6th Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2009 First 2009/10 AY Grand Prix Championship Event AY Pre Race Report

All aboard for Asia's fastest-growing regatta
22 July: The annual Six Senses Phuket Raceweek provides sailors ranging from complete novices to hardcore racing exponents of the sport, to mix it socially and competitively over four days of racing around the picturesque islands of Southern Phuket. There is a racing category for everyone from classics, cruisers, multihull's, charter boats to the top IRC racing yachts in the region. It's an intoxicating combination of fast yachts and embracing the Evason theme - Redefining Experiences. The organisers support for all levels of expertise as well as a diversity of sailing craft has quickly established itself as Asia's most exciting and fastest-growing regatta. Staging the entire event at the elegant Evason Phuket Six Senses Spa brings with it a new level of sophistication and top class service. The regatta HQ is on the lower seaview terrace, which also houses ‘Into the Beach’ and is the perfect setting for the post-race bar and five nights of grand waterside entertainment. The extended party space will ensure some fantastic culinary delights are served and the 64 majestic acres of Evason Phuket will do the rest to sweep you off your feet. The friendships formed over the last six years which the event has been running, is what keeps people coming back year after year.

The organisers Image Asia Events agreed to become one of the ten AsianYachting Grand Prix and expect to see some increased AYGP action at the event. 2008/09 Champion Neil Pryde has deferred some modifications to his prized Welbourne 52 Hi Fi, till latter in the year, just to attend Phuket Raceweek for the first time. Similarly the 2007/08 Champion Ray Roberts has forgone defending the Sydney Gold Coast Race title, in favour of attending Raceweek and not letting Neil Pryde get the early jump as he did last season. Ray will be helming the re branded DK46 Evolution Sails (formerly Quantum Racing) which already has an outstanding racing record both in Australian and Asian waters. However they won't have it all there own way as regulars in the racing class include Peter Ahern's defending champion Farr 40 YO!2, and two time winner Scott Duncanson's super fast Phuket 8 Quantum Fusion M will be there aiming to spoil the party. Ben Copely's Swan CS 42 Katsu has racked up a number of second places recently and is long overdue for a win. If Stuart Williamson's Beneteau 34.7 Skandia Endeavour of Whitby can repeat the performance they found in Langkawi earlier this year they could also be a thorn in the side of the favourite's.

The rest of the Keelboats will be split into one or more IRC classes and a Club/Charter Class, based on the number and type of entries. In the IRC 2 Class old foes will be renewing the battle that has extended over all the Phuket regattas. Defending champion is Niels Dgenkolf's X Yacht IOR 3/4 tonner Phoenix is gearing up to make it two years running but the 2007 champion Peter Dyer's Madam Butterfly has other things on their mind after narrowly missing out last year. Mick Kealy and Kevin Gillow's jointly owned X-342 Minx has also tasted victory here before and will be aiming to repeat the performance.

Donna Stephens Ron Swanson Sloop Awatea is back to defend the Club Charter Class title that they convincingly won last year. Horst Lakits Swan 55 Big A enjoys the tough going and if the conditions suit are bound to leave their mark. Roger Harris' Jeanneau 52 Simone are out to improve on the third place they scored last year. Rob Azzopardi Jeanneau SO 34.2 Prosafe Cunning Plan is a class act when everything comes together. Antony Hastings Beneteau First 53 F5 Baby Tonga is up from Malaysia and aims to give the Phuket based boats something to remember.

The warm tropical climate and SE Asia's all year round sailing season has seen the multihull classes rapidly expand into a viable charter industry plus produce some very fast and exciting boats on the race course. First it was the Mark Pescott designed Firefly's, then the Vietnam built Corsair's and all along the steady growth of Phuket built catamarans has seen the numbers swelling. The Multihull Class are hoping the fleet will be split into two divisions, as the speedy Sea Cart 30 Thor is proving very hard to catch. Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer have certainly raised the bar! Upwind at 12-13 kts and downwind at 20-24 kts this remarkable machine is attracting a lot of attention. They won 4 of 5 races two weeks ago and also in Samui but are beatable as two of those wins were by only 30 seconds!

David Liddell on his Corsair 37 Shanghai Baby which was 2nd in the King’s Cup will be making extreme efforts to hold onto Thor. The Corsair 28 Miss Saigon is always competitively raced by Neil Ayre, who was second in the 3 day SEA Multihull Regatta two weeks ago, is expected to be on the podium by the end of racing. Lots of interest also in the new Andaman Cabriolet catamaran Da Vinci Niña launched last Saturday by race organizer, Grenville Fordham will be on her maiden outing. ACYC rumours have the designer Alan Carwadine will be on the helm and the builders Composite Catamarans have done well to complete this yacht in 6 months. They will compete well against Shane Smith skippering the Tim Mumby Cat Chamelion and Bob Brindley's X Catriot that has performed well at other Asian regattas.

With up to 7 entries the Firefly 850 One Design Class will be hotly contested. Hans Rahmann's Voodoo Child helmed by the designer Mark Pescott will be the favorite, after they dominated the SEA Multihull Regatta two weeks ago. They will be hotly pursued by Roger Kingdon on Moto Inzi who has won here before and defending champion Peter Dyer on SEA Properties. Chris Jongerius The Frog and the Latitude 8 team and builders of these fine craft are rumoured to be racing on Blue Nose.

The grand old ladies of the Classic Class has Tom Howard's North Sea Fishing Boat Seraph taking on Claude de Chrissey's Amulet and Gunther Nutt's perennial winner Carter Friendship Sloop Kerida.

If the wind is as strong at it was last year, the boat and crew that can handle the lumpy upwind conditions the best and thrive in downwind surfing conditions, found to seaward of the off lying islands (See SSPR 2008 Photo Gallery) are likely to end up on top of the podium. If it is light and fluky with scattered showers it is anyone's game for the taking. Course selection and weather conditions will play a big part and if PRO Simon James is in top form, we are sure to witness some extremely close and exciting battles over the four days of racing.

SSPR 2009 Photo Gallery is posted online at: http://asianyachting.com/photos/photo.htm?PRW09
AY Race Report 1 at: http://asianyachting.com/news/PRW09/2.htm
AY Race Report 2 at: http://asianyachting.com/news/PRW09/3.htm
AY Race Report 3 at: http://asianyachting.com/news/PRW09/4.htm
AY Race Report 4 & Summary at: http://asianyachting.com/news/PRW09/5.htm

More SSPR 09 details at: http://www.phuketraceweek.com

Check out the 2009/10 AYGP pointscore as the championship unfolds at: http://asianyachting.com/news/AYGP09-10.htm

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