Phang Nga Bay Regatta - Is it really Asia's second biggest sailing event??

All aboard for the fun in the sun regatta...
Thailands rapidly growing sailing season gets underway in spectacular fashion this week, when a fleet of 50 boats set sail on the annual Phang Nga Bay Regatta in picturesque southern Thailand.

This regatta, now in its 11th year, is as famous for its parties as it is for its sailing and this year promises to be no different. Four days of racing takes the fleet from Phuket to Phang Nga and Krabi provinces from February 6-10 with a prize-giving party held each evening at different venues along the way. Quite frankly, I don't know why its taken me 10 years to come and cover this event. What else is there for foreigners to do over the Chinese New Year break other than go out and enjoy sailing around southern Thailand's most stunning cruising grounds. More News goto http://asianyachting.com/news/PNBR08.htm

The organisers were taken by surprise when the regatta grew so quickly, expanding from an average of 30 boats in the early years, to 46 yachts in 2006 and 50 boats lined up in 2007. Making the Phang Nga Bay Regatta, Asia's second biggest sailing event, after the King's Cup. Unlike other annual regattas held in Thailand which are run from one location the organisers have a good reason to limit the number of entrants to 50. The regatta moves onto a new anchorage each day and with little or no accomodation ashore makes the logistics just that little bit more difficult to manage. This year most of the crews will have to sleep onboard their boats during the stopovers or on a big power boat which they have hired to follow them around the course.

Quite a few email comments have been received about Phang Nga not being the second biggest regatta in Asia. Don’t just be a reader, leave your mark here! Come on and give us your best shot!

Come on & join our Asian Yachting Racing Team

After opening the first commercial AsianYachting Center in Malaysia last year we are taking the Learn to Sail with Asian Yachtmasters keelboat training scheme onto the next level. As it is our intention to form an AY Racing Team, we are looking for serious sailors that want to develop there skills to go on and successfully compete at regional keelboat regattas and match racing events. If you want to TRY OUT for our AY Racing Team we have set aside some weekends when we will take sailing anyone that is interested in making up the core of sailors needed to form a team. The first TRY OUT dates for our AY Racing Team are Feb 2nd, 3rd, 16th, 17th Further info on training courses and competition events the team is expecting to compete in this year can be found at: http://asianyachting.com/AYmasters/classes.htm

New Year celebrations at RLIR 08

On a more humorous note there were some sailors out to enjoy the New Year festivities at the 6th Royal Langkawi Internarional Regatta that blasted off the 2008 sailing activities in Asian waters. Quite a few competitors were over the start line or On Course Side (OCS) and had to be recalled during the event. Aussie PRO Mark Pryke and his race committee that were using the Malaysian Police vessel came up with a unique method to deter them on the last day of racing. It seemed to do the trick.

Also quite a few used the occasion to brighten up the event. Bill Phelps Firefly crew on Twin Sharks took to wearing Tu Tu's and helmsman / multihull designer Mark Pescott a Yogi bear tail for the whole event. I'm not sure what it means but it certainly added some amusement to the racing. On the last day Ray Roberts Quantum Racing was also seen wearing one at the start but was quickly removed before a photo could be taken. Selected photos have been posted in the RLIR 08 Photo Gallery. Most of the action is captured and probably every boat is featured as well as close ups of the skippers and crews, especially all the girls that have dared to take up the sport of sailing in Asian waters.

Whose going to which regatta?

AsianYachting New Year Jan News and Views here...

With the introduction of Chris Meads swish looking Corby 43 Full Metal Jacket at the Kings Cup last year and the arrival of Ben Copley's new Club Swan 42 Katsu, the racing class is rapidly expanding and taking on a new dimension by introducing shear out and out racing machines. It's anybodies guess just how much longer Frank Pong's 75ft R/P Jelik and Ray Roberts DK 46 Quantum Racing will remain at the top of the 2007-08 AY Grand Prix Championships. Aussie Peter Ahern returns in Langkawi with his Farr 40 YO!2 and the Royal Malaysian Navy are fielding the Farr 520 Zuhrah and the DK46 under RMN-JB. With mainland China's Adam Ng's Judel/Vrolijk 52 Microlab Moonlight Shadow and Vincent Chan's Titan 36 Matahari boosting the numbers, the decision to bring the dates forward to improve the standard of racing class entrants is clearly paying dividends.

