Freefire captures 20th sailing of the Samui Regatta

Sam Chan and his crew on Freefire made sure they did not make the trip from Hong Kong in vain as they won seven of the eight races to capture the 2023 Samui Regatta.      

With only one race left in the schedule,yachts started a final  windward-leeward on the final day of the regatta as many participants had indicated a preference to pack up early and go home after a long week of terrific racing.        

With some of the best wind of the week. Going into the final race, Steve McConaghy’s Venture knew they had to beat first-place Freefire to take second spot overall, but alas Freefire won today’s race on 31 seconds on corrected time. Thus, while Venture finished second today it finished third overall. Terry Foster’s Tenacious flipflopped with Venture, placing third today but second overall. The Sail Quest trainee crew on Andre Den Braven's Graffiti were  a little over-powered by the gusts today, coming in in fourth place overall. 

Regattas Asia has set the dates for the 2024 Samui Regatta from May 18-25 and is hoping to link with the Top of the Gulf & Tioman regattas in a format that will even attract more sailors to the event. Simon says he has already had enquiries from the US, Canada, China, Oman and Dubai about competing in the event next year.   

The atmosphere and camaraderie the regatta created was wonderful as many Samui Regatta veteran sailors have their favourite bars, shops and restaurants that they return to, pumping a lot of money into the local economy, which was left shellshocked by COVID-19.   

As one regatta participant said, “It was a great success; no boat or person was injured, everyone had a great time & we got a of great sailing in.” Ten nations were represented in the event with competitors coming from as far as Australia and New Zealand.                 

The Nora Beach Resort & Spa staged the final party on Saturday evening, and what a show they put on with a sumptuous buffet and great musical entertainment. A number of prominent local and regional government officials were in attendance at the final awards ceremony as were members of the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand (YRAT).