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Join the Sailing Thailand Blog
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Thailand Regattas are exceptional well organized events,
usually 4/5 days of racing with international yachts in several classes. The
locations are most scenic, tropical islands, white palm fringed beaches. All
simmering in the sun when you sail around them with the wind in your hair.
The following
text provided by IMAGE asia, publishers of Southeast
Asia Pilot – the definitive sailing guide to Southeast Asia.
www.southeastasiapilot.com
22 years ago, Mom Tri Devakul, owner of The Boathouse restaurant in
Kata Beach, joined forces with Bangkok-based lawyer, Thailand now plays host to an ever-increasing number of regattas – the
newest just four years old. While the long-running King’s Cup is still going
strong, newer, fresher events have come onto the scene, bringing more
diversity of choice in terms of regatta style, time of year and fleets. The second regatta to appear on Thailand’s yacht racing scene 12 years
ago was the Phang Nga Bay Regatta, aimed at both the (then) few
locally-based yachts and the cruising yachties who had ‘wintered’ in Phuket.
Dubbed the ‘fun regatta’, the racing was, and still is, secondary to the
passage through the magnificent islands of the bay. Even today, when the
fleet has increased to almost 50 boats, it is still very much a liveaboard
regatta – still appealing to the less serious racers. In 2000, the
Two years on came the Koh Samui Regatta. With few boats based
on this small island off the Gulf (east) coast of Thailand, yet only a
relatively short trip from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, this one became
the ‘other’ Thai regatta that attracted the ‘big’ boats and the really
serious racers. In its 7th year it is still growing strong, but
limited in its growth potential by the lack of locally based yachts and
docking facilities. One year later, in 2003, the Langkawi Regatta was born. While
not a ‘Thailand Regatta’, at that time many yachts had fled Phuket to make
Langkawi their base due to the easier regulations governing length of stay
for both yachts and owners; the first regatta was composed almost entirely of
‘Phuket’ boats. Even today, six years later, the 30-40 strong fleet has a
healthy Phuket contingent and has a place in local sailors’ hearts as an
‘honorary’ Thai regatta. Langkawi was the first of our regattas to be
marina-based. 2004 saw the birth of Six Senses Phuket Raceweek, the first of
Thailand’s regattas to be pitched in the middle of Thailand’s low or ‘green’
season. Conceived by publishers IMAGE asia, together with ex-King’s Cup
president, Andy Dowden, Raceweek has the most reliable (though not
guaranteed!) breezes. Most years see some of the most exciting racing in the
region –winds up to 30 knots are the norm. With a unique
‘one-regatta-one-venue’ format – the only one of Thailand’s regattas to boast
a real post-race regatta bar and to avoid bussing people to different party
venues each night – Raceweek is one of the country’s favourite regattas. 2008
saw the mixed fleet of IRC Racing, Club/Charter, Multihulls and Classic boats
expand from the original 19 to 45 entries with a true international cast of
participants. In 2005, Bill Gasson – one of the early King’s Cup presidents and
founder of the Koh Samui Regatta – decided it was time to start again. He
founded the Top of the Gulf Regatta based out of Pattaya’s Ocean
Marina. Like Hua Hin, this regatta has an impressive entry list, but the
majority are again locally-sailed dinghies. However, with the growth of
yachting in Pattaya, and along the coast towards Cambodia, in 2007 they
achieved a total of 31 keelboats and multihulls – of which 14 were Platus,
making it the biggest one-design fleet to cross the start line in any local
regatta.
For more details and dates of Thailand’s regattas, click here
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For the latest news about the Phang Nga Bay Regatta
2008 Kings Cup Photos. click here
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