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4th Koh Samui International Regatta 2005

Asian Yachting Race Report 1 - 23rd May

Lullabouts and tricky windshifts...
After some consideration the committee have decided to reorganize the fleet into 2 monohull and 1 multihull class. Marcel Liedts Hocux Pocux 2 and Peter Churchouse's Moonblue 2 have joined the 4 racers to make up IRC 1 class. The 4 sports boats have been bundled in with the Aussie chartered Sunsail Jeanneau 36's and a mixture racer cruisers to make a 12 strong IRC 2 division. Seven various multihull designs make up the remaining 25 yacht fleet.

The day started with a short delay for the breeze to increase above 5 knots before Race Officer David Brookes dared to get the racing class away, on a 24nm passage race to Ko Phangan and return. As the yachts approached Ho Kong Ok, the first rounding mark the breeze became very patchy offshore and favoured the yachts who chose to sail closer to the coast. Ray Roberts on the 46ft Ulumulu made up for last years disappointment to surprisingly lead Frank Pong's larger 75ft Jelik on the long beat between the islands.

Most of the remaining yachts were left in their wake as they clawed their way from one patch of wind to another. A similar concertinaing of the fleet occurred as the racers returned to Koh Samui and the course had to be shortened due to the lottery like conditions. Jelik took line honours but as Ulumulu managed to stay within 3 minutes of them, they sailed away with the handicap honours. Twenty four minutes latter Marcel Liedts Hocux Pocux 2 finished less than a minute before Toby O'Connell's newly acquired YO! but after applying handicaps the order was reversed to 2nd and 3rd respectively with Jelik ending up 4th on the day.

Conditions were no different for the IRC 2 class. John Vause on the Pattaya built Buzz 8 also chose the advantageous inshore route to finish 26 minutes in front of the larger rival of Saranya Makison’s Jeanneau 35 Magic Roundabout which won the Top of the Gulf recently.

David Bell's Pink Pussycat claimed 3rd spot although finishing a whooping 1 1/2 hours later, which shows just how fluky the conditions were out there. Resulting in last years sportsboat winner Jonathan Mahony's Happy Endings and Mark Horwood's Phuket 8 Image Asia Attitude 8 ranking amongst the did not finishes.

Pierre Forsans Radical Bay 8000 China House did a horizon job on their first outing in serious competition to leave Radab Kanjanavanit Farrier F9 Cedar Swan over 20 minutes behind over the line. After a bad start Kim Thomas's smaller rigged Radical Bay 8000 Coco Blues managed to pick their way through the fleet to end up 3rd but over 1 1/2 hours behind the leader.

Despite the conditions Frank Pong skipper of Jelik summed up the first days proceedings with "Even though there was a lack of wind at the end of the race it is really great to be here, instead of the Rolex Trans Atlantic Challenge on Maiden Hong Kong".

For more news, full results and photos goto: www.samuiregatta.com.