Snakes and ladders on Day 2 of Samui Regatta 2012

Sun greeted the Samui Regatta this morning as sailors left the anchorage with good breeze, blue skies and the anticipation of idyllic tropical racing. Shifting winds forced a start delay but all classes eventually got underway and competition was tight on the race-track. The entire fleet were sent on Windward/ Leewards and multiple races were in order for all – the longer Course 16 for IRC Zero, IRC One and IRC Premier, and Course 19 for IRC Two/ Bareboat and Multihull classes. The IRC Zero boats completed their first Windward/ Leeward of the day in a little over one hour with the 90-foot Genuine Risk skippered by Geoff Hill, taking Line Honours – the first of three today. His five minute lead in Race One wasn't enough and Neil Pryde's HiFi won on corrected time one minute ahead of Hooligan, skippered by Marcus Blackmoore in second and Sam Chan's Freefire in third. Race Two saw Hooligan back to their winning ways with a clear win on corrected time from HiFi in second and Freefire in third. Hooligan went on to win the third race and take a three point lead in the series. Genuine Risk and HiFi were recalled after being over the line in Race Three, dropping HiFi to fourth. Freefire took advantage finishing second and Mui Mui, skippered by Frank Pong third. A battle royale is developing between the top three as they play snakes and ladders and with three more days of racing, the title is there for the taking. Dubbed the “40-foot” class, IRC One consists of 10 closely matched boats with a strong international flavour. In the first race today Singapore's Foxy Lady 6 went one better than their best yesterday scoring a win by a mere two seconds on corrected time. EFG Bank Mandrake, skippered by Nick Burns/ Fred Kinmonth finished second ahead of Rick Pointon's Jing Jing in third. David Ross and crew on KukuKERchu suffered damage and retired from the remaining races for the day. Foxy Lady 6 continued her winning ways with a first in the second and final race of the day, to keep the pressure on series leaders EFG Bank Mandrake who placed third behind Steve Manning's Walawala 2. On the slightly shorter Windward/ Leeward course for IRC Two/ Bareboat class, Pattaya-based boat Reef Knot, skippered by Stuart Collins came out on top in the first race. With less than five minutes separating the top four, the predominantly Thai crew on Amanda, skippered by Lennart Fahlgren finished second with Greg Coops' Abraxas in third. The second race went to form with Reef Knot making it two wins from two, followed by Amanda and Abraxas in second and third respectively. Hong Kong-based Moonblue 2, skippered by Peter Churchouse, arrived late to the Regatta after suffering damage in transit and spent Day 1 on anchor making repairs. They made it to the startline today and revelled in the conditions to take first place in IRC Premier Race One from El Coyote, skippered by Gary Baguley in second and Brad Kirk's Dynamite in third. In the second race, Moonblue 2 lost out to Dynamite who showed great crew work to take the win by over two minutes on corrected time with El Coyote in third. The multihull competitors are enjoying some close racing and on Day 2 the series looks to be anyone's for the taking. After a strong performance yesterday beating Sweet Charriot for the daily-double, Fantasia was out-paced in the first race by the Thailand-built twin-masted Crazy Horse, skippered by Kunta. Fantasia, skippered by Andrew Stransky placed second ahead of Radab Kanjanavit and his all Thai-crew on Cedar Swan in third. Sweet Charriot, skippered by Henry Kaye, found it hard going and finished seventh on corrected time. Sweet Charriot re-discovered their form in the second race to finish second behind Fantasia with Crazy Horse in third. Racing continues tomorrow off Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui, Chaweng Beach, Samui Island. The 2012 Samui Regatta is organised by leading regatta services provider, Regattas Asia, with strong support from Samui businesses and staff. The Regatta is supported by Host Sponsor Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui. Event Partners include Mont Clair wines, Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa, Beach Republic, PTT Group, Hertz Rent a Car, and KC Resort & Over Water Villas. Official Suppliers include Singha Beer, Haad Thip, Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Neil Pryde, and TOT. Island Supporters are Seascape Beach Resort, Mittare Insurance, Tradewinds Cottages, The Sea Samui, Samui Villas & Homes, Bank of Ayudhya, Q-Bar Samui, Samui Ocean Sports & Yacht Charter, Trend Fashion, The Kala, Electrical Marine and A Plus Italia. Official Photographer is SamuiPics.com. Media Communications are by Infinity Communications. Media Partners include Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Samui Holiday magazine, SEA Yachting, and HELM Superyacht Asia Pacific. Organising and Supporting Authorities include the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, Samui Yacht Club Regatta, Tourism Authority of Thailand and the International Sailing Federation. For more information: Website: www.samuiregatta.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamuiRegatta Twitter: http://twitter.com/samuiregatta About Samui Regatta Samui Regatta was formed in 2003 and is also known at the 'Tropical Island Regatta'. Over its eleven-year history, the Regatta has grown from strength to strength and in 2011 attracted 40 boats with approximately 500 participants from over 20 countries. Samui Regatta has established itself as one of Asia's leading regattas and one of the best regatta party scenes. Samui Regatta attracts many international participants from Asia and beyond, as well as Thailand-based sailors and boats. The Regatta is the final event in the Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championship, a series of 5-star racing events held throughout Asia. 2012 Samui Regatta will take place May 26th to June 2nd and comprises five days of tropical sailing with six parties. www.SamuiRegatta.com. About Regattas Asia Regattas Asia is a brand name of Phuket and More Co. Ltd., established in 2001 with over 15 years involvement in the organisation of leading marine events in Asia. Formed by Simon James and Kae Wattana, Regattas Asia has become a prominent player in Asia's regattas industry, with an innovative approach to the management of major sailing events in the region. Core team members have been involved with the Samui Regatta since its inception in 2003, and have provided on-water race management for the past five years. Regattas Asia provide services to the following marine events: Phuket King's Cup Regatta, The Bay Regatta, Phuket Raceweek, Sabang International Regatta (Indonesia), Royal Langkawi International Regatta (Malaysia), and are sole organisers of Samui Regatta. www.Regattas.asia. Media Contact Nungruthai Julakul/ Duncan Worthington Infinity Communications Tel: +66 (0) 83 650 6848/ +66 (0) 81 893 4006 Email: [email protected] -KPA- Click for photo release at www.thaipr.net

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