Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2024 Day 1
by Scott Murray 2 Dec 05:17 PST
30 November – 6 December 2024
Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2024 © Guy Nowell / Phuket King’s Cup
Kevin Whitcraft’s Team Vayu TH 72 enjoyed a fantastic first day in Class Zero as the 36th edition of the Phuket King’s Cup commenced, winning both of its races on elapsed and corrected times. It narrowly triumphed over long-standing rival Ray Roberts’ Team Hollywood in each race, while former Australian Olympian Steve McConaghy’s Aftershock secured third in the three-boat class.
Principal Race Officer Simon James signaled the start at 9:44am, and following a brief delay, the regatta began with favorable winds under clear, sunny skies as the action moved towards Phuket’s Cape Promthep. Simon organized two windward-leeward races for the keelboats and multihulls. Both races featured six rolling starts: IRC Zero launched first, followed by Premier Class, then IRC 1, and IRC 2. The Bareboat, Cruising, and Classic classes started together, while the Multihull fleet was the last to cross the starting line.
Nick Burns’s Witchcraft (HKG) leads the seven-boat IRC 1 class, having won the second race and placed second in the first, totaling three points. Craig Nicholls/James Bury’s Alright (AUS) is in second, winning the first race and finishing third in the second, totaling four points. Rolf Heemskerk’s Next Factor (MAS) is in third with five points from a third-second finish.
Mati Sepp’s Gern Kard (Estonia) dominated the seven-boat IRC 2 class, winning both races on elapsed and corrected times. Lee Yi Min’s (Singapore) new J99 Jolt placed second overall in the class, taking second in the first race and third in the second. Zhao Fei’s Asia Sailing Team from China finished third overall with seven points.
Thailand’s Ithinai Yingsiri’s Pine Pacific showcased its winning capability by taking both races today on corrected times in the elegant three-boat Premier Class. The other two boats in this class (Shatoosh and Yasooda) drew admiration from competitors as they glided by. The custom Yasooda (GER) displayed its prowess today by achieving line honors in both races.
The six-boat Bareboat Charter Class experienced a clean sweep in the top three places, as the Japanese Luminous-Tiburon won both races, Xiong Ting’s Mermaid from China secured second twice, and Japan’s Yu Fujinaga & Hironori Kobayashi’s Inlova finished third in both races.
John Newnham’s Twin Sharks, the only Phuket-built Firefly in the regatta, demonstrated the significance of local knowledge. John’s experienced crew is well-acquainted with these waters. The quick build by Mark Horwood and the design by Mark Prescott sped across the starting line and maintained momentum to win both races on elapsed and corrected times in the Multihull class, leading with two points. Ryan Merrill’s Compass Rose (THA) and Andrew McDermott’s Trident (GBR) are tied for second with six points while Fang Jiang Zhou’s JoyJoy from China is in third with eight points in this six-boat class, scored on performance handicaps.
Igor Ginzberg’s Wind of Change leads the Monohull Cruising class, having won race one and finished third in race two, earning four points. Tim A Hartnell’s Cariad (GBR), a historic gaff rigged vessel, showed it is more than just a pretty sight with a fourth in the first race and victory in the second, placing it second overall with five points. The regatta is fortunate to feature such a beautiful historic vessel in the competition. France’s Philippe Dallee’s Swan II, another stunning sight, is tied with Cariad with five points, while William Wu’s Team Whitewave from China sits in third with six points.
Conditions today were too variable to allow racing for the Optis, Lasers, and Open Skiffs, but Thailand’s Disabled Sailors managed to complete two races just off Kata beach in their SV14s. After day one, Suraphong Chitkhong & Mak Sarawat are in first with three net points. They are followed by Montri Nakchuai & Nils Degenkolw, tied for second with Tanat Upatising and Sorawit Suwannapat (seven points), while Boonkoed Ratchapon & Sittinon Prachumphan are tied in third with Thitapa Saelim and Pattaphon Phoomiravi, both with eight points.
In total, there are 40 keelboats and multihulls competing (383 sailors) in the big boat classes, along with 118 dinghies (130 sailors) racing in the dinghy series.
The Regatta’s sponsors include Host Sponsor Kata Group, Amazing Thailand, Centara Hotel & Resorts, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, RMA Group, Coca Cola Haad Thip PCL, Garmin Thailand, Ford Thailand, RICOH (Thailand), the Singha Corporation, and National Telecom Public Company Limited.
For more information and results, please visit www.kingscup.com.
