| |
Thirteenth King's Cup Regatta to Start
in Krabi! |
| |
by Peter Cummins
As the count-down for the forthcoming Thirteenth Phuket King's
Cup Regatta - to be held from the sixth to the twelfth of December
- is already approaching, the organizing committee, under the
able direction of Nigel M. Hardy, has been grappling with a
number of issues that will change the format this year.
Nigel, too, as former regatta treasurer, places much reliance
on the Phuket Committee,  under
chairman David Ratcliffe and sailing committee chairman Andy
Dowden who did such superb work over the past two years, especially
last year, with the move of the regatta venue north to Kata
Beach.
The major change this year - and for this year only - is a start
from Krabi, rather than from - as of 1998, that was - Kata Beach.
The provincial authorities are actively supporting this and
have agreed to under-write a large sponsorship package. The
decision has been made after the committee carefully weighed
the 'pros and cons', noting that on three previous occasions,
the regatta has started at Phi Phi Island which, as not everyone
is aware, is an integral part of Krabi Province.
The main thrust for a Krabi start - apart from the proffered
provincial support, that is - will be the advent of the new
format, with some of the region's most spectacular scenery as
a backdrop for the press and media coverage. Furthermore, starting
from Krabi, will somewhat ease the pain of that northeasterly
"right in the teeth" and make some tight reaching legs - especially
welcome to the slower ocean cruisers and the classics.
Appropriately enough, the first "Krabi Regatta" was held over
the mid-February Chinese New Year, organized by the Ao Chalong
Yacht Club and won - "of course", he said - by four-time Phuket
King's Cup champion, William J. Gasson piloting "Big Buzzard".
(A report on this sailing spectacular appears elsewhere in this
issue of Asian Marine). Apart from this, the format will be
familiar to the more than 100 keelboats expected for this year's
event, with the classic Andaman Sea Race still the focal point.
Much, too, will depend on sponsorship which is the vital component
in such a huge venture as the Phuket King's Cup Regatta. Nigel
expects continuing support from last year's principal sponsor,
Iridium, and an already-confirmed input from QBE Marine Insurance.
The Kata Beach Resorts are, understandably, delighted to be
the new, permanent "home" of the regatta and the event's co-founder
M.L. Tridosyuth Devakul again will place the resources of his
Boathouse to help ensure the success of Phuket's spectacular.
Nigel was quick to commend the Royal Meridien Yacht Club Hotel
which had been the original - and continued for more than a
decade - regatta venue in beautiful Nai Harn Bay. He pointed
out that, although this has now changed, it has come back, to
a certain extent, to the 'founder': the Kata Beach Resort is
right alongside the magnificent Boathouse - designed, built
and managed by regatta stalwart, M.L. Tridosyuth Devakul - still
an ongoing sponsor.
Thus, when regatta co-founders - Christopher J. King and other
yachting luminaries such as brothers Rachot and Rachan Kanjana-Vanit,
Al Chandler and Adolph Knees - met with M.L. Trydosyuth in mid-1986,
they formulated plans for a regatta to honour the King's fifth
cycle, 60th birthday. All present at that fateful meeting knew
that it would not be a small venture. All the elements of outstanding
success were there for the asking: the superb maritime ambiance
of Phuket, the December offshore Monsoon, excellent anchorages
and the potential for a matchless social milieu.
The first regatta opened on the 60th birthday of H.M. King Bhumibhol
Adulyadej, on the fifth of December, 1987 and has been held
continuously throughout the week surrounding the Monarch's birth-date.
From modest beginnings of fleets of Lasers, wind-surfers beach-launched
ocean going and beach-launched multi-hulls (principally Hobie
Cats and Nacras) and a flotilla of keel-boats, the regatta is
now an Asian classic which has been compared to the famous annual
gatherings at Cowes, Isle of Wight, Antigua Week in the Caribbean
and Australia's Hamilton Island Week off the Queensland coast.
As the regatta has evolved, classes such as the Lasers, wind-surfers,
Hobies and Nacras have been dropped, purely for safety and logistical
reasons.
