Queen’s team wins Gulf of Thailand sailing competition, presided over by King
Their Majesties King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida on Friday travelled to Regent Cha Am Hotel in Phetchaburi province to preside over a sailing competition across the Gulf of Thailand in celebration of the King’s upcoming 72nd birthday on July 28.
The Queen participated in the race as a member of team “Vayu”, which piloted the THA72 sailboat in the IRC zero class, and emerged victorious.
The race started at Cha Am beach in Phetchaburi province and finished at Toey Ngam Beach in Sattahip district of Chonburi province, a distance of 45 nautical miles.
A total of eight sailing teams from Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand with 115 members took part in the races.
After the race started at 10.45am, the King boarded the “HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej” ship to witness the race along the route off the coast of Phetchaburi to Chonburi province.
The Queen’s THA72 boat crossed the finish line in 4.33 hours, taking first place in the competition that calculated the winning time based on the handicap of the boat’s type and age.
The gulf-crossing sailing competition, organised by the Royal Thai Navy and the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, also aimed to commemorate the cross-gulf sailing expedition undertaken by late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great on April 19, 1966.
On that day 58 years ago, the King’s father had sailed the boat titled “Vega” across the gulf from Klai Kangwon Palace in Prachuap Khiri Khan province to Toey Ngam Beach, covering a distance of 60 nautical miles in 17 hours, a challenge that proved his sailing skills and perseverance.
At around 3.15pm on Friday, Their Majesties visited the Royal Thai Marine Corps Monument in Sattahip district to take photographs with members of the Vayu team and sign their names in the visitor book.
At 7.15pm, Their Majesties attended a ceremony at Royal Thai Marine Corps headquarters to present awards to winners of the race. Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Adung Phan-iam also presented a commemorative medal to the King.
The King then bestowed a trophy, modelled after the helm of King Bhumibol’s Vega boat, to Queen Suthida, who received it on behalf of the Vayu team.
The King also gave away trophies to winners in the overall category (15 miles), optimist category (7 miles), and commemorative medals to all race participants.
Their Majesties then witnessed an exhibition on the history of sailing sport in Thailand and King Bhumibol’s interest in sailing and boat building, before boarding a helicopter back to Bangkok.
