Bay Regatta closes on high note

/

The poster says, “Join Thailand’s Fun Regatta with 4 days of great racing while visiting four stunning destinations. Fantastic parties and daily prize giving” — and that pretty well sums it up. The 19th Bay Regatta ran true to its hype.

In the final day of racing the Multihulls sailed a 33nm course; after starting off of Ao Nang they kept Koh Yam, and then Koh Dam Hok & Koh Dam Khwan to starboard, passing the Koh Khom group further on to starboard, through the gate at Hin Mu Sang Nua on to their finish just out of Ao Chalong. The rest of the course sailed a shortened 17nm course out from Ao Nang finishing at Hin Mu Sang Nua.

The Racing class on the final day was won by Megazip with Emagine and Fujin coming in second and third. This meant that Scott Bradley’s Emagine emerged victorious overall with Megazip in second with 9 points and Fujin, featuring the Great Peter Sorenson, coming in third with 13 points. Long-time Bay Regatta Cruising Class winner Neils Degenkolw took fourth on Phoenix and the Fargo Ladies Team, with the sensational Liz Schoch skippering, ended settling for fifth overall even though they did win the first race and Team Ferret came last in the top division, although the Platu battled hard against the bigger boats throughout.

Cruising A honours on the last day went to Thalassa with Lady Bubbly and Remington coming in second and third. This broke Remington’s string of three-straight first-place finishes but Jim Ellis’ team did still the win the overall title with Tony Bynes’ Mohawk coming in second with 11 points and Chris Mitchell’s Lady Bubbly finishing third with 13 points. Fourth spot went Thalassa, 5th to Linda and the mysterious Salina came sixth.

Cruising B saw Tongfah grab top spot on the final day with Poco and Aqua coming next in line. This enabled Ket Mangklaeseranee’s boat, the only all-Thai team in the regatta, to win their division with 8 points, while Kevin Gillow’s Poco, last year’s winner, tied Selma with 12 points, but took second overall based on a higher finish on the last day (second). Rate came 4th followed by Aqua and Sanook in this six-boat division.

Bareboat Charters saw Papasha Grizly win for the fourth day straight day—the only the only boat to sweep its class. Little Eva and *Sumalee *came in second and third on the day. In the overall standings, *Papasha Grizly* and *Little Eva* kept those one, two spots, but Kinnon snuck in to take third place, in a class dominated by Russian sailors. Sumalee, Allsail Isabella and *Allsail Uhuru* came 4th 5th & 6th to round out this division.

Multihulls saw Blue Noze, Asia Catamarans Hurricane come one, two and three. *This meant that Java* took the overall title with 11 points, *Asia Catamarans Hurricane* came second with 12 points, *and Voodoo *was third with 13 points. Twin Sharks was fourth, followed by* WOW, Blue Noze*, Galeforce, Adrenaline and Allegro.

Firefly finishes saw Blue Noze, Voodoo & Twin Sharks finish one, two, three and that’s the way the overall standings finished in this tightly fought class, which saw all entrees finish with an 8-point total, but Blue Noze took the crown on two first-place finishes while Voodoo edged out *Twin Sharks* on the final day to gain second spot.

The final party and prize giving was held at O2 Beach Club in Ao Chalong, as it has been for the last few years.

Co-sponsors for this year’s Bay Regatta were Chang, Mekhong, 100 Plus, Neil Pryde, the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa and O2 Beach Club.

Regatta partners included the Chandara Resort & Spa, Haad Thip, Jungceylon, Krabi Boat Lagoon, Mangosteen Resort & Spa, MOOSE, Nivea & Paradise Beach. Jungceylon & MOOSE.

Regattas Asia is the event organizer and The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Yacht Racing Authority of Thailand (YRAT) and the Phuket Yacht Club (ACYC) are the supporting authorities.

Local supporters include Ao Nang Villa Resort, B&G, Electrical Marine, Infinity Communications, Octopus Electrical Services, Phuket Boat Lagoon, Prestige Marine & S/Y Seraph. The official media partners are Class Act Media, SEA Yachting, the Greater Phuket Magazine  and One Coast. 

The chartered committee boat was the 110-yr-old Seraph, graciously supplied by Tom Howard and skippered by Bruce Issel. Credit much go to all of Simon James’ on-water committee including Chandran, Hugh, Susaan, Phil, Jane, Andy, Gigi and Eddie, while Kae Wattana’s minions performed admirably making shore all the on-shore activities took place without a hitch.

The thing about the Bay Regatta is that anyone who is anyone in the Phuket Sailing Committee has played a role in keeping this regatta going. Some of those folks sailing the 19th event included PYC Commodore - Scott Duncanson, Mark Horwood & Mick Kealy.

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the Bay Regatta and organizer Simon James has already said he hopes to return Chong Lat, the home of many classic Bay Regatta parties, and one of the most stunning anchorages in this region.