 It
was most appropriate timing for the "launching" of the Phuket
King's Cup Regatta for, with his example, encouragement and
Royal Patronage, the Monarch has been the inspiration behind
the rapidly-developing sailing scene in Thailand and, by extension,
the Asian region. In appreciation to His Majesty, each year
a donation from Regatta proceeds is given to support the diverse
Royal projects.
The King still sails an OK dinghy, still uses his skills to
read the wind and the tides and still wins races over at his
own Royal Chitrlada Yacht Squadron, at the Klai Kangwol Palace,
Hua Hin, the home for more than 80 top-class OK dinghies.
The Royal Varuna Yacht Club, of which His Majesty is also the
Royal Patron, has provided most of the management personnel
and, with considerable assistance from the Phuket Yacht Club
Association, the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal
Thai Navy and many others in both the public and private sectors,
the Phuket King's Cup Regatta surged forward.
And now, the regatta organizing committee is preparing for the
thirteenth of the series - to honour the regatta Royal Patron's
sixth cycle, 72nd birthday in December.
The 1998 Twelfth Phuket King's Cup Regatta
At last year's twelfth regatta, Neil Pryde saw his dedication
- rather, his consummate skills - amply rewarded when he bolted
home with the Racing Class honours in "Hi Fidelity". No doubt,
Neil was 'hearing' the sounds of the Andaman Sea winds in stereo!
It was, indeed, a great - and very popular - victory for the
personable Hong Kong-based New Zealand sail-maker who has been
an ongoing participant in successive regattas. Neil's "Hi Fidelity"
(CHS 1.197) on seven penalty points was 3.5 points clear of
Aussie Peter Aherne's "Yo!" (CHS 1.231) at the final count,
after five races, with one discard. Filipino Ray Ordoveza's
"Karakoa" (CHS 1.249) placed third, on 14 points. It is anticipated
that Neil - a permanent regatta supporter and a consistently
good performer - will be back this year to defend his hard-earned
title.
Early regatta leader, Swiss mountaineer and Olympic helmsman,
Andreas Bienz, forsaking the Alps for the Andaman, helmed Jenny
III" (CHS 1.147), chartered from Singapore's 1993 winner, Jeffrey
Leow. Andreas had to settle for equal-fourth placing with David
Kong's "Hocux Pocux" (CHS 1.139), on 15 points.
However, Andreas had the great consolation to take the honours
in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, winning this coveted award
as the region's (region's ?... I thought that Switzerland was
in Europe!) best keelboat sailor, based on the aggregate best
score of the three regional events: the Singapore Straits, the
Raja Muda and the Phuket regattas."
That's MY cup of tea," said Andreas as he received the beautiful
solid silver 'Cup of Lipton' at regatta's end. And the occasion
lasted about as long as a cup of tea. Singapore-based marina
manager Josef Raess was VERY close by, to retrieve the cup from
Andreas' eager hands (well it IS SILVER and HE is Swiss!) to
ensure that it returns to the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club.
The trophy was originally presented to Sir Thomas by an adoring
American people, in recognition of his tireless - and unsuccessful
- five efforts on his series of magnificent "Shamrocks I - V
", to wrest the America's Cup from the New York Yacht Club .
Sir Tommy donated the trophy to the then Royal Singapore Yacht
Club, before his death in 1931 at the age of 83.
Meantime, elsewhere at the 1998 regatta, Germany's Hans Rahman
- also a "regatta addict" - helmed "Master Blaster" to the front
of the Cruising Division, while Filipino Andreas Soriano III's
"Irvmiren" won the Ocean Cruising, Phuket-based Kiwi Muzza Nordstrand's
"Fine Pitch" knocked Thailand's Radab Kanjana-Vanit out to win
the Ocean Multis and UK's Andrew Hogbin won the Classics on
"Chant de Mai", with the magnificent Indonesian barquentine
training vessel, the "Arung Samudera" making a fine picture
in the Classic Class.
Philippine-based Mark Haswell, who has been prominent in the
rapidly-developing Farr Platu Asian racing circuit, made short
work of the Platu fleet which had joined the regatta for the
first time, the fleet of six out on charter from Phuket-based
Sunsail.
