kealy's X-342 Minx
was on the comeback trail but a 4th and 3rd place has made it almost impossible
for them to recover.
In
the Multihull class it was Bob Brindley's turn on X Catriot to
pick up the daily double. Thereby breaking Tim Milner's three race winning
streak on Seekronghuk. Bob Mott's heavier displacement Chameleon
never recovered for being slow of the start line and had to settle on
third place.
A half inch adjustment on the forestay to alter the rake of the mast is
all it took for Henry Kaye's Mamba to get back on the pace and
break Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi dominance of the regatta. Chris
Jongerius on The Frog chose the favourable side on the final
run to the finish to come from behind and claim a narrow second place.
After leading at the top mark Bill Phelps on Twin Sharks tussled
closely throughout only to be piped at the finish to end up third. A forth
place for Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi will do him no harm as four
earlier wins has built them an insurmountable lead at the top of the leaderboard.
4th
EVASON PHUKET RACEWEEK 2007
With
the rest of the afternoon to look forward to, PRO James known for his
sheer tenacity, set up for another start and this time sent the boats
on a three island passage race with another storm brewing further out
to sea. Once again a light start as the breeze filled in from the South
West to propel the boats around Koh Bon. As they ran under spinnaker down
the long back strait behind the islands, the gusts arrived from the building
storm which generated some excitement and gave crews plenty to think about
as they quickly went about controlling the boat and sails in strong winds.
The
two Phuket 8's made a day of it and seemed to be in the right place at
the right time when the wind gusts came through. Scott Duncanson's Som
Tam Express often seen in planning mode to take out Race 3 and 2nd
place in Race 4 with Jim Poulsen's Vino close on his tail, filling
2nd and 3rd spots respectively. John Vause on Ruby Tuesday came
to the fore in Race 4 with a resounding victory to warn the leaders he
is still there and knocking on the door. Despite claiming Line Honours,
Peter Ahern's Farr 40 Yo!2 shared the overall lead but with a
3rd and 4th today sees them being toppled for the time being by Scott
Duncanson's Som Tam Express.
A
four way battle has erupted in the IRC 2 Class. Peter Dyer's 3/4 tonner
Madam Butterfly claimed 1st place in race 2 but an almighty broach
in race 3 saw them drop back to 4th at the finish. Mike Downard having
the advantage of knowing where all the rocks are, hugged the shore on
his Platu 25 Evason Phuket Tua Lek to came out on top in race
3. Stuart Crowe's Beneteau First 285 Cinders rebounded from a
bad start to score 2nd place in race 2 but finished down in 5th on race
3 to help juggle the overall point score. Mick Kealy's X-342 Minx
threw their hat into the ring with a well sailed 3rd and 2nd place to
announce their arrival on the overall standings. Niels Dgenkolf's Phoenix
crewed by the RSYC Sailing Academy from Malaysia found exiting the parking
lot difficult in race 2 but came back with a third place in race 3 to
stay within reach of the leaders. Only 2 points separate the top four
places so the series still remains very open for the taking.
In
the Multihull class Tim Milner's lighter displacement Seekronghuk
added two more wins to their tally. When the wind came in Bob Mott's
heavier aluminum Chameleon and Bob Brindley's X Catriot
showed a turn of speed and closed the gap on the leader to exchange 2nd
and 3rd places respectively.
After
being slightly of the pace at earlier regattas Roger Kingdon is having
the time of his life here on Moto Inzi by collecting four bullets
in a row. Bill Phelps Twin Sharks helmed by class designer Mark
Pescott has consistently scored three 2nd places to be in second overall.
Third place rotated between Henry Kaye's Mamba on race 3 and
Chris Jongerius The Frog with a top notch Solent crew aboard
in race 4. All boats experienced the wonderful downwind surfing conditions
around the back of the islands.
Earlier on Gunther Nutt's Norwegian classic Kerida
took the best path through the minefield of parking lots to lead
the grand old classics across the line and magnanimous in handicap victory.
Not to be outdone Tom Howard's 101 year old Danish schooner Seraph
followed his race 1 win with second place today to share the overall lead
with Kerida. Mark Myking's Idiom only arrived today
and put in a spectacular performance to take out third place.