Ao Nang is day three base for Fun Regatta

/

The Bay Regatta is a series of inshore and coastal races, which prides itself on its parties and ending up in an unusual destination every night. The amazing limestone towers of Phang Nga Bay create ideal backdrops for the vivid sails of the fleet.

This regatta appeals to the serious, the not-so-serious and the not-at-all-serious “racing” sailors, combining spectacular natural scenery with lively parties and some sail boat racing. The region’s yachting community visited three of Thailand's most scenic provinces (Phuket, Phang Nga & Krabi) in four days of racing and five nights of partying. Entrants came from as far as Russia (7 boats), Australia, UK, & Canada to compete for honours in six competing classes (Racing, Cruising A, Cruising B, Bareboat Charter, Multihull & Fireflies).

Affectionately known as “The Fun Regatta”, camaraderie and fun are cornerstones of the event and participants end up reliving each day’s sailing with post-race beverages and lively conversation followed by a casual dinner, a prize-giving ceremony and entertainment on shore.

This relaxed sailing experience follows Phuket’s famous King’s Cup Regatta by two months, contrasting with the serious nature of its bigger brother as many participants sleep aboard their boats as the fleet moves around its four-day circumnavigation of the Bay.

Days three racing off of Ao Nang took the fleet around Koh Man, Koh Dam Kwan, Koh Khom, Koh Wa Sam and Koh Ya Man, before heading back to the finish alongside committee boat Seraph.

Racing Class for day three saw Fujin, Emagine, Megazip finish 1,2, 3 with* Phoenix, Team Ferret* & the Fargo Ladies Team finishing 4th, 5th 6th in the order. So Scott Bradley Emagine still leads the group with five points; Megazip is in second with eight points and Fujin moves up to third with ten.

Phang Nga Bay reverberated with the howls of “Yee Ha” as Jim Ellis’ Remington took the Cruising A class yet again with Lady Bubbly in second and Mohawk in third. Thaiassa, Linda & Salina rounded out the Cruising A class. Remington’s three straight wins left it atop this class with three points. Tony Bynes’ Mohawk sits in second with seven and Woodrow Christenson’s Linda is in third with 12 points.

Cruising B saw Selma, Tongfah & Rate finish in the top three with Aqua, Poco in 4th & 5th respectively and Sanook with a DNS. That left Ket Mangklaeseranee’s Tongfah in first with 7 points, a tied for second between Sergei Djkanov’s Rate and Cedric Remaud’s Selma and Kevin Gillow’s Poco in third with ten points.

Bareboat charters saw Papasha Grizly win again with *Sumalee *coming in second* and Little Eva* in third. Kinnon Allsail Isabella and *Allsail Uhuru* came 4th 5th & 6th to round out the placings in this class. After three races, Igor Skvortcov’s* Papasha Grizly* sits first in first place with three points, Stanislas Pechenkin’s Little Eva is second with seven points and Igor Lin’s Kinnon is in third with eleven points.

Multihulls saw Asia Catamarans Hurricane first, Java second, Wow third, *Twin Sharks* fourth, Blue Noze fifth, Voodoo *sixth, Adrenaline* seventh, Galeforce in eighth, and Allegro in ninth. This left *Mick Coleman’s Java* ahead of the pack with six points, Asia Catamarans Hurricane in second with eight points *and Twin Sharks *in third with ten points.

Firefly finishes saw Twin Sharks, Blue Noze &* Voodoo* win place & show, so after three races *Twin Sharks *leads with four points, Voodoo has six and Blue Noze has eight.

The evening’s party and prize giving took place at Aonang Villa Resort with Andy Dowden and Phil Vidal acting as co-Mcs. The regatta heads back to Ao Chalong for the final day of racing tomorrow.

Strong gusts continue thru day two of the Bay Regatta

/

Hands down – the most photogenic and the most fun regatta in Southeast Asia, continues to live up its reputations as participants sped past the beautiful karst topography of Phang Nga Bay making their way down from Koh Yao Noi to Ao Nang.    

Racing Class for day two saw Emagine, Megazip and Phoenix finishing 1,2, 3, & Fujin, Team Ferret & the Fargo Ladies Team finishing 4th, 5th 6th in the order. That left Scott Bradley’s Emagine (a former Transpac winner as Bull) atop the leader board with three points; Megazip in second with five points and the Fargo Ladies Team with seven points.

Cruising B today saw Rate, Selma and Tongfah, win, place & show with Poco & Aqua in 4th & 5th & Sanook with a DNF. That left a three-way overall tie for first between Djkanov Sergei’s Rate, Kevin Gillow’s Poco & Ket Mangklaseranee Tongfah, each with five points.

