6th Koh Samui Regatta 2007
AsianYachting Race Report 5 & Summary

All for the taking on final day of racing...
Overnight the International jury decided to reinstate Mandrake and disqualify Hi Fi which added another twist to the overall results. The race committee decided to make amends for yesterdays finishing disaster by taking the fleet well out to sea and as the breeze filled in, set up for windward / leeward races. In nearly all classes the overall winner and all important podium places hinged on the results of the final day of racing. After successfully concluding race six and as the breeze seemed reasonably settled the race committee then decided to run another race to finalise the score and break any remaining ties. As the yachts completed the first lap the breeze decided to drop in strength so the course was shortened at the top mark which had a dramatic effect on the race results and even more in some of the overall class standings.

IRC Racing
Bill Bremner's Sydney 40 Foxy Lady III held a commanding lead coming into the final day and cemented their position with a race six win to make it four wins out of six races so that a fifth place in the final race 7 would not take away any of the earlier glory. Neil Pryde's Farr 52OD Hi Fi started the day in second place overall despite overnight being disqualified for the race 2 incident. Two third places today sees them relegated to third overall and very disappointed with the juries decision. Frank Pong's 75ft Rachel Pugh Jelik made up for yesterdays disaster by scoring a second and first place today to lift them up to second place overall. Bill Bremner and Foxy Lady III have the glory of winning their favourite regatta but Frank Pong's consistency on Jelik throughout the season has earned them the distinction of being crowned the 2006-07 AsianYachting Grand Prix Champions.

IRC 1
After chasing each other around the track all week Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic! and Chris Meads J/109 Halcyon Daze ended up tied on points. A count back of places still has them tied on points so Jeff Davison's last race win on Panic! eventually becomes the deciding factor that gives them the series. After leading for most of the event it is a hard way to loose at the end of the day. Ben Copely's Beneteau First 40.7 Asia Spirit has steadily improved throughout the event and after scoring 6th and 2nd places today elevates them to third place overall.

IRC 2
A dogfight between Hellmut Schutte's brand new Elan 340 Aquavit IV and Greg Coops X-372 Abraxas has been going on all week. Trading first and second places had them tied on points after race six. This left the final race wide open but as the wind died and Aquavit IV crossed the shortened finish line first, Greg Coops had to concede that Abraxas had run its race and settled on second overall. Dick Sanders Thairaver ended the regatta in third place after consistently following the leaders around the course.

Raimon Land Firefly 850 Sports Catamaran
Henry Kaye's Mamba and David Hill's Voodoo Child were also tied on points coming into the final day of racing. A bad spinnaker hoist on Voodoo Child saw the fleet sail past and never recover to finish in fifth place in race six and the possibility of a overall win going down the drain. Chris Jongerhuis captured his first win on The Frog and second place for Henry Kaye's Mamba saw them stand alone at the top of the leaderboard. The final race seven had everyone in close company until the wind died on the last leg. David Hill's Voodoo Child managed to cross the line first as Mamba found a windless patch and Henry's crew had to concede defeat. This change in fortune has David Hill's Voodoo Child winning the overall title, Henry Kaye's Mamba settling on second and Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi in third place after a closely contested series.

Multihull Handicap
The results of the final two races also weighed heavily on the overall placing's in the multihull handicap class. David Hill's Voodoo Child turned the tables on Henry Kaye's Mamba to score first and second respectively. Radab Kanjanavanit's Farrier Trimaran Cedar Swan pulled off a remarkable come from behind win in race seven to end the regatta in third place. The rest of the Firefly cats followed suite as per the class results.

Summary
Despite the wind strength not being to everyone's liking this casual tropical island regatta is certainly one of the most enjoyable on the annual sailing calendar. The venue blends in with the occasion and the people are proud to have a prestigious International sailing event on their doorstep. Business's also rally behind the scenes to make the event a success. The sport is gradually catching on and a flourishing marine tourism industry is a valuable asset to any island community. Organizers Image Asia Events must also be congratulated for taking on the difficult task, away from their Phuket base and capping it off by producing another successful event. The weather does not always cooperate fully with everyone's wishes but a clear decision making process based on what you have is likely to get you through a sailing event.

