Close encounters at the top of the classes on second day of Phuket King's Cup Regatta

SarabJeet Singh and the Windsikher II team kicked it up a notch from their two runner-up spots on Monday, with an excellent victory in the third race. The pack of Antipodean runners and riders challenging from behind could not match the team’s performance in these light conditions. In race four, Raymond Roberts skippering Millenium Racing overcame its handicap to win ahead of Sarab’s team in second; Windsikher II struck back in race five to comprehensively reclaim day two of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.
Races three to five for IRC1 saw two Singaporean sail numbers jousting for top position; Blue Note and Rerefine, ahead of a dense and aggressive pack snapping at their heels. Matti Sep skippering Blue Note was quickest in race three, with just four minutes separating the whole fleet. In race four, they were runners-up behind KennEyears skippering Rerefine. Blue Note took race five, the last of Tuesday, again with close finishing throughout the Class.
Roland Dane’s Jessandra II team was on great form to win well again on day two in IRC2. They bested their closest rivals in race three, Japanese entry Karasu, although not by a wide margin. This one will remain extremely competitive until its last breath, with close finishes expected each day. Karasu raced well in the second and third races of the day, showing power and indomitable spirit – and benefitting from a handicap kinder to Karasu than Jessandra II.
In Premier Class it’s a battle of the X55’s with defending Champions Pine Pacific making it look easy so far. Another win Tuesday cements their Regatta claim in the early stages, although there’s more to come from rivals perhaps.
Bareboat Charter Class comprises a fleet of 14 traditional shallow draft bareboat yachts, including four Japanese teams and seven Russian teams. AndreyNovikov skippering Alexa was quickest again in race two, with another Russian team, Isabella, coming in second place after being defeated by a heavy handicap. Race three went to Alexa too. The Regatta’s most popular class is proving to offer the exceptional levels of competitive spirit and accessibility it was designed for.
Past Champions Popeye (Ex Sailplane) won both races in Open Charter today, calmly building up a nice early lead. Big Boy Sailing Team on the new charter configured J130, Monday’s runners-up, placed second again Tuesday, and third in race three.
The Royal Thai Navy entry, Thai Navy 1 skippered by Cpo.1 Wiwat Poonpat, was victorious Tuesday in Modern ClassicClass, marking a fitting tribute to the sailing prowess and inspiration of His Majesty the King of Thailand. The Thai Navy sailors were exceptional Tuesday, coming home in first place and remaining winners on corrected times following handicap correction in both races. Thailand continues to bloom as a natural home for fostering superb sailing talents, with the Royal Thai Navy and the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta dedicated to supporting the growth of the sport and its skills base internationally.
Cruising Class on Tuesday offed up a new winner, in the shape of British-registered entry Rogue, skippered by Alan Hogg. Previous winner Lady Bubbly could only manage 5th on corrected times, with an uncharacteristic run. The second race of the day was awarded to Mohawk skippered by Tony Byrnes.
There are only two boats competing in Classic Class this year, Vintage 6r4 yacht Selma and Japanese new build Umeboshi. Both boats finished today, with Selma a long, long way in front.
Firefly 850 Sports Class is a fleet of five past winners, and Tuesday it was Twin Sharks skippered by John Newnham who beat Hans Rahmann’s Voodoo into the top placing for all three races. An extremely competitive (and fast) field will be trading blows all week, as attacks could come from a multitude of directions, but Twin Sharks looks to be rock-solid pacesetter so far, and will need a massive challenge from Rahmann’s crew if the British team are not to run away with things early.
John Coffin skippering Java won the Multihull Racing Class race 2. Alan Carwardine and his Asia Catamarans Hurricane team claiming its second runner-up spot. Race 3 was all change, with Hurricane sailors achieving a much-deserved win. With Java in second, the top two challengers are emerging early on. Alan Carwardine’s ACH crew took another second in race 4, unable to match the pace of Java.
Among the Cruising Multihulls, Cruising Cats ranging from 38ft to 67ft competed in a very open field of entrants. Grant Horsefield skippering a boat named Arabella’s Naked Dad took the win, with familiar King’s Cup competitor Star Fruit in second. Japanese entry Minnie could not match their outstanding form from last year’s Phuket King’s Cup, but will likely come back hard Wednesday to attempt to overcome their handicap.
The new Performance Multihull Class consists of five new Corsair Pulse 600 yachts on only their second outing. Sudu3 skippered by Elizabeth Schoch won brilliantly in a class with equal handicaps, leading to classic one-make series action – and absolutely no margin for error.Multihull Solutions H3O took race 3, with another tight finish at the conclusion.
All results correct at time of print.
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.