4th Koh Samui International Regatta 2005
AY
Race Report 5 & Summary
Its
over for the 04/05 season, bar the shouting...
After scurrying through the racing rule book and interpreting how to break
a tie on corrected time and a series tie the final results show just how
close the racing was after a week of variable conditions on different
courses. Frank Pongs 75ft Jelik once again roared around the
track in the fresh conditions but as the race progressed the breeze became
patchy allowing Troy Yaws Ulumulu in hot pursuit to close the
gap.
Both yachts sailed within their handicaps and despite Jelik taking line honours for the 6th time they ended up tied right down to the minutes and seconds on corrected time. By scoring the same points in today's final race Ulumulu maintains her 3 point advantage to become this years champion. Jelik stayed in 2nd place and after putting in a good performance on their first outing Toby O'Connell's newly acquired YO! ended up in 3rd place overall.
So
over nine selected AY
Grand Prix racing class events (Malaysia 3, Hong Kong
2, Thailand 2 plus Singapore and the Philippines with 1 a piece) held
this season, Neil
Pryde and his former Hi-Fidelity have
become the respective 2004/05
AY Grand Prix
Skipper and
Yacht Champions of the year. By taking out the tri-fecta
of the Raja Muda, King's Cup and the Singapore Straits which by the way
is no easy feat plus 2nd place in the China Coast Regatta behind Skandia
is a example of what it takes to win this prestigious award. Unfortunately
Neil will not be here to get fitted with a new Armani blue blazer at tonight's
presentation but a special award and champagne ceremony is being organised
at the end of the Raja Muda latter this year in duty-free Langkawi.
Bill
Bremner's Singapore based Sydney 36 Foxy Lady scored another
1st place today to clean sweep the IRC 2 class with 5 wins in as many
days and his score sheet only blotted with a 8th on the first variable
day which becomes his drop race. This yacht under a former owner and named
Pla Loma actually won the inaugural Koh Samui Regatta 4 years
ago. After a close tussle for the placing's John Vause's 4th place today
is enough to put the Pattaya built Buzz 8 into 2nd place. The
other Singaporean entry of Jonathan Mahony's Mumm 30 Happy Endings
finished in 2nd today and tied on points with the Buzz 8 but
had to settle for third on count back. Karl Stechmann's Princess Anna
finished up in front of his fellow Aussie's competing on the four Sunsail
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35’s who thoroughly enjoyed racing amongst
themselves.
The
duel between the Samui built Radical Bay 8000's in the multihull class
also ended in a tie with 3x1st places and 2x2nd places. By scoring first
place in today's final race 6, Pierre Forsans China House ran
out the winner over Kim Thomas's Coco Blues on count back. Despite
Radab Kanjanavanit's fine efforts on Cedar Swan to get in amongst
the cats it just was not enough and ended with a 3rd place overall.
Summary
This event
has a number of firsts that should be noted. It is the first major victory
in classy company for Troy Yaw's Miri, Sarawak based team on Ulumulu
and also the first win in many years for Ray Roberts on his old boat formerly
called Luna Nuova. Another first for Foxy Lady and the
Samui built RB8000's which are fast becoming a hard act to beat and likely
to feature in the coming season. It is also the first time I can remember
an exact tie on corrected time for a long time and so many series ties
needed to be broken at the end of a regatta. Despite the prevailing light
and variable conditions through the week allot of good sailing has been
enjoyed and with all the things going on in Koh Samui how can you not
have a good time here. So mark the end of May in your diary as this event
is definitely not to be missed.
For more news, full results and photos goto: www.samuiregatta.com
Patience
pays off in the long run...
Frank
Pongs 75ft Jelik cut a fine line around the course and is a majestic
sight to behold when it is all powered up to take out the daily double
of 1st and fastest in today's race 5. Jelik has also been awarded
the earlier race 4 after applying the correct handicap to Peter Churchouse's
Moonblue 2 which relegated them to 3rd place and puts Jelik
closer towards the possibility of an overall win. Troy Yaw's Ulumulu
still leads the pack despite a 2nd place today and a handy points lead
but will have to finish in the places in tomorrows final race to take
away the Waterford crystal trophy. Toby O'Connell's 3rd place on YO!
keeps them in the running for a place and the close racing is shown by
4 yachts finishing within 45 seconds of each other.
Bill
Bremner's Singapore based Sydney 36 Foxy Lady added a forth win
to their tally and become clear leaders of the IRC 2 Class. Bill said
after the race " It takes the pressure of us coming into tomorrows
final". David Pollard's Foreign Xchange stayed on the pace
to score another 2nd place in as many days.
By
taking first place in todays race 5 Kim Thomas's Coco Blues moved
in on the multihull class trophy for the first time. Radab Kanjanavanit's
2nd place is her best result so far on Cedar Swan to put themselves
between the dueling Radical Bay 8000's. Pierre Forsans 3rd place on
China House has them trailing Coco Blues by only 1 point
but could put them at a significant points disadvantage coming into the
final race.