Full results on the Koh Samui Regatta website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com/

6th Koh Samui Regatta 2007
AsianYachting Race Report 4

The days are long and the nights are strong...
Is the theme at this wonderful tropical Island regatta. So far everyone has enjoyed an action-packed four days of racing followed by lots of late night entertainment and partying. Just what we have come to expect at Asian regatta's and the generous sponsors must be thanked for putting on such a good show. Once again the morning doldrums turned into a light 8 to 10 knot westerly, that got the fleet away after a one hour delay on the northern coastal race between Ko Phangan and Koh Samui. The fleet made quick work of the inner course but when they approached the exit passage a distinct sheer between the sea and land breeze developed and with an adverse current flowing the yachts struggled to lay the finish line.

IRC Racing
Clear start as all six yachts powered up and disappeared into the distance, all fully determined to improve their standings in the overall stakes. Things looked pretty much as per normal throughout the race untill the leaders approached the shortened finish line at Koh Kong Ok. The sheer in the wind caught them off guard and forced the leaders to sail wide angles sometimes away from the mark just to keep the momentum going. The smaller trailing boats have the advantage of seeing what is going on up ahead and can pick and choose favourable courses through the minefield in front of them. Bill Bremner's Sydney 40 Foxy Lady III did just that to score their third win of the regatta and may just have clinched the series. Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns Farr/Mills 51 Mandrake made up for the race 2 disqualification and took an unprecedented line honours in front of Jelik as well as second place on handicap. Neil Pryde's Farr 52OD Hi Fi also forced themselves into the equation with third place today that may seal the deal in the AY GP Championships with one race day to go.

IRC 1
The dodgem cars were at it again today with four boats being recalled for being over the start line. A similar fate as the racing class fell upon the leaders as they closed in on the finish line. Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic! claimed the daily double of line and handicap honours by finishing over thirty minutes in front of the bigger boats that led for most of the race. Ben Copely's Beneteau First 40.7 Asia Spirit has been steadily chipping away at the leaders and a second place today may see them take a podium place. Jonathan Mahony's Mumm 30 Happy Endings also came from behind to score third place but a little to late to have an overall effect on the leaders.

IRC 2
Greg Coops X-372 Abraxas are working their way into contention, scoring a second win in succession after race four results were corrected. Although Hellmut Schutte's brand new Elan 340 Aquavit IV finished in second place their three earlier wins keeps them on the top of the leaderboard. A change for the books has Michael Grover's Elliott 7 Moon Shadow finishing up in third place.

Raimon Land Firefly 850 Sports Catamaran
A little lull in proceedings saw current leaders Mamba and Voodoo Child trailing the fleet off the start line. By the Mae Nam mark, half way into the race they had slowly pegged them back and Voodoo Child held a narrow lead on the hungry chasing pack closing in behind. David Hill's Voodoo Child managed to hold on through the minefield at the finish and score the daily double to bring themselves back into overall contention. Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi is back on form and clung on to score second place. Overall leader is Henry Kaye's Mamba but scoring two third places in a row sees them tied on points with Voodoo Child and tomorrows final day of racing being heralded as the big decider.

Multihull Handicap
The same placing's as the Firefly class have resulted with Voodoo Child first, Moto Inzi second and Mamba third. The overall standings sees Voodoo Child take the lead in this class, Mamba relegated to second place and Radab Kanjanavanit holding third place on Cedar Swan.

Full results on the Koh Samui Regatta website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com/

6th Koh Samui Regatta 2007
AsianYachting Race Report 3

30nm passage race sorts the men from the boys...
Aussie PRO Tony Denham must have a lucky charm hidden away somewhere. Each day the start boat has motored in the direction of the course he would like to set, then low and behold around the 10:00am start time a favorable breeze has sprung up and the fleet sent merrily on its way. The same happened today as coastal Course 7 (22nm) for IRC 1, 2 and Multihull classes and Course 8 (30nm) for the racing class to the south of Samui was chosen for today's racing. The fifteen mile leg to Ko Rap turned into a windward beat with some big swings favouring the boats inshore. The return leg started as a close reach and ended on a broader angle to the finish which advantaged the long waterline vessels and gave everyone an exhilarating ride.