Bareboat charters saw Papasha Grizly win with Little Eva in second and Kinnon in third. Allsail Isabella and Allsail Uhuru came 4th and 5th and Sumalee was in sixth spot. So after two races, Papasha Grizly was first with five points, Little Eva was second with four points and Kinnon and Allsail Isabella sat tied in third with seven points each.  

Multihulls saw Java first, Asia Catamarans Hurricane second, Wow third, Twin Sharks fourth, Voodoo fifth, Blue Noze in sixth, Adrenaline in seventh, Galeforce in eighth, and Allegro in ninth. This left Java in first overall with four points, Twin Sharks & Voodoo in second with six points & Asia Catamarans Hurricane with seven points.   

 Firefly finishes saw Twin Sharks, Voodoo swap positions from yesterday and Blue Noze came in third again, so after two races Twin Sharks & Voodoo were tied with three points and Blue Noze had six.   

A protest hearing was pending as Phoenix called out Megazip for a near collision at the start line.

Day two racing started off with the Racing Class, Cruising A and Multihulls charting a 24nm course that left from Koh Yao Noi, rounded Koh Le Mann to starboard, passed Koh Pang & then Koh Pak Bia to port, Koh Ka to starboard, rounded Koh Kaya to starboard through the gate at Koh Heng (leaving the committee boat to port), rounding Koh Ngang to port before passing between Koh Deng and Koh Samet and finally finishing off at Ao Nang.      

Bareboats and Cruising B followed a shortened 17nm course, not heading north to Koh Le Mann, rather rounding Koh Pang to port immediately after leaving Koh Yao Noi.   

The regatta features a different anchorage and party every night and the average course is about 20 miles long.

The regatta is more famous for the spectacular settings of its courses and parties than the sense of sailing triumph, and continues to evolve while maintaining its original brief – to bring the joys of sailing right into the midst of the spectacular environments that surround Phuket. 

It appeals to the serious, the not-so-serious and the not-at-all-serious “racing” sailors, combining spectacular natural scenery with lively parties and some sail boat racing. The region’s yachting community visits three of Thailand's most scenic provinces in four days of racing and five days of partying.

Affectionately billed as “The Fun Regatta”, the regatta leads participants through a course of different anchorages and party venues. Camaraderie and fun are cornerstones of the event and as participants end up reliving each day’s sailing with post-race beverages and lively conversation followed by a casual dinner, a prize-giving ceremony and entertainment on shore.

Mark Pescott, the Firefly designer, was seen flying around on Blue Noze, a good reminder that he has won this event seven times (six times on Somersault and once on Sidewinder). Mark has also sailed in this event 17 of the 19 years it has been held. Other long-time winners participating this year include Neils Degenkolw on Phoenix and Jim Ellis on Remington.         

Co-sponsors for this year’s Bay Regatta are Chang, Mekhong, 100 Plus, Neil Pryde, the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa and O2 Beach Club.

Regatta partners include Haad Thip, Paradise Koh Yai, Chandara Resort & Spa, Krabi Boat Lagoon, Nivea, The Mangosteen Resort & Spa, Jungceylon, & MOOSE.  

Regattas Asia is the event organizer and The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Yacht Racing Authority of Thailand (YRAT) and the Phuket Yacht Club (ACYC) are the supporting authorities.

Local supporters include Aonang Villa, B&G, Electrical Marine, Infinity Communications, Octopus Electrical Services, Phuket Boat Lagoon, Prestige Marine & S/Y Seraph. The official media partners are Class Act Media, SEA Yachting, the Greater Phuket Magazine and One Coast.

The committee boat is the 110-yr-old Seraph (70ft with bowsprit), graciously supplied by Tom Howard.   

Photography by Celine Verchere

Strong winds greet racers for start of 19th Bay Regatta

/

Four divisions of six boats—Racing, Cruising A & B and Bareboats-combined with eight boats in the Multihull class to form the fleet for the 2016 Bay Regatta.

On the Regatta’s first day, Liz Schoch’s Fargo Ladies Team took first place in the Racing Class followed by Scott Bradley’s Emagine & Aleksandr Trofimenko’s Megazip. Neils Degenklow’ Phoenix, Mick Tilden’s Fujin and Kevin Scott’s Team Ferret rounded out the racing class finishers in that order.

Liz performed amazingly well at the recent Phuket King’s Cup Regatta winning the Corsair Division and *Fujin, *a Beneteau 44.7, is topping the leader-board in Captain Marty’s Asian Yachting Grand Prix series.

Cruising A saw long-time Bay Regatta Jim Ellis’ Remington take top spot from Tony Bynes Mohawk & Woodrow Christenson’s *Linda *with Chris Mitchell’s Lady Bubbly Audrey Arbuzov’s Thaiassa & Dick Norris’ Salina finishing out the racing in this class.

