Samui Regatta celebrates two decades on the water

Samui Regatta celebrates two decades on the water 

The 20th Samui Regatta, organized by Regattas Asia, hit the water again on Monday. With over 6o international Sailors racing, off Chaweng Beach.

As the post Covid-19 recovery continues,  fewer boats are currently travelling around Asia. However the pedigree of the competitors, remains undisputed and includeds Australian Olympic Sailor Steve McConaghy among them. With crews traveling from as a far away as Hong Kong, Australia, Europe and New Zealand to compete.

PRO and race organizer Simon James combined the mixed designs of boats together, into one class for two races today; the first was a three-lap windward-leeward race. And the second was a course that hugged the northern coastline of Samui rounding Koh Kong to port and heading back to the start boat/finish line.    

Racing was scheduled to start at 10am but the wind tempted and teased, pushing the start back to 11:10am, where there was a more constant breeze. When they did get going the sailors had between 5-10 knots of breeze on the first race with the wind gusting to 17 knots in the second.    

Sam Chan’s Freefire, a TP52, set the early pace today easily winning the first race on on corrected time after handicaps were applied by just oer 2 mins over Terry Foster’s Tenacious, an Adams 10. McConaghy’s Venture, a Beneteau 40.7 placed third, and Andre Den Braven’s Graffiti, a Whiting 36. placed fourth. 

The second passage race, heading up tpo the Koh Phangan Passagesaw Tenacious edge out Freefire on corrected time by 20 seconds, while Venture and Graffiti repeated their placed third and fourth place finishes. 

Trinai Bhanusiriyawatra, Vice President of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, handed out the day’s prizes at the buffet dinner held in front of the Banana Fan Sea resort, where local dignitaries and members of the TAT officially launched the regatta the night before.   

Simon and his partner Kae Wattana of Regattas Asia have never considered canceling the event as they are bound and determined to promote Koh Samui as a great sailing destination. The regatta also has long been a boon to the local economy as sailors spend their hard-earned cash at many of the local establishments.    

In past years, pre-COVID, the Top of the Gulf Regatta was held in Ocean Marina in Jomtien, making it an interesting two-regatta draw for the sailors from Hong Kong, who could fly back from Pattaya after the ToG and return to Samui a couple weeks later. But the ToG has not been held since 2019. 

There will be five days of racing with a lay day scheduled for Thursday and the closing party set for the Nora Beach Resort & Spa on Saturday evening.