Karasu, Royal Thai Navy 1 emerge champs
Wiwat Poonpat and his Royal Thai Navy 1 have won the Platu One Design class after taking honours in all seven races this week in the 30th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, which concluded on Saturday.
All classes ran just one race Saturday due to light wind conditions. The Royal Thai Navy team’s performance is particularly poignant given the fact that the 30th edition is dedicated to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Regatta chief Kevin Whitcraft and THA72 have only had Ray Roberts’ boat to battle with this week in a two-boat class. They finished six minutes ahead Saturday on a short sprint course and are declared Regatta winners for IRC Zero.
Japanese team Yasuo Nanamori’s Karasu took IRC 1 class regatta victory, fending off a stern challenge from perennial racers Mandrake III all through the week.
They could only manage seventh place yesterday but had done enough earlier in the week, winning three races.
April Jorgensen’s IRC2 team, Judy, have performed very well all week and thoroughly deserved their victory. In Premier class, Ithinai Yingsiri and King’s Cup regulars Pine-Pacific won after a week of solid first and second place performances. Among the fireflies, a familiar name emerged by the weekend; John Newnham and Twin Sharks, beating the Royal Malaysian Navy into second place on final standings.
Elsewhere, the Pulse 600 Racing class was won by Neil Ayre, skipper for Java Racing; the Multihull Racing class was won by Andrew Hurford (Phantom V); Kimiya Shimizu, skippering Ying Yang, won the Multihull Cruising class; in Open Charter, Vladimir Oleynikov and team Popeye were victors, whilst compatriots on Snapdragon skippered by Igor Ginzburg won Bareboat Charter A; in the Cruising class (a much larger fleet this year), Jianquan Tong and Asia Pacific Atom won class honors by Saturday’s regatta close.
The 2016 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta competitive classes include Keelboats and Multihulls and International Dinghy Classes. All participants, local and international sailors and organizers, joined in 89 seconds of silence to mourn the passing of HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the opening event.
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 and Haadthip PCL. Media partners include Phuket Gazette, Gazette Radio, The Nation, Prestige, Sea Yachting, The Greater Phuket Magazine, True 4 you, Madame Figaro, Luxury Society Asia, Yachtstyle, The Guide Phuket, RL Magazine, One Coast and Phuket Marine Guide.