IRC Racing
Lately Neil Pryde's Farr 52OD Hi Fi may have been slightly off the pace but today they settled down and played the wind shifts to perfection thereby earning themselves a win on handicap. Frank Pong's 75ft Jelik struggled to keep his time with the fifty footers hot on his heels down to Ko Rap and tried to make up for it on the long slide home but eventually had to settle on second place. Its now plainly obvious why Frank prefers the long passage races over the tight windward leeward courses. Sam Chan's Ffree Fire 52 have been plagued by various problems around the track but bounced back today with a third place and are aiming for better results in the remaining races.

IRC 1
Long waterlines helped the heavier boats slip away on the passage race. Chris Meads J/109 Halcyon Daze added a further win to his tally and take command at the top of the leaderboard. David Lindahl's Swan 42 La Samudra is never far from the front and second place today keeps them in with a chance. Ben Copely's Beneteau First 40.7 Asia Spirit has been chomping at the bit to get going and took the opportunity by scoring third place to even up the scores in the minor podium places. The Mumm 30's stumbled a bit which may have something to do with over celebrating last night.

IRC 2
At the time of writing the result sheet has Dick Sanders Thairaver provisionally in first place. However some finish time discrepancies exist that may have some bearing on today's results. Hellmut Schutte's brand new Elan 340 Aquavit IV may have scored second place but as they have three first places in the bag are way ahead in the overall pointscore. Up till now Greg Coops X-372 Abraxas has consistently scored second places but dropped to third today with the shuffle in results.

Raimon Land Firefly 850 Sports Catamaran
David Hills Voodoo Child made up for lost time in earlier races and rammed home a solid first and fastest to show they are still very much in contention. Up till now Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi has trailed the leaders but a second place today moves them up the table a couple of spots and cannot be written of at this stage in proceedings. It is amazing how a puff here and a puff there can affect these speedy catamarans. Henry Kaye's Mamba maybe the class leader at this stage but slipping down to third place today proves he is not unbeatable and may have just opened the door for the others to slip in.

Multihull Handicap
The same placing's as the Firefly class have resulted in today's race. There has been a correction to earlier provisional results which puts Henry Kaye's Mamba at the top of the class, followed closely by David Hills Voodoo Child and Radab Kanjanavanit's Farrier Trimaran Cedar Swan easing back to third place despite scoring two wins on earlier races.

Full results on the Koh Samui Regatta website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com/

6th Koh Samui Regatta 2007
AsianYachting Race Report 2

Competition hotting up on the race course...
Overnight rainstorms had the morning looking very bleak until a light breeze sprung up from the west north west allowing PRO Tony Denham's team to get racing underway on windward leeward courses for the day. All competitors were keen to get going and improve on their race one result. Some a little to keen by the number of protest forms being filled out in the race office. One visiting journalist commented "Is this what the rich and famous do with their spare time?". Jostling at the start line and crowded mark rounding's had excited crews yelling all sorts of expletives.

IRC Racing
Despite Frank Pong's 75ft Jelik making quick work of the two windward leeward courses there was a number of light spots around the course which hampered his progress and resulted in finishing down the order. It was Bill Bremner's Sydney 40 Foxy Lady III that kept in sync with the wind changes and sailed up to their handicap rating to win both races today. The fifty plus footers Mandrake, Hi Fi and Ffreefire are enjoying racing in close company, so much that they are possibly hindering each other on the overall results table. A protest between Mandrake and Ffreefire has been lodged which may have a dramatic effect on today's second and third placing's.

IRC 1
As the combined IRC fleet approach the start line it is a bit like watching dodgem cars at a sideshow. The more nifty and lighter boats of Jeff Davison's Mumm 30 Panic! and Chris Meads J/109 Halcyon Daze excelled, trading first and second places on the two races held today. David Lindahl's Swan 42 La Samudra stayed in the hunt with a third place and the other Mumm 30 Jonathan Mahony's Happy Endings also scoring a third place to keep themselves near the top of the leaderboard.