Cruising B saw the Gillows on Poco continue their amazing Bay Regatta run with Ket Mangklaeseranee’s Tongfah finishing second and Mig Wehlre’s *Aqua coming in third. Djkanov Sergei’s *Rate was fourth with Cedic Remaud’s Selma fifth & Paul Knight’s Sanook *sixth.*

The Bareboat Class saw top honours go to Papasha Grizly helmed by Igor Skvortcov; second was Little Eva skipped by Stanislav Pechenkin and third spot was Allsail Isabella helmed by Russell Waddy. Fourth spot went to Igor Llin’s Kinon with Allan Bower’s Allsail Uhuru in fifth & Olof Thoren’s Sulmalee in sixth.

In the Multihulls, Hans Rahmann Voodoo came first, John Newnham’s *Twin Sharks* second, Mick Coleman’s Java third with Kiril Stashevskly’s Galeforce coming fourth, Alan Cawardine’s *Asia Catamarans Hurricane *fifth, George Edding’s Blue Noze in sixth, David Lidell’ Wow in seventh and Mark Horwood’s Adrenaline in eighth place.

Three Fireflies, competing in the multihull class also formed their own class with Voodoo, Twin Sharks & Blue Noze finishing one, two & three today, and Voodoo claiming line honours for all boats day.

There was a slight hiccup on the water today with the pin boat having trouble setting a mark near Koh Yai because of strong winds; the first five boats went past the said mark searching for the buoy, then using the GPS given, sailed past and continued on their way.

Today’s race started at Koh Naka Yai as the participants sailed north leaving Koh Phanak and Koh Na Ka Ya to port before rounding the first mark, northeast of Koh Yai, to starboard and then heading towards Koh Yao Noi leaving Hin Mot Daeng to port and Koh Batang to starboard before finishing off of Koh Kudu Yai – approximately 17 nautical miles in length.

It was heartwarming to see the Gillows racing through the water on Poco again, the boat that first brought them to Thailand two decades ago. Last year, they won their division with Kevin helming nine months after suffering a severe stoke.

Participants gathered at the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa on Koh Yao Noi for the evening’s party and prize-giving. The Chandara Resort & Spa in Ao Po hosted the opening-night party.

The regatta was started by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club and then taken over by John Everingham and his crew at Artasia for a number of years before reverting back to the stewardship of the ACYC (now the Phuket Yacht Club), who then turned it over to the very capable hands of Simon James and Kae Wattana whose company Regattas Asia have done a great job of running the event the last four years.

Less than 3 Weeks to go until The Bay Regatta.

/
Less than 3 Weeks to go until The Bay Regatta.

Over 40 sailing yachts and 250 competitors arrive in Phuket in February, to join this years 19th Bay Regatta.

Now in it’s 19th Year, The Bay Regatta is different from Phuket famous King’s Cup Regatta, as it takes the fleet from Phuket, through the spectacular scenery of Phang Nga Bay to a new anchorage each evening, holding awards parties in a wide variety of different locations. 

Read More

One Coast Magazine, joins The 19th Bay Regatta.

/

One Coast Magazine.

One Coast Magazine has joined with Regattas Asia as a proud media partner for 19th Bay Regatta and 15th Samui Regatta.

One Coast looks at what makes Thailand tick from Phuket, to Bangkok to Samui, we are all but One Coast in this incredible and creative world.

Each issue we will be looking at all kinds of fashion, beauty, homewares, retail and the environment in which we live, we also place a spotlight on those who have Thailand in their veins – be they locals, expats or travellers.

One Coast aims to bring together the inspirational art created on all of our shores. One world. One Magazine. One Coast.

www.onecoastmagazine.com

Updated route chart now available in The Regatta section

/

Regatta Dates: 17th - 21st February 2016

Registration (17th) - Chandara Resort and Spa, Ao Po, Phuket.
Day 1 (18th) - Race from Ao Po to Paradise, Koh Yao Noi.
Day 2 (19th) - Race from Paradise, Koh Yao to Krabi Area . 
Day 3 (20th) - Race around Krabi Islands. Party at Ao Nang Villa Resort.
Day 4 (21st) - Race from Krabi to Ao Chalong Bay, Closing Party at O2 Beach Club, Ao Chalong.

Download the chart from http://www.bayregatta.com/the-route/

Dates for The Bay Regatta 2016 Announced.

/

The dates for the Bay Regatta 2016 will be:

17th - 21st February 2016.

programme will be as follows:-

Wed 17th              - Registration and Opening Part, CHANDARA RESORT & SPA, AO PO.

Thurs 18th          - Race Day 1 , Phuket - KoH Yao, PRESENTATION PARTY AT PARADISE KOH YAO.

Friday 19th         - Race Day 2,  KoH Yao - Krabi, FREE NIGHT IN KRABI.

Saturday 20th   - Race Day 3. Racing in Krabi, PRESENTATION PARTY at AO NANG VILLA RESORT.