The
Koh Samui Archipelago has over 80 islands spread over 50 sq miles of azure
tropical seas. Stretching from Koh Rap in the south, via the bigger Koh
Samui and Koh Phangan to the diving paradise of Koh Tao (Turtle Island)
in the north and the uninhabited Ang Thong National Park group 25 miles
to the east, nowhere is more than a leisurely day sail away. Away from
the main cruising routes the region is just beginning to open up with
It's
becoming a game of cat and mouse...
Toby
O'Connell's YO! and Marcel Liedts Hocux Pocux 2 were
a little to keen to get away and had to be recalled at the start which
had a bearing on the days results. Peter Churchouse's Moonblue 2
stayed in contact with the leaders in the fresh conditions and made the
best progress during the change over to record a resounding victory over
the out and out racers. Frank Pongs Jelik initially streaked
away only to get caught up in the hole near the finish to end up 2nd and
just beating Marcel Liedts Hocux Pocux 2 by a mere 40 seconds.
Troy Yaw's Ulumulu claimed 4th place and still holds the overall
lead despite the juggling of places in today's race 4.
The
bigger boats in IRC 2 made the best of the fresh conditions to increase
their points standing over the smaller sports boats. Bill Bremner's Singapore
based Sydney 36 Foxy Lady added another win to his tally making
it 3 in a row and David Pollard's Foreign Xchange entered the
frey with a well sailed 2nd place today. Saranya Makison kept Magic
Roundabout in the running with a 3rd place and despite being 5 minutes
late for the start John Vause's Buzz 8 scored 4th to be the best
of the sportsboats. It was also Karl Stechmann's turn on Princess
Anna to turn the tables on his fellow Aussie's competing on the four
Sunsail Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35’s.
It
was Pierre Forsans chance on China House to get one back from
Kim Thomas's Coco Blues who have been sharing the wins so far
with their Samui built Radical Bay 8000's over their bigger counterparts.
Radab Kanjanavanit's Farrier F9 Cedar Swan claimed 3rd place
and would seem to be the best of the rest at this stage in proceedings.
Catching
up with Ray Roberts in his make shift office under the palm trees this
morning he said "Anytime is a good time sailing in paradise".
After the race Frank Pong added "If you have 5 days of good sailing
winds like today this regatta will rank as one of the best in the South
China Sea. The heavier displacement cruisers with their air-con, microwaves
and gen-sets will sparkle in the distance races amongst the limestone
cliffs and pristine clear water. They will also find the sandy bottom
in the beach anchorage very secure".
Parking
lots and great recoveries...
Ray
Roberts and the Sarawak tribe have the pedal to the metal on Ulumulu
as they scored 3 wins from 3 races despite exonerating themselves from
a start line penalty in race 3. Toby O'Connell's YO! which fancy's
light to medium breezes is skippered by Richard Merriweather this time
has stayed up in the leading pack with a 2, 3 today to keep them on pace
for for a podium place and with a little improvement possibly the 2004/05
AY Boat of the Year award. Frank Pongs Jelik really showed her
pace around the track during the freshening race 3 to end up with 2nd
place on handicap and elevate them to 3rd overall after two 4th places
in the earlier races.
As
expected the battle of the Radical 8000's is blossoming in the multihull
class. Kim Thomas's smaller rigged Coco Blues rebounded with
2 wins over Pierre Forsans race 1 winner China House to take
the overall lead in the class. Francesco Brancaccio's Farrier F24 Vivace
has a slight edge over Radab Kanjanavanit bigger F9 and defending champion
Cedar Swan who is trailing in 4th spot overall.
Lullabouts
and tricky windshifts...
The
day started with a short delay for the breeze to increase above 5 knots
before Race Officer David Brookes dared to get the racing class away,
on a 24nm passage race to Ko Phangan and return. As the yachts approached
Ho Kong Ok, the first rounding mark the breeze became very patchy offshore
and favoured the yachts who chose to sail closer to the coast. Ray Roberts
on the 46ft Ulumulu made up for last years disappointment to
surprisingly lead Frank Pong's larger 75ft Jelik on the long
beat between the islands. 
Most
of the remaining yachts were left in their wake as they clawed their way
from one patch of wind to another. A similar concertinaing of the fleet
occurred as the racers returned to Koh Samui and the course had to be
shortened due to the lottery like conditions. Jelik took line
honours but as Ulumulu managed to stay within 3 minutes of them,
they sailed away with the handicap honours. Twenty four minutes latter
Marcel Liedts Hocux Pocux 2 finished less than a minute before
Toby O'Connell's newly acquired YO! but after applying handicaps
the order was reversed to 2nd and 3rd respectively with Jelik
ending up 4th on the day.
Conditions
were no different for the IRC 2 class. John Vause on the Pattaya built
Buzz 8 also chose the advantageous inshore route to finish 26
minutes in front of the larger rival of Saranya Makison’s Jeanneau
35 Magic Roundabout which won the Top of the Gulf recently.
Pierre
Forsans Radical Bay 8000 China House did a horizon job on their
first outing in serious competition to leave Radab Kanjanavanit Farrier
F9 Cedar Swan over 20 minutes behind over the line. After a bad
start Kim Thomas's smaller rigged Radical Bay 8000 Coco Blues
managed to pick their way through the fleet to end up 3rd but over 1 1/2
hours behind the leader.