IRC 2
Hellmut Schutte's brand new Elan 340 Aquavit IV continues on their winning ways by recording their third win in a row. Most extraordinary is the fact that Greg Coops X-372 Abraxas has scored three second places and Dick Sanders Thairaver three third places to keep themselves consistently in that order.

Raimon Land Firefly 850 Sports Catamaran
These nippy catamarans are extremely quick to accelerate as well as very quick to slow down. Henry Kaye's Mamba was trailing in fourth place approaching the first windward mark and all it took was a gybe, spinnaker set and an isolated puff of wind for them to streak away and leave the rest of the fleet in their wake. A good start and playing the wind shifts to their advantage on the first leg of race three also helped secure their third win of the regatta. David Hills Voodoo Child has been disadvantaged on two occasions now and has settled on second place on all three races held so far. The rest of the fleet are fighting it out for third place and Roger Kingdon's pre regatta favourite Moto Inzi slipped into 3rd place on race 2 with Chris Jongerhuis on The Frog filling the boots with 3rd in race 3.

Multihull Handicap
The Firefly's have not had it all their own way after handicaps have been applied. Radab Kanjanavanit's Farrier Trimaran Cedar Swan has the honour of winning two races today in front of the Firefly's of Henry Kaye's Mamba and David Hills Voodoo Child. This result puts Cedar Swan at the top of the leaderboard sharing first place with Mamba.

Keeping up with all the on the water action as well as the hectic social life ashore is a very difficult task. One that takes an iron constitution that most seasoned sailors have developed to perfection. So if your contemplating coming to any Asian events make sure you bring along your sailing gear as well as your drinking boots and even more important thank all the sponsors concerned for your well being.

Full results on the Koh Samui Regatta website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com/

6th Koh Samui Regatta 2007
AsianYachting Race Report 1

Let the fun and games begin...
A bit of juggling resulted in Hans Rahmann's 72ft Judel/Vrolijk Yasooda joining the racing class and Keith Dunn's Mt Gay 30 LunchCutter II going down to IRC 1 to race with boats that are more in line with their size and speed. The split for the racer/cruiser class was set at 1.000 which places 8 boats in IRC 1 and 5 boats in IRC 2. The multihull class have decided to have a combined start and divide the class into a handicap division with the Firefly One design results calculated from the finish times.

After a short delay a westerly breeze sprung up across the island which allowed PRO Tony Denham to choose the 26nm Course 5 for all classes on the first day of racing. A close reaching start line saw the racing class and multihulls get away with speed. A resounding bang erupted at the combined IRC start when Keith Dunn's LunchCutter II came into contact with Dick Sanders Thairaver. One crew member has been hospitalized and severe damage to LunchCutter II forced them to retire and lodge a protest.

IRC Racing
Frank Pong's 75ft Jelik streaked off into the distance on the long two sail reach to Ko Phangan. The 50 footers tried desperately to keep in contact but as Jelik extended their lead on the windward beat between the islands, it was all over by the time the massive white spinnaker was hoisted and they accelerated towards the finish. Although trailing some distance behind Bill Bremner's smaller Sydney 40 Foxy Lady III managed to hold their time on the bigger yachts to finish up in second place. A close procession then followed with Nick Burns driving Mandrake into third place followed Neil Pryde's Hi Fi just over a minute latter on corrected time. Sam Chan's Ffree Fire 52 had the misfortune of running aground and had to towed off by the rescue boat to bring a miserable end to their day.

IRC 1
Despite being almost 15 minutes of the pace David Lindahl's Swan 42 La Samudra once again showed their pedigree to claim first spot after handicaps have been applied. Chris Meads second place on his J/109 Halcyon Daze saw the race favouring the low handicap boats. Not far from the lead Ben Copely's Beneteau First 40.7 Asia Spirit clung on to score third place. Only minutes separated the final placing's, so as the week goes on and close racing continues, significant jostling for positions is expected from this class.

IRC 2
Hellmut Schutte's brand new Elan 340 Aquavit IV claimed the daily double of line and handicap honours by a little over four minutes from Greg Coops X-372 Abraxas. Dick Sanders Thairaver has provisionally scored third spot but is subject to protest after the start line collision.