Sunday 21st       - Race Day 4, Krabi to Phuket, Presentation Party at O2 Beach Club, Ao Chalong.

 

Spinnaker run hi-lites final day of racing

/

Good wind allowed PRO Simon James to get in one of the famous spinnakers runs that the Bay Regatta is renowned for as the competitors sailed from the start line off Phi Phi Don to Ao Chalong. Interestingly, committee boat Rendezvous acted as both the start boat, and then racing ahead as the finish boat itself with the other committee boat Tom Howard’s Seraph acting as the gate off of Koh Maiton and eventually the finish line for the Cruising B class.

Adrenaline was first across the line on the final day with a time of 02:25:29, narrowly beating Hurricane (02:25:37) Twin Sharks (02:25:53) and Blue Noze (02:26:58) in a closely-grouped finish.

The much-hyped 40ft trimaran, a Formula 40, had teething problems in last year’s regatta and had to withdraw early due to a collision with its support boat *Uravai, *but this year, it flew—grabbing line honours three times. On handicap Mark Horwood/Merv Owen’s boat finished 7th with 23 points, but speed wise it kicked ass.

This year’s racing class was won by Roland Dane’s *Jessandra *11with a total of 5 points; second went to Fergus & Jennifer Wilmer’s *Foo 4 *with 8 points; third to Evegeni Nikforov’s *First *with 13 points; while Mick Tilden’s *Fujin *was fourth with 16 points and Nicolay Vlasov’s *Tiburon *was last with 18 points.

The multihull class saw John Coffin’s Java take first overall with eight points. Second spot went to Alan Carwadine’s Asia Catamarans *Hurricane, *who although they tied with Andrew DeBruin’s Bullet with 12 points took second spot because of higher placings in their races. Andrew was sailing with his son Fin and Scott Duncanson.

Fourth place also saw a tie between John Newnham’s Twin Sharks and Kiril Stashevsky’s *Galeforce, *each with 20 points with the former getting the leg up because of higher race placings. George Eddings’ Blue Nose took sixth overall with 22 points and Mark Horwood/Merv Owen’s *Adrenaline *came seventh with 23 points. Last year, Grenville Fordham’s Nina beat almost all the Stealths but this year the light wind relegated her to last with 36 points. Danny Moore’s 3itch never seemed to find its groove either, coming in second last with 28 points.

On the final day of racing in Cruising A, Niels Degenkolw Phoenix (03:55:30) finished almost an hour ahead of second place Sansiri Windstar helmed by Ging Patinyakorn Buranrom (04:49:57). The only two other boats to finish on the final day in this class were Libby Boyd and the Chinese students from the Krabi Sailing School on *Mas Alegre, *who came in at 05:38:33, and Dominic Buchholz’s *Venus Hunter *who finished at 06:14:41.

Venus Hunter won the “persistence award” on the final day; drifting backwards, dangerously close to the reef on Koh Maiton, on the opposite side of the white buoy forming the gate with committee boat Seraph, they continued to drift and drift much to the exasperation of the committee, only to finally right themselves and then sail back around the buoy, cross the finish line properly and grab 4th place in Cruising A with an elapsed time of 06:14:41. Linda, also in Cruising A, was caught drifting backwards parallel to *Venus Hunter *for a while, but the captain in his Scottish brogue declared he would fight another day and withdrew from the race leaving Venus Hunter to fight her way back solo.

In Bay Regatta history, no one captain, or boat, has won its class more often than Niels Degenkolw *Phoenix *and they did it again capturing Cruising A with 4 points; *Sansiri Windstar *was next with five; *Mas Alegre* was third with ten; Venus Hunter was fourth with 14; Linda fifth with 17 and *Allsail Uhuru *and *Sailom *finished tied for sixth with identical records at 20 points each.

Cruising B class saw the Gillows on Poco sweep all three of their races taking first place overall. The regatta’s “courage award” went to Kevin Gillow, who after suffering a stroke last year, made a remarkable comeback to win this class with just his charming daughter Mia as the only other crew member.

Meg Wehrle’s* Aqua* and Kevan & Sheila Perrins’ Oyster 435 Rusalka ended up tied with eight points, but Aqua took second based on two second-place finishes. Fourth went to Steve Johnson’s Bonobo (13 pts); Sergei Dikanov’s *Rate *was fifth (17 pts); and sixth spot went to Rob Devlin’s *SY Ravensong *(06:07:49), with *Toot Yai *fittingly bringing up the rear (23pts).

On the final day,* Toot Yai* finished at Phuket’s Boat Lagoon, forgetting to notify the race committee leaving a few on the finish line scratching their heads and wondering where she went. Committee members had also given up on Bonobo, but she stuck it out finally appearing over the horizon and crossing the finish line last just before the 3:30pm cut-off time with an elapsed time of 06:32:40.