Bill Bremner's TP52 Foxy Lady IV has arrived in Singapore for Christmas and the lengthy task of putting the keel on, re-rigging and other preparatory jobs before launching are underway in earnest. They are very happy and the crew are looking forward to putting her through her paces and getting used to their new racing stead.

Who is going to Singapore Straits Regatta in January (16-19th) or the Phang Nga Bay Regatta over Chinese New Year (Feb 7-10th). After claiming 3rd place overall and Class A victory, plus enduring another agonizing finish to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race four days ago, will Ray Roberts be able to turn his crew around and front up in Asia so early in the New Year? The action then swings over to Hong Kong for the Rolex China Sea Race (21 March start) and the President's Cup (21 - 29 March) in the Philippines before moving across to the Gulf of Thailand for the Top of the Gulf Regatta (1st -5th May) and 2007-08 Season ending finale at Koh Samui Regatta (1st - 7th June dates now confirmed). So the question remains Who is going were? Please post your comments for all to see...

Taking the Racing Class to New Dimensions

Incessant phone ringing woke me from the post AY Boxing Day BBQue slumber to let me know that Neil Pryde's newly converted HI FI Team Pryde was making a pit stop at Admiral Marina in Port Dickson on its way to the Royal Langkawi Int Regatta (5 - 11 Jan) Wow! and what a conversion it has turned out to be. It looks nothing like it used to with two distinct chine's running along the hull, making it very hard to identify anything other than the mast and boom that may have belonged to the earlier Farr 52 OD that it once was.

AsianYachting Photo give away for Christmas 2007

That's right, we have decided to reward our faithful subscribers with Christmas presents this year. It's simple, just go to the AY Photo Library, browse through the Regatta Galleries, select photos, then email info@asianyachting.com stating clearly which Regatta and Image number or name (Under enlarged photo) you want and we will endeavor to send a high resolution copy for Christmas. AY Photo Library at: http://asianyachting.com/photos/default.htm

Being based in Malaysia we are accustomed to living in a multi-cultural society and like to take this opportunity to send season's greetings to all our friends, business clients and subscribers. So Happy Hari Raya Aidil Adha (20th Dec), Dong Zhi Celebration (22nd Dec) and Merry Christmas (25th Dec) plus a safe and prosperous New Year for 2008.

King's Cup 07 - AY Lay-Day Report

What's happening at Asia's premier yachting event? Prize winners at the King's Cup should be aware that trophies received over the last few day's maybe incorrect. Anyone comparing the daily AY Race Reports with the KC website results and the nightly prize giving awards will have noticed they are not one and the same. Apparently the primary results officer has suffered a case of Asian belly and even the start boat volunteers are staying zip on the subject. From my own experience the provisional results have not only been late but significantly changed each time I refreshed the page. The assembled media waited hours for race results to appear and then were forced to change the story at least 4 times over the next few hours before daring to send the daily reports with any degree of accuracy.

This regatta normally takes off like a bull set loose in a China shop. After a few days any problems that arise are desperately solved by the relevant committees before lay-day is over. This gives everyone a chance to coast along while the final two days of racing is being rapped up. Hopefully by the resumption of racing on Friday the website results will be completely corrected and there after smartly updated for the rest of the event. Skippers and boat time keepers are now advised to drop by the race center at Kata Beach Resort and check on the latest provisional race results officially posted on the notice board.

Idle crew with nothing to do should know that the 5th Phuket International Boat Show opened today and runs till Sunday at the Royal Phuket Marina just north of Phuket town. A full array of fabulous yacht brands are on display with ample space for marine suppliers and luxury waterside property developers to exhibit their products in air conditioned comfort.

The not so energetic looking at resting up in the hotel should look no further than one of the healing massages being offered to soothe those aching bones. After posting this report I'm off to pamper myself with a bit of nail manicuring together with head and foot massages. It's not all work and no play! Welcome to the lay-day.

More KC 07 info and results at www.kingscup.com
Photo Edition of the AY Race Reports at: http://asianyachting.com/news/PKCR07.htm