Phuket –A great sailing day in favorable winds, pleasant sunshine and with extremely close racing on long courses; characteristics of a classic ‘Phuket Andaman Sea Race’ day at the 29th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta on Wednesday (day three).
IRC0 headed out for race 6 on an extensive 34 nautical mile course, a total run of around three hours for some in the class. Duncan Hine’s Alive team made the most of Champagne sailing conditions, managing a 2:39.27 elapsed time, with Frank Pong’s Jelik team eight minutes behind on elapsed time and a nervy three minutes behind on corrected time. Team Premier Oi! skippered by Hannes Waimer placed 16 seconds behind on corrected time, with 16 seconds again separating positions 4 and 5 (on elapsed times, Windsikher II and Millennium Racing, respectively).
In IRC1, Kevin Whitcraft’s Wan Ma Rang team made out like a bandit on the week’s endurance day, putting in a winning time of 3:36.42. EFG Mandrake III chasing them trailed by 13 minutes, but after handicap corrections they finished just three minutes adrift – another excellent charge over a reasonably challenging course.
Roland Dane’s Jessandra II team continued their superb King’s Cup Regatta bid on day three with another win in IRC2. A closely grouped fleet saw places 1 to 5 covered by 20 minutes only. Japanese team Karasu skippered by Yasuo Nanamori placed second in today’s race 6.
No surprises in Premier Class, with defending Champions Pine Pacific routinely pushing buttons on what is now looking like a forgone conclusion of a Class. Team Audeamus made a strong fist of challenging, finishing nine minutes behind the now ubiquitous THA2555 sail, netting two minutes off on corrected times.
Bareboat Charter Class comprises a fleet of 14 traditional shallow draft bareboat yachts, including four Japanese teams and seven Russian teams. Andrey Novikov skippering Alexa, who have so far had things their own way, placed third today, their weakest run of the week so far (and a possible discard). This left the top spot open for compatriot Vasily Mikhalev to win on Isabella, with another Russian team, Uhuru, in second. One hour covered the Bareboat Charter fleet from top to bottom.
Vladimir Oleynikov’s Open Charter entry Popeye rocked another win today, finishing a three-and-a-half-hour run in relative security over all comers. Big Boy Sailing Team on the new charter configured J130 achieved another second place finish.
The Royal Thai Navy entry, Thai Navy 1 skippered by Cpo.1 Wiwat Poonpat, didn’t have the best of days today, and was unable to consolidate yesterday’s happy dance on the shorter courses. John Vickery skippering Farrgo Express was winner in race four after 4-5 hours of Modern Classic racing.
Tony Byrnes skippering Mohawk took today’s Cruising Class win with a solid win over a fleet of similarly quick boats. Rob Riley skippering Linda was second. Line honors went to Dragon’s Back and Dean Chisholm.
There are only two boats competing in Classic Class this year, Vintage 6r4 yacht Selma and Japanese new build Umeboshi. Selma was named winner over the course’s five hour (leisurely) dash.
Race five of the Firefly 850 Sports Class fell to John Newnham and Twin Sharks, on what is probably this year’s toughest and most difficult-to-call grouping. Two minutes behind on corrected times was Hans Rahmann and Voodoo, with Moto Inzi in third.
John Coffin skippering Java won yet again in the Multihull Racing Class race 5, while Alan Carwardine and his Asia Catamarans Hurricane team finished a relatively slow (for them) fourth place. Danny Moore skippering Three Itch was the first boat to finish, but a tough handicap saw them corrected to 5th.
In Cruising Multihulls, following reclassification by the Race Officer, Arabella’s Naked Dad skippered by Grant Horsefield was named first in the revised order. Minnie skippered by Norikazu Arai took second place, and Line Honors for fastest elapsed time. Star Fruit was third (All results subject to possible further reclassification).
Performance Multihulls got the chance to run three times today, with two short courses ahead of a toughie in early afternoon. Elizabeth Schoch recorded an excellent 1-1-2, with Scott Galle’s boat the quickest of rivals. This one-make series (on only its second outing) is based on the Corsair Pulse 600 racing multihull, the latest design from the world's largest trimaran manufacturer.
Sponsors of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta include Principal Host Sponsor Kata Group, and Strategic Partners: The Government Lottery Office (GLO), Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Co-Sponsors: Central Pattana, PTT PLC, Siam Winery & Montclair and Haadthip. Media Partners includes Phuket Gazette, PGTV, Prestige, SailWorld.com, Yachtstyle, Sea Yachting, Phuket Magazine, Image Asia, RL Magazine, The Guide Phuket, Phuket Marine Guide, and Art & Culture.
