2010: A Vintage Year for the Phuket King's Cup Regatta

PHUKET – Asia’s most prestigious yachting event returned to Phuket for the 24th time in 2010. The global financial downturn did not stop an incredible 108 boats from entering the 24th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. The fleet featured entrants from all over the world with Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Switzerland, Russia, England, Holland, Spain and Canada all represented.

The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta was inaugurated 24 years ago to commemorate the 60th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Regatta is run under the patronage of HM the King and this year all the winners received their trophies from Privy Councillor Admiral M.L. Usni Pramoj, personal representative of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, at the Royal Awards ceremony.

The inaugural Phuket Dinghy Series preceded the Regatta proper and offered some aspiring young sailors a taste of King’s Cup action. The wind increased during the course of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta itself, making for some increasingly exciting conditions which culminated in the cancellation of the final day’s racing. Fortunately by that stage the results of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Series had already been settled.

Kevin Whitcraft, President of the 24th Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee, said that the event is getting better with age, “The fact that the King's Cup Regatta has attracted over 100 entrants for the second successive year is testament to the high regard that the event is held in. It really was a worldwide fleet featuring participants from an enormous diversity of countries and the sailing was amongst the most competitive I have ever seen.”

The social scene is a big draw for many participants and the Phuket King's Cup Regatta is famed for its onshore parties. There were six nights of parties in total with revelers also descending on Kata Beach Resort & Spa, Mom Tri’s Boathouse, Katathani Phuket Beach Resort and the Phuket Orchid Resort & Spa. A new addition to the party roster this year was the new 5-star Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket who hosted beach party to remember. Party enjoyment was fuelled by the continued sponsorship of Siam Winery and Chang Beer, with Siam Winery's Mont Clair wines and sparkling wines proving extremely popular with party goers.

A touch of prestige was brought to proceedings by the sponsorship of luxury Phuket real estate development Kata Rocks. The new development in Kata was awarded  “Best Apartment in the World 2010” at the highly respected International Property Awards in 2010.

It is doubtful that Kata Rocks would even exist were it not for the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta as developer Richard Pope explained, “Sponsoring the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta this year has a personal significance for me because the first time I came to Phuket was to participate in the Regatta in 2006. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that trip started a series of events that led me to discover the site at Kata Rocks. I could have never imagined that just a few years later, Kata Rocks would now be sponsoring the event,”

The final word goes to a man who has covered all 24 Phuket King’s Cup Regattas. Veteran journalist Peter Cummins has been there since the beginning and brings the regatta to the English speaking population of Thailand via his daily reports in the Bangkok Post. He is amazed by how quickly the event has grown,

“I remember the first regatta. There were only a handful of entries and they were almost all local, I don’t think anyone could have imagined that this event would one day grow to become the biggest and best regatta in all of Asia. The racing seems to get more exciting every year and this year’s parties were some of the best in memory. The sailing has barely finished and I am already looking forward to next year’s regatta and the 25th anniversary,” he said.

Despite the unprecedented disappointment of missing out on the final day’s racing due to abnormal weather conditions, participants were still upbeat with many declaring this the best Phuket King’s Cup Regatta ever. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the event and the 2011 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta promises to be something truly special.

The first Phuket King’s Cup Regatta took place in 1987 to mark the 60th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the Regatta has been held in the first week of December ever since.

The 24th Phuket King's Cup Regatta ran from December 4th - 11th 2010 under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King. The Regatta is organised by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket.

Sponsors of the 2010 Phuket King's Cup Regatta include Kata Group Resorts Thailand, Siam Winery, Chang Beer, Kata Rocks, Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, Mom Tri's Boathouse and The Moorings. Media Partners include Blue Wave 90.5FM, Helm Superyacht Asia Pacific, Helicam Asia, Indigo Media, Multihull World, The Nation, Phuket Gazette, Prestige Thailand, Sail-World.com and YACHTstyle.

Resource : Jenjira Jitpaiboon Public Relations Consultant

January 11, 2011

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