Raimon Land Firefly 850 Sports Catamaran
After trailing David Hills Voodoo Child by the proverbial mile at Ko Phangan, Henry Kaye's team on Mamba must of pulled something out of the bag to catch up and cross the finish line a mere 38 seconds in front of Voodoo Child to claim a race one victory by the narrowest of margins. Roger Kingdon's crew on Moto Inzi tried everything to make inroads on the leaders but at the end of the race had to settle on third place.

Multihull Handicap
It is a different story when handicaps are applied to the multihull class. David Hills Voodoo Child comes out on top followed by Radab Kanjanavanit's Farrier Trimaran Cedar Swan. Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi ends up in third place, relegating line honours winner Henry Kaye's Mamba down to fourth place.

Full results on the Koh Samui Regatta website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com/

6th Koh Samui Regatta 2007
AsianYachting Pre Regatta Report

A Tropical Island Regatta is calling you...
If you ever dreamed of sailing in crystal clear waters and coming across a group of palm tree lined islands with white sandy beaches - Then you better head out into the South China Sea and see what is in store for you. Over the last ten years numerous beach resorts have popped up and an ever expanding marine tourism industry has grown along the east coast of the peninsula and off lying islands. Being off the beaten tourist path, the Gulf of Thailand was previously the domain of long term travelers but NOW! the secret is now out... Accommodation ranging from simple beach front bungalows to five star resorts to choose from and you never know what you may find or when you may need to massage the weary body or have the odd cocktail or two or just laze around on a leisurely cruise into the sunset. No wonder more and more people are visiting these remote tropical island hideaways.

Thailand's Koh Samui have taken the bull by the horns and kick off the east coast season with an annual International event, the Koh Samui Regatta. Now in its sixth year the event has attracted 29 boats from as far away as Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore that race alongside Pattaya, Phuket and local Koh Samui based boats, adding a real International flair to the occasion. Top racing yachts Jelik, Hi Fi, Mandrake, Foxy Lady III, Ffree Fire 52 and LunchCutter II will be competing for the Koh Samui Regatta Trophy and the first three boats are all in line for the annual AsianYachting Grand Prix Championships. (See here)

Fourteen yachts have entered two IRC Classes and on paper each boat has a pedigree big enough to become the eventual winner. Hans Rahmann's Judel/Vrolijk Yasooda at 72ft is the biggest yacht in the class and hopes to repeat the stunning debut performance at the Raja Muda last year. Most yachts are within the 30 to 40 foot range and come here hot on the heels of wins or top placing's at recent regattas in Thailand, Philippines and Singapore. David Lindahl's Swan 42 La Samudra won the class at the Top of the Gulf and Langkawi. Ben Copely's Beneteau First 40.7 Asia Spirit won the Phang Nga Bay Regatta. Pascal Leray's Jarkan-Lyons 38 Breakaway and David Bell's Jeanneau 35 Magic Roundabout finished up the order at the Top of the Gulf and may have some home advantage.

Singapore based Jonathan Mahony and Jeff Davison's two Mumm 30's Happy Endings and Panic! are never far from the lead and snatching top podium placing's. Greg Coops X-372 Abraxas has won individual races at Koh Samui before and could be in with a chance this year. Hellmut Schutte has teamed up with Howison Marine on the newly imported Elan 340 Aquavit IV which won the Challenge Cup in Singapore recently. Aussie yachting legend Robbo Robertson has shipped his Enigma 34 Flight of the Gull from Australia, will be competing for the first time in Asian waters, has a never say die attitude that is bound to impress the other contestants. The smaller class boats has Peter Plant's Elliott 7 Moon Shadow, Chris Meads J/109 Halcyon Daze, Dick Sanders Thairaver and Phil Harper's Sweline One going head to head and a ding dong battle is expected. Everyone is looking forward to an action-packed week of racing and partying.