A channel race, this regatta took place over four days. It kicked off March 5th with an opening night party at Chandara Resort & Spa ( www.chandara-resort.com) near Ao Po Marina. Racing started the next day as yachts headed out in the direction of Koh Yao Noi, stopping in at the Paradise Koh Yao Boutique Resort & Spa (www.theparadisekohyao.com) for the evening’s party. On the second day out the fleet set sail in light wind and headed for the P.P. Erawan Palms Resort on Phi Phi Don ( ), the site of the second night’s party. For the third day of racing, the yachts sailed around the Phi Phi Islands with the evening’s party being staged by Arayaburi/Bayview Resort Phi Phi (www.arayaburiphiphi.com). The final day of racing, saw competitors head back to Ao Chalong from Phi Phi, where upon finishing the regatta participants celebrated with a big bash and the final awards ceremony at the 02 Beach Club in Ao Chalong (www.o2beachclub.com).

Host sponsors for the regatta were the Chandara Resort & Spa, the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa, the Arayaburi Boutique Resort, the Bay View Resort, the PP Erawan Palms Resort and the O2 Beach Club.

Regattas Asia was the event organizer and The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Yacht Racing Authority of Thailand (YRAT) and the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) are the supporting authorities.

Local supporters included B&G, Canvas Creations, Electrical Marine, Quantum Sails, Octopus Electrical Services, Krabi Boat Lagoon, Phuket Boat Lagoon and SY Seraph. The official media partners are *SEA Yachting *and the *Greater Phuket Magazine.*

While regatta partners included Asahi, Asia Catamarans, Haad Thip, Jungceylon, Mont Clair, Singha Light, Neil Pryde and the Mangosteen.

Let there be wind - and there was

/

The wind gods came out to play this morning allowing the Bay Regatta’s “Phi Phi Islands Race” to take place. PRO and race organizer Simon James sent the fleet off east of Leam Tong on Phi Phi Don; they headed out rounding Koh Mai Pai (Bamboo Island) and Koh Yung (Mosquito Island) to port then passing Hin Klang to port as well on through a gate, leaving the committee boat (Seraph) to starboard.

The sailors then headed down past Laem Hin at the southern tip of Phi Phi Don rounding Koh Bida Nai and Koh Bida Nok to starboard heading back towards Seraph at the finish line leaving Phi Phi Le (Koh Phraya Nak) to port.

The racing class was won by Roland Dane’s Jessandra 11 for the second straight day with a corrected time of 04:58:54; second went to Fergus & Jennifer Wilmer’s Foo 4 (5:05:48); third to Evegeni Nikforov’s First (5:15:07); while Mick Tilden’s *Fujin *was fourth (5:21:07) with Nicolay Vlasov’s Tiburon (5:43:20).

The multihull class saw John Coffin’s Java take first for the second straight day on 03:42:51. Second spot went to Alan Carwadine’s Asia Catamarans Hurricane (03:45:40). Andrew DeBruin’s Bullet (03:56:00), with third; fourth place went to John Newnham’s Twin Sharks (04:08:10).

Mark Horwood/Merv Owen’s *Adrenelin *was first over the line over-all for the second straight day but after corrected time dropped down to fifth spot (04:09:48); sixth spot went to George Eddings’ Blue Nose (04:16:01) and seventh spot went to Danny Moore’s 3itch (5:11:23).

At the ten nautical mile mark Kiril Stashevsky’s Galeforce (06:23:10) was 10 miles back so the committee decided to award them 8th spot with an FPA.

Grenville Fordham’s *Nina, *again suffered as the wind died and did not finish though his crew with their painted faces continued to win the most colourful crew contest.

In the cruising A class Niels Degenkolw Phoenix (03:21:26) finished well ahead of second place Sansiri Windstar helmed by Thai national Ging Patinyakorn Buranrom (04:28:49) with Jack Christensen’s Linda coming third (5:01:05). Libby Boyd and the Chinese students from the Krabi Sailing School on *Mas Alegre *took fourth (05:03:17).

After over five-and-a-half hours on the water, the three final boats in this class (Jeff Hook’s Sailom, *Dominic Buchholz’s *Venus Hunter and Russell Waddy’s *Allsail Uhuru) *crossed the finish within a minute of each other on elapsed time with Sailom crossing at 06:29:30; Venus Hunter at 06:30:11; and *Allsail Uhuru *at 06:30:07.

Cruising B saw the Gillows on Poco repeat in first (04:58:21); with second going to Kevan & Sheila Perrins’ Oyster 435 Rusalka (05:15:40); third to Sergei Dikanov’s *Rate *(05:35:23); fourth to (06:06:27); and fifth to Steve Johnson’s Bonobo (06:07:49). *Toot Yai *and *SY Ravensong *did not finish in this class.

The party and awards ceremony was held at the Arayaburi/Bay View Resort, which hosted the evening party and award’s ceremony with Claire Mossop long-time committee-member doing the honours as MC.

