3RD
EVASON PHUKET RACEWEEK
AY
Race Report 4 & Summary
Down
came the rain to dampen up the fun...
As a good twenty knots blew white caps across the bay, a slight apprehension
was noticed amongst the skippers and crews at the mustering point for
the final days racing. For three days the wind has been great and the
rain held off until today when the early morning drizzle turned into a
widespread tropical downpour of huge proportions. The very cautious PRO
Simon James chose the inshore course and managed to get the IRC and Multihull
classes away before the storm engulfed the entire course area. By mutual
consensus it was agreed to cancel racing for all other classes as most
had opted not to race or limit damage control and yesterdays results had
already determined the overall winners.
The
IRC classes trudged on with limited visibility in the stinging rain. The
overall podium places rested on the results of this final race. David
Lindhal's La Samudra took what looked like a comfortable lead
yesterday but a late protest lodged last night may well be his undoing.
After a few breakages John Vause's crew on Ruby Tuesday are very
determined to make up for the lost ground and are back in the running
to defend the title. Ruby Tuesday was first to appear out of
the rain heading for the finish line but as La Samudra was close
on their heels, raising the question "Would they have enough time
up there sleeves to win the race?" Unfortunately not, as a little
over two minutes separated them and after boat handicaps have been applied
it was David Lindhal's La Samudra that raced away with this years
title. Keith Garry's Beaux Esprits ended up in third place overall.
Similarly
in IRC 2 a ding dong battle between Stuart Crow's Cinders and
Mick Kealy's Minx could go either way and today's result would
determine the eventual winner. Mick Kealy's Minx got the better
of the start and lead throughout to score a well deserved win but it did
not finish there. After deducting the drop race both Cinders
and Minx remained tied on points so a countback was required
to separate them. As Minx had won today it was Mick Kealy's crew
jumping for joy at the top of the podium. Jim Kane's third place on Chetak
secured third overall. Whatever the result these old Phuket based foes
enjoy the friendly rivalry on and off the water.
John
Stall's Charro was the only Multihull Racing Class to front up
today as the lighter rigged yachts opted to stay ashore and limit damage
control. With yesterdays win Marc Cuddenec's Chi Machine had
clinched the overall class title and were pleased to have beaten Roger
Kingdon's sistership Moto Inzi on their first outing.
In the Cruising Multihull's Chris Runnegar's Chameleon returned after suffering breakages yesterday and Bob Mott's Kilo appeared out of the mist and despite the conditions were determined to see who could get the better of each other. It was Chameleon that took control of the situation with Kilo settling on second overall. Jerome Perignon's Aliocha finished up with third place.
Racing
was abandoned for all other classes and the overall results from yesterday
will stand as the final placing's.
In the Sportsboats Scott Duncanson's highly fancied Som Tam Express ran away with the title and the Quantum Naga Cup for the second year in succession. Jim Poulsen claimed second place on the Phuket 8 sister ship Lee Marine Vino and Wade Lewis's Team Simpson Marine on the new Beneteau Firstclass 7.5 in third spot.
Two
early race wins was enough for Gunther Nutt's Norwegian classic Kerida
to clean up the Classic Class. Julian Hill's win yesterday on Sanook
advanced them to second place and Graham Chuck's ketch rigged Anjuna
stayed amongst the leaders to secure third place overall.
After winning all the races in the two keelboat Club Class Greg Plunkett's Sunsail Princess Isabella complete dominance over Kevin Ashby's Lily was enough to rap up the overall title.
Summary
What started out as a windy and sunny regatta unfortunately ended on a
stormy note. As we can't control the weather what more do you want from
a regatta. There was plenty of wind, close racing, good parties and our
hosts Evason Resort have provided one of the best locations in Asia -
I can assure you, it does not get any better than this. Image Asia Events
must be congratulated for putting on a very slick and professionally run
event that other regatta organisers could look at when streamlining their
own event. Being held in the middle of the SW Monsoon season is not a
detraction and proves yet again to be a blessing to live in a region were
pleasure boating can be enjoyed throughout the entire year.
