The Yacht Sales Co Regatta 2024 at Phuket Yacht Club - Overall
by Phuket Yacht Club 16 Jul 06:12 UTC
9-15 July 2024
After losing Race Day 4 due to extreme weather which saw gusts over 40 knots, Race Day 5 saw two races put in which saw positions change in both racing divisions.
The Yacht Sales Co Regatta ended with a sumptuous buffet at the Kan Eang 2 restaurant in Ao Chalong where competitors received their prizes and had a great time reliving the events and excitement of the past week.
In looking back over the week, the weather gods threw everything they had at the competitors, but it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm and fun the crews experienced. With 15 boats, featuring teams from the UK, Australia and China practically all vowed to return for the 2025 event.
In Monohull Racing, Craig Nicholls & James Bury's team on Alright, who travelled all the way up from Australia for the event, won all but one race to capture the four-boat Monohull Racing division. Spry Neil's Degenkolw, 79-years-young, took Phoenix to second overall in the division while Steve McConaghy's Aftershock took third with Michael Lockley and Russell Murphy onboard (both former Commodores of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club). Peter Dyer's Madame Butterfly was fourth.
The eight-boat Multihull Racing class was won by John Newnham's Twin Sharks, an 8.5m catamaran. Twin Sharks won four of the seven races in the class with the remaining 3 being won by Stealth catamarans. John Hearn's Boreas Stealth catamaran was a second overall, while George Eddings Blue Nose, another Firefly, was third in the class. These were followed by David Liddell's WoW, Dougal Jackson's Haruki, Mick Kealy's Mamba, Glywn Rowland's Twister 2, and Dirk Weiblen on No Fear.
For the first time an Asian regatta held an Asia Catamaran Stealth division (within the wider Multihull Racing Division). This seemed fitting as all their boats are designed and built in Phuket. Co owner, Roger Diggleman was on hand to give out the trophies which went to John Hearn's Boreas. David Liddell's WOW was second followed by Dougal Jackson' Haruki and Glywn Rowlands' Twister 2. Asia Catamarans also sponsored the final day of racing.
The Multihull Cruising class was taken by Andy McDermott's Corsair Trident followed by James Baxter's Zephyrus who won two of the races and performed well.
Boyd Jackson's Morningside showed a lot of moxie capturing the Monohull Cruising class.
Race Officer Simon James did a superb job of giving the competitors a different set of courses every day while dealing with constantly changing weather patterns.
After the awards ceremony, competitors bid on a Highfield Tender donated by the Cholamark Boat Company, Rick Fielding was his usual colourful self as the auctioneer and was able to raise THB91,500 for the Phuket Yacht Club when Steve McConaghy came in with the winning bid.
This regatta, now the marquee event of the summer sailing season in this region, runs an entire week.
More information and results can be found here.