6th Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2009 First 2009/10 AY Grand Prix Championship Event AY Race Report 2

Beautiful tropical sailing conditions prevail...
24 July: Warm, sunny conditions, blue skies and 10 to 15 knots of breeze with good gusts welcomed the sailors back to the race course on Day 2 of the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek. What more could you ask for? It certainly inspired the photographers to capture all the exciting action up close.

Ray Roberts made it three in a row for the re-branded DK46 Evolution Sails on a lengthy windward/leeward Race 3 that lasted for nearly 3 hours. Neil Pryde complained that some niggling little crew mistakes on his Welbourne 52 Hi Fi lost them valuable time and relegated them to second place despite leading the fleet by a country mile. Peter Ahern's Farr 40 YO!2 and defending champion is constantly chomping at the bit and ready to pounce at every opportunity but as the race wore on ended up in third place. Things must have finally come together on Neil Pryde's Hi Fi as they went on to score the daily double in Race 4. Scott Duncanson's Phuket 8 Quantum Fusion M also got to show their offwind speed and slotted into second place. Only 14 seconds behind on corrected time Peter Ahern's YO!2 takes third place in front of Ray Roberts and Evolution Sails in fourth place and reduce their overall points lead to one point for the time being.

After two disappointing seventh places yesterday, Japan's Toshio Furuta on the Mumm 36 Emma came good to win Race 3 in the IRC 1 Class after a wonderful first windward beat that put them streaks ahead of the rest. Jaray Tipsuk's all Thai crew on Mitrmitri have kept their Platu 25 in front of some of the bigger boats to record second place and take the overall lead in the class. Third place for Peter Dyer's IOR 1/2 tonner Madam Butterfly displaces them from the top of the pointscore but only trail by 1 point. Race 4 saw some further juggling of the places with Niels Dgenkolf's X Yacht IOR 3/4 tonner Phoenix claiming first place with Jaray Tipsuk's Mitrmitri hot on their heels in second place and Peter Dyer's Madam Butterfly once again in third place. This result keeps Jaray Tipsuk's Mitrmitri on top of the table, one point in front of Niels Dgenkolf's Phoenix who are one point in front of Peter Dyer's Madam Butterfly. It does not get much closer than that and everything is still to play for.

Only one long passage race today for the Club Charter Class. Horst Lakits Swan 55 Big A managed to hold their time and take out the daily double in fine style. Andrew de Bruin's Ron Swanson Sloop Awatea held the upper hand in yesterdays two races and settled on second today but still holds onto the overall lead. Third for Rob Azzopardi Jeanneau SO 34.2 Prosafe Cunning Plan keeps them in third overall with a lot of work to do if they are to make a lasting impression.

Not willing to be second best Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer's Sea Cart 30 Thor came out on fire to score two wins and go directly to the top of the table. The newly launched Andaman Cabriolet Da Vinci Niña skippered by designer Alan Carwadine won two races on her racing debut yesterday but two second places today has them tied on points with Thor and drops them to second overall. Neil Ayre's Corsair 28 Miss Saigon and David Liddell's Corsair 37 Miss Saigon traded third and fourth places in the two races today to hold onto the respective overall placing's.

If consistency is the name of the game, then four wins in a row for Hans Rahmann's Voodoo Child, aptly being tweaked by the Firefly 850 designer Mark Pescott has them convincingly in top spot and it will take an almighty effort to stop them. Amazingly the others have followed suite with Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi scoring four second places and with four third places UK's John Newnham chartered The Frog hold on firmly to the respective overall positions.

Being the only grand old lady to turn up this year for the Classic Class, Tom Howard's North Sea Fishing Boat Seraph sailed the island course on their own and once again was a sight to behold as they crossed the finish line with all sails set.

Racing continues tomorrow and if the present conditions continue we are in for some fierce competition on the water and lively entertainment at night time - Just how we like it at Asian regattas.

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

More SSPR 09 details and results 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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