Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2009 - NEWS

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SIX SENSES PHUKET RACEWEEK DAILY RACE REPORTS - SCROLL DOWN

Race Report 1, July 23, 2009
Raceweek starts in fine style...

Day 1 of the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek started in overcast conditions and light drizzle but progressively the South Westerly tradewind kicked in and by the afternoon a steady 12 to 15 knots propelled the yachts around the course to complete two races on the opening day of the regatta. Last night's welcoming party with the free flow of mixed drinks and magnificent buffet on two levels of ‘Into the Beach’ set the precedent for the social side of the event. A slight adjustment to the classes saw the boats divided into 2 X IRC classes, Club/Charter, Multihull, Firefly One Design and Tom Howard's North Sea Fishing Boat Seraph being the sole Classic Class entry.

The seven boats in the IRC Racing Class were keen to get away but it was arch rivals Ray Roberts DK46 Evolution Sails, Neil Pryde Welbourne 52 Hi-Fi and Peter Ahern’s defending champion Yo!2 that took advantage of the favoured pin end and left the rest back in the second row of the startline. Paramount importance was placed on getting the crew work sorted, playing the wind shifts and staying in the pressure lanes. In his usual impeccable style Ray Roberts’ crew on the DK46 Evolution Sails responded the best to clock up Race 1 and 2 victories and start the regatta in fine style. Peter Ahern’s Farr 40 Yo!2 slipped into second place by a mere two seconds leaving Neil Pryde’s Welbourne 52 Hi Fi to settle on third place. In Race 2 around the islands the roles were reversed with Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi taking second, missing first place by 14 seconds and Peter Ahern’s YO!2 in third place. Even at this early stage in proceedings it seems the well oiled teams are coming out on top.

A battle royale is shaping up between the eight boats in the IRC 1 Class with several changes to the order and a few seconds separating the diverse range of boats in the class. Peter Dyer’s IOR 1/2 tonner Madam Butterfly drew first blood with Jaray Tipsuk’s Platu 25 Mitrmitri only 10 seconds adrift in second place. A further 29 seconds behind Niels Dgenkolf’s X Yacht IOR 3/4 tonner Phoenix claimed third place. The longer reaching and running legs around the islands saw some interesting contraction and expansion in the fleet especially on the leeward side of Koh Aeo. Stuart Williamson’s Beneteau 34.7 Skandia Endeavour of Whitby came to the fore in Race 2 with defending champion Niels Degenkolw’s Phoenix claiming second place by a mere 14 seconds from Jaray Tipsuk’s Platu 25 Mitrmitri. After the first day of racing three boats are tied on five points and judging by the performance the battle will rage till the end of the regatta.

Two first places for Donna Stephens Ron Swanson Sloop Awatea puts them well on the way to defending the title, that they convincingly won last year. Rob Azzopardi Jeanneau SO 34.2 Prosafe Cunning Plan slotted into second place in Race 1 but was over the start line in Race 2 and scored OCS for not returning. Horst Lakits Swan 55 Big A came in third and by scoring 2nd place in Race 2 keeps them within striking distance of Awatea. Third place for Elite Yachting’s Benjamin Dupal skippering NRG Alissa puts them in good stead for the NRG Cup.

The big winner of the day was the race organizer, Grenville Fordham’s newly launched Andaman Cabriolet Da Vinci Niña skippered by designer Alan Carwadine, which went on to win two races on her racing debut. Despite being covered in spray and seemingly blitzing the fleet Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer’s Sea Cart 30 Thor suffered from a few breakages and torn Code O to end up with two second places at the end of the day. Trading third and fourth places Neil Ayre’s Corsair 28 Miss Saigon and Faraway Yachting’s Chameleon skippered by Shane Smith sees them tied on points for third overall.

Hans Rahmann's Voodoo Child helmed by the designer Mark Pescott continued on their winning ways in the Firefly 850 One Design Class by eclipsing the fleet during the two races held today. Two second places for Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi and two third places for The Frog chartered by UK's John Newnham from the Andaman Sea Club has them finishing in the respective order in the overall stakes.

Composite Catamarans have also come on board as a sponsor of Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2009, staging a competition in conjunction with Evason Phuket. First prize is a charter holiday on Niña, combined with accommodation at Evason, worth around 5,000 Euros. Details of how to enter the competition – open to all-comers whether participating in Raceweek this year or not – will be announced shortly.

The SW Monsoon struck with a vengeance this afternoon drenching the crews as they came ashore and although it seems to come in blasts, the forecasters predict it will be here for the duration of the regatta. That's the good news on the water and now to rush back down to ‘Into the Beach’ for tonight's sumptuous delights and entertainment.

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Race Report 2, July 24, 2009
Beautiful tropical sailing conditions prevail...

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 three 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 the 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 Madame 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 Degenkolw’s Phoenix who is one point in front of Peter Dyer’s Madame 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 yesterday’s two races and settled on second today but still holds onto the overall lead. Third for Rob Azzopardi’s 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 Shanghai Baby 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 suit 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.