4th
EVASON PHUKET RACEWEEK 2007
These
conditions tend to favour the light weight boats over the fully fiitted
furniture boats and require a highly skilled and lucky tactician to stay
in the wind lanes and keep the boat moving all the time. Peter Ahern's
Farr 40 Yo!2 led off the starting blocks, with the two Phuket
8's of Scott Duncanson's Som Tam Express and the Pattaya Team
on Vino in hot pursuit. After a cat and mouse game around the
course it was Scott Duncanson's Som Tam Express that crossed
the finish line first, a little over a minute ahead of Peter Ahern's Yo!2
with Jim Poulsen's Vino coming in third. That's how they finished
up on handicap. The fading conditions saw a lengthy delay but the sheer
determination of PRO James had the IRC 1 and Firefly One Design Class
completing a second race when the breeze picked up again before the time
limit expired. This time Peter Ahern's Yo!2 turned the tables
on Som Tam Express to claim the daily double for race 2. Jim
Poulsen's Vino finished up with two third places.
Mike
Downard's light weight Platu 25 Evason Phuket Tua Lek also benefited
from the conditions and managed to ghost around the course to claim the
IRC 1 daily double by over one hour on some of the heavier boats. Niels
Dgenkolf's Phoenix crewed by the RSYC Sailing Academy from Malaysia
put in a credible performance to score 2nd place by a mere twenty six
seconds in front of Peter Dyer's stripped out 3/4 tonner Madam Butterfly
in third place. Only one race was held today.
The
Firefly 850 One Design class promised that every start and mark rounding
will be hotly contested. Despite the light wind they never fail to deliver
and watching five boats traveling in close company, exchanging positions
along the way, is a bit like ballet on the water. In a come from behind
move with broader and faster downwind angles Roger Kingdon's Moto
Inzi claimed two first places. After being quick off the start line
and sharing the lead on several occasions Andrew Marshall's Pink Lady
and Bill Phelps Twin Sharks helmed by class designer Mark Pescott
were eventually run down and had to settle on a mixture of second and
third places on the two races. After a bad start on race two Henry Kaye's
Mamba weaved his way through the pack and seemed to pick up an
extra burst of speed approaching the finish and claim third spot.
The
grand old ladies in the Classic Class were given the added benefit of
getting racing underway this year by starting their coastal race first.
As graceful as they maybe they are very slow in these conditions, so PRO
James took the opportunity to get them out of the way of the racers to
come. A long windward beat on a glassy sea tested the crews patience but
they probably made up for it with ample liquid refreshments. Eventually
a line of breeze appeared on the horizon and as it filled in Tom Howard's
101 year old Danish schooner Seraph got it first which propelled
them to the finish line to claim the daily double. Gunther Nutt's Norwegian
classic Kerida
had every sail in the book flying but had to settle on second place. Graham
Chuck's ketch rigged Anjuna was caught out on the wrong side
of the course when the breeze filled in to finish almost an hour after
the leader and take third place.
On
our marks and ready to go...
The 19 yachts entered in the IRC Class will be divided into two classes
based on their IRC handicaps to have boats of similar performance racing
each other. Peter Ahern's Farr 40 Yo!2 tops the list in racing
performance but will have their hands full taking on Bob Yapp's Custom
Simonis 56 Yo Mo and the Phuket 8's of Scott Duncanson's Som
Tam Express and the Pattaya Team on Vino. The IRC handicap
rules take into account the type and style of boat, so providing the crew
race the boat up to its rating they could all be in with a chance. Ben
Copely's Beneteau First 40.7 Asia Spirit, David Lindahl's Swan
42 La Samudra and John Vause's Ruby Tuesday have all
won races before and have consistently picked up class victories at other
major events held in Thailand last season.
In
the smaller IRC 2 class Mick Kealy's X-342 Minx is expected to
face off again with Stuart Crowe's Beneteau First 285 Cinders
that in past years have fought it out to the very bitter end. Peter Dyer's
3/4 tonner Madam Butterfly got the best of Niels Dgenkolf's Phoenix
at the Kings Cup last year and are expected to be back in the hunt again
this week. Mike Downard's Platu 25 Evason Phuket Tua Lek and
George Foose's Free Wind could be in with a chance if the conditions
suite them. Having the IRC cut off at 1.010 seems to have divided the
boats quite evenly in size and speed so we can expect to have some extremely
close match ups across both IRC classes.
The
Multihull class sees three cruising catamarans contesting this years title.
Bob Mott's Tim Mumby designed Chameleon has won here before,
Tim Milner's new Pescott designed Seekronghuk and Bob Brindley's
X Catriot are all pretty evenly matched and dependant on who
gets the first break.
The
hotly contested Firefly 850 One Design class has five fired up catamaran
skippers and crew ready to do battle in the final regatta of the 
Four
grand old ladies are lining up in the Classic Class and hoping to take
home the second Seraph Perpetual Trophy. Tom Howard's hundred year old
Danish schooner Seraph and Gunther Nutt's Norwegian classic
Kerida will
be taking on Graham Chuck's ketch rigged Anjuna and Mark Myking's
more modern Idiom round out the golden oldies.