Just last month, in fact, Mark and his team came to the Phatra
Marina and Yacht Club at Pranburi, to win, by a very clear margin,
the 1999 Platu National Championships of Thailand.
Three races were inshore events, with the Boathouse Race off
Kata Beach, the QBE Club Racing for the Racing, Ocean Multi
and Platu fleets and the Phuket Fantasea Coastal Race for Ocean
Cruising, Cruising and Classic classes.
The two offshore events were the Krabi Province Race, Kata Beach
to Phi Phi Island and the return leg - the regatta's renowned
event - the Andaman Sea Race, a downhill spinnaker run before
the northeasterly, from Phi Phi to Kata Beach. This year's was
sponsored by principal regatta supporter, Iridium communication
systems.
The Kata Group Olympic Sprint was the last but certainly not
the least race of the great 1998 regatta. The north-easterly
obliged and blew with a vengeance which, after four days of
fluctuating winds, gave the big 81-yacht fleet as much action
as any  of
them could ever want. It was a little too much for some, however,
such as one of the Japanese teams which broke the mast of their
Sunsail charter yacht. Ironically enough, right after the regatta
finished, the wind fairly howled in.
A unique entry at the 1998 regatta was that of the Coveney family
from Cork who are sailing the world on a 51-ft teak sailing
ketch, the "Golden Apple". to raise funds for the victims -
especially the children - of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster,
reported by the United Nations as the "worst environmental catastrophe
in history." The "Golden Apple" was 'drafted' into the cruising
class and was the focus of much media attention with the added
benefit of fund-raising potential.
The 1998 Twelfth King's Cup was the first time that it had moved
north out of Nai Harn Bay to the more "socially-friendly" ambiance
of Kata, with its many shops, bars, reasonable restaurants -
and, of course - it is the contiguous bay to the famous Patong
Beach where not just a few of the sailors found "it is all happening."
At the splendid awards ceremony ending the 1998 sailing, His
Majesty the King's Personal Representative Admiral M.L. Usni
Pramoj, in his 10th appearance at the Phuket King's Cup Regatta
in this capacity, set the tone, once again, for a delightful
evening of elegance, camaraderie and plain good fun.
Thus ended what most considered "the best event to date", with
the promise of a grand celebration for His Majesty the King
of Thailand's sixth cycle, seventy-second birthday next December.
And now for 99
Even before the hulls were dry after last year's event, five
entries for 1999 were received by the regatta secretariat and
it is anticipated that there could be upwards of 100 yachts,
Nigel emphasized, however, that the committee is not seeking
record numbers as such; rather it is intent upon maintaining
- even, raising - the standards which make 'Phuket Week' comparable
to the famous and traditional regatta weeks, such as Antigua
in the Caribbean, Hamilton Island in Queensland and the most
traditional and prestigious of all, Cowes Week on the Isle of
Wight.
These are already guaranteed for 1999 and, after some years
of contrary weather patterns in the Andaman Sea, it is expected
that Mother Nature, too, will smile benignly this year - Thailand
is, after all, the "Land of Smiles".
Interestingly enough, a recent letter from Barry Rose, Admiral
of the Royal Cork Yacht Club - the world's oldest - at County
Cork, places Phuket in clear perspective: "Even though the (Phuket)
King's Cup is a comparatively new event," writes the Admiral,
"its reputation has spread rapidly as being one of the top regattas
in the world."
Above all, the regatta is dedicated to upholding the strictest
standards of protection of Phuket's beautiful and fragile environment
- a plea oft heard around the waters of Phuket and one which
is strongly re-iterated by regatta co-founder, M.L. Tridhosyuth
Devakul at successive regattas and which will, no doubt, be
repeated this year. "Keep Phuket beautiful - SAIL", urged M.L.
Tri, to the huge crowd assembled at Nai Harn Beach for the opening
ceremony of the ninth regatta in 1995. Four-time participant
Denmark's Royal Consort Prince Henrik and the then Governor
of Phuket HE Sudjit Nimitkul were very quick to repeat Mom Tri's
plea.
See you in Phuket - and Krabi - for the last GREAT REGATTA of
the millennium!
|
| |
|
|
|