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Race Report 3, July 25, 2009
One more beautiful day in paradise...

Another warm and sunny day, with blue skies but this time an increasing 15 to 18 knots of SW breeze to greet the sailors. As the conditions looked so good, PRO Simon James decided for Race 5 to send the Racing Class, on the yet untested Course 30, for a lengthy four island race out to Koh Maithon and back. The rest of the classes were sent off to do a few laps inside Ao Chalong Bay before returning to finish off the Evason Phuket. Some strong gusts caught the sailors by surprise, overpowering the boat, others made good use of them to accelerate down the waves and power past the opposition, like they were standing still. The staggered nature of finishing meant that Race 6 would follow, shortly after the last boat in each class had finished Race 5, on a two mile windward/leeward course. Not sure whether the racing class welcomed this move after the long windward beat back from Maithon but as some owners often pointed out, "They have come here to race their boats" so they quickly climbed back on the saddle, locked horns and got back into it.

Although Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi finished what seemed a long way ahead, after handicaps were applied it was Ray Roberts re-branded DK46 Evolution Sails that snuck in by a whisker. Only eight seconds separated Evolution Sails and Peter Ahern's defending champion Farr 40 Yo!2 in second place, that are way overdue for a win and continue to exert maximum pressure the leaders. Neil Pryde's Hi Fi finished a further three minutes behind for third place and perhaps breaking crew curfew rules at last night's party may have something to do with it. The crew on Antony Hastings Baby Tonga must be commended on their 5th place for keeping their Beneteau First 53 F5 up with the modern carbon fibre yachts and top racing teams in front of them. It did not take long for Neil Pryde's crew to strike back and it was Hi Fi's turn to win Race 6 by only eight seconds from Ray Roberts fast finishing Evolution Sails. Scott Duncanson sandwiched his Phuket 8 Quantum Fusion M into third place between Evolution Sails and Peter Ahern's YO!2. These results give Ray Roberts a little breathing space on top of the overall pointscore with two races left to run.

Jaray Tipsuk's all Thai crew on the Platu 25 Mitrmitri cemented their place on top of the overall leaderboard by winning Race 5 and taking third place in Race 6. Peter Dyer's IOR 1/2 tonner Madame Butterfly made their move today by scoring two second places and thereby regaining second overall. Stuart Williamson's Beneteau 34.7 Skandia Endeavour of Whitby tasted victory for the second time in Race 6 by a mere six seconds. As it turns out this IRC 1 class is proving to be extremely competitive as only a few seconds separate the podium finishers and less than ten minutes for the eight boat fleet on corrected time. There is a lot of movement up and down the order and although Japan's Toshio Furuta's Mumm 36 Emma has taken line honours in every race, they have only won one on handicap and have finished well down the order in the rest. Niels Degenkolw's X Yacht IOR 3/4 tonner Phoenix slipped a little with third and fifth places but hang onto third overall by a slim margin.

Andrew de Bruin's Ron Swanson Sloop Awatea was back on form today, adding two more wins to their tally, making it almost certain they will defend the Club Charter Class title. Horst Lakits Swan 55 Big A stayed in touch with second place in Race 5 but sixth place in Race 6 opens the points difference and will have to settle on second overall. Two third places for Chrisotpher Kingsley-Smith's Beneteau First 45/F5 Amandla Star should give them a confidence boost after missing the first day of racing and leave them thinking what might have been. Fourth and second places for Rob Azzopardi's Jeanneau SO 34.2 Prosafe Cunning Plan keeps them in third overall with a chance at second overall if they come good in tomorrows final two races.

Although Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer's Sea Cart 30 Thor roars around at top speed to be the fastest boat on the water, it is the newly launched Andaman Cabriolet Da Vinci Niña skippered by designer Alan Carwadine, that triumphed on the two races held today and put themselves back on top of the overall leader board. Second and third places for Thor means Henry's crew will have to pull out all the stops in the two remaining races, if they expect to take the title home. Third and second places for Neil Ayre's Corsair 28 Shanghai Baby keeps them in third overall. The rest of the boats have had equipment breakages, forcing them to retire from some races which puts them out of the running for the podium places.

Two more wins for Hans Rahmann's Voodoo Child, makes it six wins in a row and rap up the Firefly One Design title with two races to go. Hans and Mark Pescott the boat designer have put it down to the new jib which has tremendously improved the upwind performance and speed for them to scorch into the lead by the first mark. The rest has been a procession with Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi scoring six second places and UK's John Newnham's The Frog scoring six third places to hold onto the respective overall positions.

Tom Howard's North Sea Fishing Boat Seraph sets sail each day and often appears between the islands as they traverse their own passage course. They seem happy enough and kept busy trying out new sail configurations to suit the wind angle and wind speed despite being the only grand old lady to turn up this year for the Classic Class.