Full results at: http://www.phuketraceweek.com
All
the IRC yachts approached the startline with a vengeance and shortly after
the horn sounded a loud bang was heard coming from John Vause's defending
champion Ruby Tuesday, that needed a good result today to get
back the overall title. The jib halyard was broken as the crew tried quickly
to rectify the problem and head off in hot pursuit.The surf is also up
and as the yachts made their way to the outer islands a 1-2 meter swell
that has been building with the south west tradewinds made a thrilling
downwind spinnaker ride all the way to Koh Maithon. David Lindhal's La
Samudra took advantage of the situation to clock up his third win
of the series and take a comfortable overall lead. Although Ruby Tuesday
managed to claw back with a line honours win her second place today has
ruined their chances of regaining the title. Keith Garry's ever consistentBeaux
Esprits logged in with a third place to make it five in a row.
In
the Multihull Racing Class Marc Cuddenec's Chi Machine got a
huge break over Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi on the first windward
beat, which they extended around the course to score their fourth win
and firmly stamp their authority at the top of the leaderboard on the
first outing. After running neck and neck on all the races held so far
Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi seemed a little of the pace today and
eventually settled in third place behind John Stall's fast finishing Charro.
The
beat up to the first island soon sorted out the Classic Class yachts by
windward performance. The newer plastic boats came out the best with Julian
Hill's Sanook taking line and handicap honours. Graham Chuck's
ketch rigged Anjuna came in a close second. Gunther Nutt's Norwegian
classic and series leader Kerida settled on third place today
but is considered first of the wooden boats or true golden oldies.
After
yesterdays close tussles, crews came fully prepared as these battles at
the top of the order are set to continue on throughout the entire regatta.
In IRC 1 it was David Lindhal's chance on La Samudra to score
two wins and turn the tide against John Vause's defending champion Ruby
Tuesday, who up till know have shared the 1, 2 placing's in every
race. Keith Garry's Malaysian entry Beaux Esprits has consistently
scored third and continues to be in hot pursuit of the leaders.
After
trading first and second places in the first two IRC 2 races it was Stuart
Crow's turn on Cinders to take another win from Mick Kealy's
defending champion Minx, who finished a close second. However
this was short lived as Cinders had to retire from race four,
allowing Minx to even the score plus take a slender overall lead.
Jim Kane's Chetak finished up with a third and second place but
will have to fight it out with George Foose's Free Wind for the
minor podium placing's. 
Similarly
in the Multihull Racing Class after running neck and neck around the entire
course it was Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi's turn to pick up a good
gust, half mile from the finish to streak away from Marc Cuddenec's brand
new Chi Machine and claim first and fastest by a mere seven seconds.
Talk about firefly's sticking together these two are inseparable. Marc
Cuddenec's Chi Machine made amends for the earlier loss by knocking
off Moto Inzi in race four by forty-one seconds to edge into
the overall lead. John Stall's more cruisier Charro has finished
a consistent third and can only watch on from afar as the two leaders
are going at it hell for leather in the distance.
In the Cruising Multihull's Bob Mott added another win to take Chameleon's
tally to three wins over Chris Sieber's Kilo with three second
placing's. Jerome Perignon's Aliocha made it around the course
today to fill third place.
After
a bit of a squabble over the IRC Sportsboat handicaps to be used, Scott
Duncanson's defending champion Som Tam Express has come to the
fore to score five first and fastest's over Jim Poulsen's Phuket 8 sister
ship Lee Marine Vino. Team Simpson Marine skippered
by Wade Lewis on the new Beneteau Firstclass 7.5 has kept the pressure
up to hold onto third place but with the wind increasing is finding it
hard to keep up with the fast planning Phuket 8 sportsboats.
Got
wind and warm sunny conditions..
The
combined IRC 1 & 2 classes were the first off for the 
In
IRC 2 Mick Kealy's defending champion Minx traded first and second
places with Stuart Crows Cinders over the two races held today.
Jim Kane's Chetak and George Foose Free Wind alternated
around in third spot and kept the pressure on the leaders.
The
hot-shot Kiwi crew lead by Wade Lewis that form Team Simpson Marine on
the new Beneteau Firstclass 7.5 had to perform some shifty startline moves,
as the three local Phuket 8 Sportsboats were covering them from all angles
but still managed to get the windward berth on each occasion. Built for
sheer speed the Phuket 8's soon streaked away and Scott Duncanson's defending
champion Som Tam Express excelled in the windy conditions to
take all the line honours. Feeling at home in the warm climate with their
shorts and favourite flip flops on, the ever determined Kiwi's stayed
on the pace through out the races and are likely to pick up some the handicap
honours. At the time of going to press a handicap dispute had to be settled
and the eventual placing's will not be known till tomorrow.
