Thai Navy 1 storms into lead

Skipper Wiwat Poonpat was all smiles after back-to-back wins in the fourth and fifth races which saw his boat surge top of the class with seven points, pushing Tuesday’s leader Foxy Lady 5 from Singapore to second with eight points, ahead of Team Kata Rock, on 13.
“We headed to sea targeting one race win. But Foxy Lady 5 hit big waves, giving us a chance to catch them. It was pretty windy during the sixth race and we seized the opportunity,” said Wiwat whose crew has topped the IRC 2 class four out of the last five years, missing the 2010 title when bad weather saw the last day’s race cancelled.
Weighed down by a boat that is almost two times heavier than Foxy or Kata, Wiwat said the sail he has used since 2008, combined with strong winds and good strategy, kept his crew in contention.
“We tried to stay neck and neck with [our rivals] as even one second can make the difference at the end. We’ll stick to the same plan going into the weekend, and if the weather forecast is accurate, we stand a good chance,’’ said Wiwat.
The Thai skipper said stormy weather from China should bring winds of up to 18-20 knots tomorrow and Saturday, which will give his heavy boat an edge.
Three races were completed yesterday in the IRC Zero class, where the United Arab Emirates’ Team Premier maintained its dominance despite some technical problems in race No 6 where they trailed among the back markers. But the team won both the fourth and fifth races to take the lead with seven points, followed by Hong Kong’s Freefire 52, with 11 points, and HiFi, on 12.
“We are happy to be still be leading although we broke some battens in the sail in the last race today. We had to drop the sail and fix it during the race and finished last in our group. We are now in a winning position but we cannot afford to make any more mistakes,’’ said Australian Gordon Maguire, the team’s tactician.
It’s been 15 years since Maguire last competed here, winning the IRC Zero in 1996 for Big Buzzard and skipper Bill Gasson. Personal problems kept him away from sailing, but he is now eyeing a strong comeback to the circuit.
“It’s a comfortable lead but cannot afford any more mistakes. We are 75 per cent confident now. If we have fair winds, we can do it,’’ said Maguire whose team has 15 crew members.
In IRC 1, Karasu from Japan, skippered by Yasuo Nanamori, landed first in the fourth race and second in race five and six to take charge with eight points. Singapore’s Kukukerchu and Hong Kong’s EFG Mandrake settled at second and third with 12 and 13 points.
Elsewhere, captain Roger Kingdon and his Moto Inzi remained comfortably top in the Firefly 850 Sports. Meanwhile, by dominating all three races yesterday, Sidewinder from Australia, with Alan Carwardie as skipper, took the lead in the Multihull. Other leaders were Titaia of Cowes from Britain in the Premier, Sail Plane from Britain in Bareboat Charter, and Odin of Thailand in Cruising.