Host sponsors for the regatta are the Chandara Resort & Spa, the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa, Arayaburi Boutique Resort, Bay View Resort, PP Erawan Palms Resort and O2 Beach Club.

Regattas Asia is the event organizer and The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Yacht Racing Authority of Thailand (YRAT) and the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) are the supporting authorities.

Local supporters include B&G, Canvas Creations, Electrical Marine, Quantum Sails, Octopus Electrical Services, Krabi Boat Lagoon, Phuket Boat Lagoon and SY Seraph. The official media partners are *SEA Yachting *and the *Greater Phuket Magazine.*

While regatta partners include Asahi, Asia Catamarans, Haad Thip, Jungceylon, Mont Clair, Singha Light, Neil Pryde and the Mangosteen.

To give all boats in this class a better chance, Cruising B raced under the new NHC performance handicap system, which the Bay Regatta first employed last year.

The regatta features a different anchorage and party every night and the average course is about 20 miles long.

The committee boats are the 104-yr-old Seraph (70ft with bowsprit) and the power cat Rendezvous, built by Asia Catamarans. They were graciously supplied by Tom Howard and Alan Carwardine, respectively.

Light wind doesn't damper participants' enthusiasm on Day 2 of Bay Regatta

/

Slow winds again hampered sailing on day two of the Bay Regatta; organizers were not able to get a race in for the cruising classes, but moving down the course they were able to get in a shortened course in for the racing and multihull classes from the southern tip of Koh Pang, leaving Koh Hong to starboard finishing between the committee boats and Koh Nang.

The racing class was won by Roland Dane’s Jessandra 11 who came in with a corrected time of 00:58:38; second went to Evegeni Nikforov’s First at 1:00:29, followed by Fergus & Jennifer Wilmer’s Foo 4 (1:00:57). Then Mick Tilden’s Fujin *was fourth (1:03:03) with Nicolay Vlasov’s *Tiburon (1:09:18).

Multihulls saw John Coffin’s Java take first on 00:51:29, corrected time. Second spot went to Andrew DeBruin’s Bullet (00:52:08), with third going to Alan Carwadine’s Asia Catamarans Hurricane (00:54:57). Fourth place went to Kiril Stashevsky’s Galeforce (0:55:05); fifth to George Eddings’ *Blue Nose* (00:55:24) and sixth spot to Mark Horwood/Merv Owen’s *Adrenelin *(00:57:01) with John Newnham’s Twin Sharks (00:58:40), Danny Moore’s 3itch (1:01:13) finishing seventh and eighth respectively. Grenville Fordham’s *Nina, *suffering most from lack of wind, finishing last with a time of 1:04:00 (Fordham’s team did the win the most colourful crew contest though).

The lack of wind didn’t damper the spirits of the participants who enjoyed themselves at the P.P. Erawan Palms Resort, which hosted the evening party and award’s ceremony with Andy Dowden doing the honours as MC. The first night’s party was held at the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa where the MC was party organizer Simon James.

The regatta was moved to March this year due to scheduling conflicts with Chinese New Year and a popular sailor’s wedding last weekend in Khao Lak. But it is so difficult to predict the wind as forecasters are calling for lots of it—next week!

Host sponsors for the regatta are the Chandara Resort & Spa, the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa, Arayaburi Boutique Resort, Bay View Resort, PP Erawan Palms Resort and O2 Beach Club.

Regattas Asia is the event organizer and The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Yacht Racing Authority of Thailand (YRAT) and the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) are the supporting authorities.

Local supporters include B&G, Canvas Creations, Electrical Marine, Quantum Sails, Octopus Electrical Services, Krabi Boat Lagoon, Phuket Boat Lagoon and SY Seraph. The official media partners are *SEA Yachting *and the *Greater Phuket Magazine.*

While regatta partners include Asahi, Asia Catamarans, Haad Thip, Jungceylon, Mont Clair, Singha Light, Neil Pryde and the Mangosteen.

To give all boats in this class a better chance, Cruising B raced under the new NHC performance handicap system, which the Bay Regatta first employed last year.

The regatta features a different anchorage and party every night and the average course is about 20 miles long.

The committee boats are the 104-yr-old Seraph (70ft with bowsprit) and the power cat Rendezvous, built by Asia Catamarans. They were graciously supplied by Tom Howard and Alan Carwardine, respectively.

18th Bay Regatta sets sail

/

The 18th Bay Regatta: Phuket, Phang Nga & Krabi set sail on the morning of March 5th after an opening night party and buffet the evening before at the Chandara Resort & Spa on Ao Po. PRO and regatta organizer Simon James welcomed everyone and laid out the ground rules at the skipper’s briefing.