Chi
Machine looking very smart done out in the Club Med livery may have
been piped on the line on her first outing but with a slightly lower rating
gained back the handicap win by twelve seconds. John Stall's Charro
claimed third spot after an exciting day. The same placing's resulted
on the second race of the day.
The
Classic Class may have been a bit slow to get started but the crews put
in a big effort to get all the sails hoisted which made a magnificent
display as they set of on Coastal Course 18 with the tropical islands
forming a picturesque backdrop. Despite the extreme differences in design
they sail at about the same speed in a close knit group and finished within
ten minutes of each other. Gunther Nutt's Kerida took up the
challenge to claim line and handicap honours on their only race of the
day. Julian Hill's more modern Sanook cruised into second place
and Tom Howard's 100 year old classic Seraph showed she still
has the spirit with a well earned third place.
Where
back...
Image
Asia is responsible for the 
The
locally built Phuket 8 Sportsboat and 28ft Firefly catamaran are ones
to watch for sheer speed and usually provide the spectators with the excitement
they desire. This year the Quantum Naga Cup for sportsboats is combined
with Raceweek and Scott Duncanson's defending champion Som Tam Express
will have to take on a hot-shot Kiwi crew from Simpson Marine with a new
Beneteau Firstclass 7.5 and three other Phuket 8's before he can be crowned
champion again.
With
ten confirmed starters the IRC class is the biggest and most competitive
class to line up this year. A formidable battle is expected to develop
despite the size difference between John Vause's defending IRC 1 champion
Ruby Tuesday, Mick Kealy's defending IRC 2 champion Minx,
Stuart Crows well sailed Cinders and David Lindhal's La Samudra
that has won everything in sight at the end of last season. Keith Garry's
BeauX Esprits is the only Malaysian entry and has a good chance
in this field as they have mustered an experienced crew together and prepared
well in advance.
Some
of the smaller racing multihulls have the extra luxury of being able to
be folded up or dismantled then trailered across the peninsula to compete
at regattas on the east coast. Henry Kaye's Cosair 26 The Sting,
Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi and Bob Brindley's X Catriot
are both Firefly 28's and have benefited from these recent outings and
this experience should put them on favourable terms here.
The
larger multihull fleet form the backbone of the private charterboat fleet
operating out of Phuket. It's good to see Chris Sieber's Kilo
returning to the fold after a recent unmanned excursion drifting off to
the Andaman Islands which required a joint government exercise to safely
retrieve her. Bob Mott's Chameleon has been on top of their game
at recent regattas and will again be hard to topple in the four yacht
class.
One interesting yacht competing this week is Tom Howard's schooner rigged
Seraph which started life in 1906 during the Golden Age of Sailing.
Celebrating her hundredth year of sailing the seas, she represents the
ultimate sailing experience from a bygone era. Few people have the opportunity
to sail on a yacht like Seraph, let alone trim the ‘gollywobbler’,
‘sweat’ the mainsail halyard or simply cruise around in comfort.
So if you would like to enjoy a unique experience she is normally available
for charter from: 
Raceweek
2005 saw 29 boats start on the first day of racing, in steady winds of
20 knots gusting to 25 knots. The event saw its share of drama, when one
unfortunate boat sank after hitting an uncharted rock and another capsized
in the strong winds. Thanks to the fast action of rescue teams, the crews
involved suffered only minor injuries
Sports
Boat Racing will see four locally-built Phuket 8s compete for the Raceweek
trophy against the new Beneteau First Class 7.5, with a crack team from
New Zealand being flown in to challenge the home grown talent.
David
Lindahl's always-competitive La Samudra, local legend Horst Lakits's
Big A, Stuart Crowe's Cinders and regatta stalwart George
Foose's Free Wind line up with new face Chetak skippered
by Jim Kane and Malaysian entrant BeauX Esprits.
Last,
but by no means least, amongst the Raceweek participants is the Classic
Class. The classic Danish schooner Seraph celebrates its 100th
birthday with a special invitation race, competing against 4 other stunning
classic boats: Kerida, Anjuna, Aumgaia and Sanook.
This will be the first time in Thailand that five boats in this class
have actively raced against each other, and should offer some stunning
photographic opportunities.
Based
at the Evason Phuket Resort, the social programme will be 5-star, offering
excellent catering & first-class entertainment and very special low-season
rates for luxury accommodation.