Despite
the conditions Frank Pong skipper of Jelik summed up the first
days proceedings with "Even though there was a lack of wind at the
end of the race it is really great to be here, instead of the Rolex Trans
Atlantic Challenge on Maiden Hong Kong".
Get
ready, the South China Sea calls again...
Peter
Plant from the organising committee reported "It’s just the
start of the SW Monsoon season and conditions are looking good as the
westerlies are already coming in nicely. We should average 10-15 knots
during the regatta. It’s a great time of year here, temperatures
average 27-28 degrees and there is low humidity".
This
year competition in the Racing Class will be fierce as defending champion,
Sam Chan's 21.21m ULDB sled Ffree Fire is returning to take on
Frank Pong's 75ft Reichel Pugh Jelik and Troy Yaw's Sarawak based
custom Sydney 46 Ulumulu skippered by Aussie Ray Roberts is looking
at making amends for last years defeat with Toby O'Connell's newly acquired
Pacific 50 YO! rounding out a formidable quartet of big boat
racers.
Although
Neil Pryde has won the 2004/05
AY Grand Prix
Championships
- Skipper of the Year award
before this season ending regatta, if the new skipper of YO!
(8 points) steps up to the top of the podium here, they could dislodge
Hi-Fidelity (11 points) on count back for the
2004/05
AY
Boat of the Year award.
Take
a peek at this seasons progressive point score or see how your favorite
team ended up in the AY
Rankings 
The
return of Hong Kong based yachts to SE Asian waters has Marcel Liedts
X-612 Hocux Pocux 2, last years Racing 2 winner defending his
title against the worthy opponents of Peter Churchouse's Warwick 19.5m
Moonblue 2 and Wade Kimpton's heavy displacement Stephens 24m
Lady M from NZ who won the Commodores Cup at the windy Royal
Langkawi Regatta in March this year.
Racing
Class 3 has attracted a number of Aussie yachting icons with George Snow
owner of maxi Brindabella and veteran of 24 Hobart races leading
the way by convincing Mariner Boating Holiday’s Trevor Joyce, to
add this regatta to his growing list of sailing destinations. They have
chartered four identical Sunsail Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35’s all named
Princess - Princess Athena (George Snow), Princess Sharda
(Tony Hearder), Princess Anna (Karl Stechmann) and Princess
Arietta (Hans Sommer former CYCA Commodore) apparently princesses
by name but not by nature. This is a good example of how 'fly in, have
fun and fly out again' yacht racing has a big future in the Asian Region.
While
the Aussie's are expecting close racing on a level rating basis, they
will have some solid competition on handicap with the rest of the boats
in their class. Singapore based Bill Bremmer’s Sydney 36 Foxy
Lady, the two Thai Navy Farr MRX 36’s, David Pollard’s
X412 Foreign Xchange 2, Saranya Makison’s Jeanneau 35 Magic
Roundabout and Andy Dowden’s Image Asia Sunsail Jeanneau
461 will all be keen to show the Princesses the way home.
Another
tough contest is expected to come from the 4 different Sportboat designs.
Jonathan Mahony's Mumm 30 Happy Endings has repaired the mast
damage from the Singapore Straits Regatta in time to defend last years
title from David Bell's 2nd placed Fremantle 8 Pink Pussy Cat.
Mark Horwood's Phuket Sports 8 Image Asia Attitude 8 is expected
to have the legs on the group in fresh breezes but has found it difficult
to beat John Vause's Pattaya built Buzz 8 on handicap as this
incredible Runnalls 8 design has won 2 out of 2 events since launching.
The
warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand are proving very attractive to multihull
sailors. Radab Kanjanavanit Farrier F9 Cedar Swan is ready to
repeat last years striking performance but the 2 Samui built Radical Bay
8000's of Pierre Forsans China House and Kim Thomas Coco
Blues (King's Cup winner) will be out to spoil their chances. Kirati
Asakul's heavier Lock Crowther 43 Sonic from Ocean Marina recently
dominated the Top of the Gulf Regatta could be a cat among the pigeons.
Others to watch out for in the 7 strong fleet are Francesco Brancaccio's
Farrier F24 Vivace, David Hill's Formula 28 Gnome and
Martin Peters Tiki 30 Nok Talay.
No
matter what the result, this year’s Koh Samui Regatta is shaping
up to be a lot of fun. At the end of each days racing competing crews
will be able to unwind and relax with plenty of refreshments at the Regatta
Tavern - on the beach in front of the Central Samui Beach Resort. Organisers
must be commended for finding a opening in the calendar and choosing this
magical setting that enables owners and crew from all around the world
to get together for friendly competition. Many battles that start in the
South China Sea are likely to be permanent features during the fast approaching
2005/06 season.
Koh
Samui
The
island’s established infrastructure includes International educational
and medical facilities, along with a wide choice of high street shopping
brands, exquisite dining venues (European and Thai) and beautiful white
sandy beaches, Koh Samui stands out as one of the jewels in Thailand’s
illustrious crown.