Racing continues on the final day tomorrow and with two races scheduled it could make all the difference in some classes. As the present SW tradewinds are expected to continue, we are in for some exciting moments as they duel towards the finish.

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Race Report 4, July 26, 2009
One more beautiful day in paradise...

Although the wind eased up on the last day of racing, there was enough for two more races to be run, which completes the entire program. Handling the strong incoming current became a big issue and the determining factor in the final results. Certainly in the first race of the day (Race 7) the yachts that went offshore realised their mistake, as the yachts that favoured the Koh Lon shore generally rounded the top mark first. Then it became a matter of either playing catch up or the front runners extending their lead. For several classes these crucial last race results could swing the podium places either way. In a couple of classes the top spot was already taken but the silver and bronze places were still to play for.

Coming into the final day Ray Roberts DK46 Evolution Sails held a slender three point lead over Neil Pryde’s Welbourne 52 Hi Fi. The discussion over breakfast was “Would this be enough? Could Peter Ahern’s Farr 40 Yo!2 slot in to create some points separation?” Neil Pryde’s crew were up and at it early with an air of confidence in their stride and struck gold early by winning both races today. Only 34 seconds in Race 7 and 41 seconds in Race 8 behind was Ray Roberts on Evolution Sails, which reduced the overall points lead down to one for Ray Roberts to claim the title on his first outing at Raceweek. Talk about coming down to the wire. If that’s how it is going to be for the next nine events on the AYGP we are in for a bumper season. Two third places for Peter Ahern’s Farr 40 Yo!2 places them in third overall and hopefully enough motivation to join us for a few more events on the calendar.

Jaray Tipsuk’s all Thai crew on the Platu 25 Mitrmitri climbed onto the top of the overall leaderboard yesterday and by winning both races today, firmly stands on the top of the podium in the hotly contested IRC 1 class. This is a great achievement for the Thai team that raised 5,000 Baht per sponsor and then plastered the names all over the hull of the boat. Not too pretty, but very effective. The battle for second and third overall came down to Peter Dyer’s IOR 1/2 tonner Madame Butterfly and Niels Degenkolw ‘s X Yacht IOR 3/4 tonner Phoenix sparring it out, which came out in favour Peter Dyer’s Madame Butterfly taking second and then Niels Degenkolw ’s Phoenix holding off the chasing pack including Stuart Williamson’s two race winner Skandia Endeavour of Whitby to claim third place.

Andrew de Bruin’s Ron Swanson Sloop Awatea has been on form all regatta and by keeping a clean scoresheet they take home the Club Charter Class title for the second year running. Horst Lakits crew on the Swan 55 Big A have been busting a gut all regatta but could only win one race and enough points to secure second overall. Rob Azzopardi’s Jeanneau SO 34.2 Prosafe Cunning Plan may have taken them on a bumpy ride but solidifies third place overall by the end of the day.

The battle royale between Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer’s Sea Cart 30 Thor and Grenville Fordham’s newly launched Andaman Cabriolet skippered by designer Alan Carwadine came gracefully to an end. Winning the starts, showing a good turn of speed and being in front of the Corsairs won Da Vinci Niña six out of eight races and the Multihull title on her first aggressive outing. Henry Kaye is not happy to be beaten by an Italian restaurant but will have to settle on second place for Thor. Neil Ayre’s Corsair 28 Shanghai Baby has been hanging in there all regatta and a well earned third place overall makes them the best of the rest.

Although there was a change in the finishing order in Race 7 today, six wins for Hans Rahmann’s Voodoo Child, in the earlier races, sealed them the Firefly One Design title with a day to spare. Despite breaking some gear causing an early retirement, Roger Kingdon’s Moto Inzi six second places earned them second overall. John Newnham’s The Frog won Race 6 today and consistently scoring third places keeps them in third overall. As the results were well and truly decided plus the early retirements it was whole heartedly agreed not to race the final race and seek shelter from the burning sun rays at the ‘Into the Beach’ bar back at the Evason.

Tom Howard’s North Sea Fishing Boat Seraph, being the only grand old lady to turn up this year for the Classic Class, has had four beautiful days of sailing around the islands to the south east of Phuket and no doubt win the Seraph Trophy. They are disappointed that other boats did not come and enjoy the delights of Phuket, so would like to extend an invitation to all other Classic boat owners in the region to take them on next year.

Summary What a great regatta Phuket Raceweek has turned into. Hard racing during the day and plenty of entertainment at night. The close racing and high tech hardware has lifted the event to the next level in more ways than one. I ask myself ‘What more could a sailor wish for?’ as I gaze out from the media center, through the swaying palm trees at the azure blue sea and beyond. It does not get much better than this, anywhere in the world, I can assure you all.

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Six Senses Phuket Raceweek enjoys the support of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Sports Authority of Thailand, Yacht Racing Association of Thailand and Ao Chalong Yacht Club

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