Six star studded Firefly 850 catamarans have formed the first ever one design class to race in Asian waters and will be contesting the Raimon Land Firefly 850 Catamaran trophy. Amongst the line up is Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi and past results makes them the favourite, followed by Andrew Marshall's Pink Lady with off the beach cat specialist Scott McCook onboard. David Hills newly acquired Voodoo Child is to be skippered by class designer Mark Pescott. All three have new sails so are in with a fighting chance. Dark horses are Henry Kaye's Mamba who won the recent Phang Nga Bay Regatta and Dutch veteran Chris Jongerhuis on The Frog. The final member of this exciting class is Pierre Forsans recently launched Pigatoon with some very experienced crew onboard can expect to be in the hunt. So it’s anybody’s series with probably different winners each day. The six boats have arrived early and held a warm up regatta last weekend.

Last but not least three locally owned multihulls make up Class five. The Koh Samui built Radical Bay 8000 Coco Blues may have won here before and Serge Straeten's Farrier F24 Vivace are facing some stiff competition from Radab Kanjanavanit's bigger Farrier Trimaran Cedar Swan as she is a proven all rounder and won all major Thai regattas at least once before. There is talk that a compromise maybe reached were all multi's race together and separate results calculated.

Returning for his second Koh Samui Regatta is Aussie Tony Denham as the Principal Race Officer and ably assisted by the unflappable Simon James. Howard Elliot, also from down under, heads up the International Jury. Returning Co-sponsors for the 2007 event, Central Samui Beach Resort (Regatta HQ), Land Rover Thailand and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) are joined by stalwart supporters of yacht racing in Thailand, Raimon Land, and top German eyewear manufacturer Rodenstock. Regatta Co-sponsors are backed up by unparalleled support from Samui island businesses. Many thanks must go to John Williams and his excellent team at Kandaburi Resort and Spa for providing the media accommodation for the ancient mariner Peter Cummins and my good self for the second year in a row.

At a recent press conference Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Pornsiri Manoharn commented “In six successful years the Koh Samui Regatta has made incredible progress and it is easy to see why it has become one of the highlights of the Asian sailing circuit”.

Check out how your favourite racing team is going with more AY GP Championship info and results at: http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP06-07.htm

More info and results are posted on the Koh Samui Regatta 2007 website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com/

AY Grand Prix Skipper and Yacht Championships

AY Grand Prix Skipper and Yacht Championships reaching a climax at Koh Samui..
At the top of the leader board three skippers and yachts, Frank Pong (75ft R/P Jelik), Neil Pryde (Farr 52OD Hi Fi) and Paul Winkelmann (TP52 Island Fling) are all tied on six points with only the season ending Koh Samui Regatta to go. This year, there is no run away leader with several skippers only one regatta win away from the leaders. The Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns owned Farr/Mills 51 Mandrake on five points are closest to the three leaders. Ray Roberts DK46 Quantum Racing on four points is well within striking distance. Crowning the 2006-07 Champion is dependant upon who turns up at Koh Samui.

Frank Pong has been released from China Teams America's Cup duties in Valencia. Neil Pryde and the Mandrake owners have formally registered their intentions to compete. Sam Chan's Ffree Fire 52 entered the frey by scoring three points after a resounding victory on the recent Hong Kong San Fernando Race. Bill Bremner's Sydney 40 Foxy Lady also on three points needs a good outing here to improve their rankings and can be considered outsiders. Past years have shown that anything is possible at Koh Samui. In event off a tie on points at the end of racing the winner will be decided on countback of results at earlier events.

Points are awarded for Skippers and Yachts results over eight selected AY Grand Prix racing class events (Malaysia 2, Hong Kong 2, Thailand 2 plus Singapore and the Philippines with 1 a piece) held each year. This fairly grades the competing Skippers ability to successfully run a racing campaign in Asian waters over the 2006 - 07 Season. So it's anybodies guess who will be receiving the embroidered Armani Blue Blazer and enough chilled champagne to fill the Perpetual Cup at the Koh Samui prize giving party, held on the magnificent lawns of the Central Samui Resort at Chewang Beach each year...

Check out how your favourite racing team is going with more AY GP Championship info and results at: http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP06-07.htm

Koh Samui Regatta 07 - AY Race Reports are posted at http://asianyachting.com/news/KohSamui07.htm

More info on the Koh Samui Regatta 2007 website at: http://www.samuiregatta.com/

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