The first course was 17 miles long; starting of Koh Naka Yai as the participants sailed north leaving Koh Phanak and Koh Na Ka Ya to port before rounding the first mark, northeast of Koh Yai, to starboard and then heading towards Koh Yao Noi leaving Hin Mot Daeng to port and Koh Batang to starboard before finishing off of Koh Kudu Yai.         

Four classes are competing in this regatta flying the flags of many nations. Affectionately known as the “Fun Regatta” to all participants, countries represented included Thailand, the USA, UK, Canada, China, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, Australia, Russia, and Indonesia

The five-boat Racing Class featured two Russian boats: Evgenil Nikiforov’s First and Nichlay Vlasov’s Tuburon; along with Fergus & Jennifer Wilmer’s Foo 4 (CAN), Mick Tilden’s Fujin (AUS) and Michael Spies Jessandra II (AUS). 

There was little wind on day one but all classes did manage to get in one shortened race each.   

Foo 4 came first in the Racing Class followed by Jessandra II and Tiburon. First placed fourth and Fujin was fifth.  

Cruising yachts in the regatta are divided into two classes: Cruising A has seven yachts including Niels Degenkolw (DEN) and his 3/4 ton Phoenix. Also competing in Cruising A is Sansiri Windstar helmed by Thai national Ging Patinyakorn Buranrom. Then there’s Russell Waddy’s Allsail Uhuru (AUS); Woodrow Christensen’s Linda (US); Dominic Buchholz’s Venus Hunter (GER); Jeff Hock’s Sailom (AUS); and Libby Boyd (CHN) skipping a bunch of Chinese students from the Krabi Sailing School on Mas Alegre. 

Cruising A IRC Class first day action results saw Windstar finish first followed by Phoenix in second and Mas Alegre in third. Venus Hunter, Allsail Uhuru, Linda, and Sailom followed in that order.    

As this is the first day, there is no change in the positions using the NHC Handicap System for this class. But tomorrows results will effect ratings for tomorrows race.

The seven-boat Cruising B class sees the return of the Gillows on Poco (THA) as well as Mig Wehrle’s Aqua (THA) and Kevan & Sheila Perrins on their Oyster 435 Rusalka (GBR). Also competing in this class is Greg Brennan’s Toot Yai (AUS); Steve Johnson’s Bonono (AUS); Sergei Dikanov on Rate (RUS); and Rob Devlin’s Ravensong (AUS).   

First day results for Cruising B based on NHC Performance rating saw Poco first, followed by Aqua, then Rusalka, Bonobo, Ravensong, Rate and Toot Yai. 

The nine-boat Multihull Class featured Adrenaline (THA), “one of the most interesting trimarans ever built.” This record breaking Formulae 40 trimaran, now based in Phuket, is sailed by a veteran team from the Ao Chalong Yacht Club, skipped by Mark Horwood & Merv Owen. Also competing in the class were John Newnham’s Twin Sharks (GBR), Phuket-based multihull designer Alan Carwadine’s Asia Catamarans Hurricane (THA). Rounding out the class are Grenville Fordham’s Nina (THA), John Coffin’s  Java (CHN), Kirill Stashevsky’s Galeforce (RUS), Andrew DeBruin’s Bullet (AUS), George Eddings’ Blue Noze (GBR) and Danny Moore’s 3itch (INA).  

First-day results saw Bullet win followed by Java and Galeforce. Rounding out the field in order were 3itch, Adrenaline, Asia Catamarans Hurricane, Blue Noze, Twin Sharks, and Image Asia’s Nina. 

The hallmark of this event is a casual, fun-filled atmosphere. Many friends join together to sail the four-day event and while the sailing is serious for many, a large number of cruisers join for the experience of sailing through some of the world’s most amazing maritime scenery.

Host sponsors for the regatta are the Chandara Resort & Spa, the Paradise Koh Yao Beach Resort & Spa, Arayaburi Boutique Resort, Bay View Resort, PP Erawan Palms Resort and O2 Beach Club. 

Regattas Asia is the event organizer and The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Yacht Racing Authority of Thailand (YRAT) and the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) are the supporting authorities. 

Local supporters include B&G, Canvas Creations, Electrical Marine, Quantum Sails, Octopus Electrical Services, Krabi Boat Lagoon, Phuket Boat Lagoon and SY Seraph. The official media partners are SEA Yachting and the Greater Phuket Magazine.

While regatta partners include Asahi, Asia Catamarans, Haad Thip, Jungceylon, Mont Clair, Singha Light, Neil Pryde and the Mangosteen.  

To give all boats in this class a better chance, Cruising B raced under the new NHC performance handicap system, which the Bay Regatta first employed last year. 

The regatta features a different anchorage and party every night and the average course is about 20 miles long. 

The committee boats are the 104-yr-old Seraph (70ft with bowsprit) and the power cat Rendezvous, built by Asia Catamarans. They were graciously supplied by Tom Howard and Asia Catamarans, respectively.