The 8th Sawadee.com Koh Samui Regatta concluded over the weekend with CYCA members placing in some divisions.
Andrew Short’s Oceanis 461 Constanza won the Bareboat Charter Class, achieving a clean sweep with seven wins in a row. Short has dominated this class over the last couple of years.
In the Racing Division, Ray Roberts’ Quantum Racing finished second behind Neil Pryde’s Hi-Fi, with Matt Allen’s Beneteau First 44.7 Ichi Ban fourth.
Having dominated the racing class, Neil Pryde’s Welbourne 52 Hi-Fi run of five wins in a row was broken when the Fred Kinmonth/Nick Burns owned Mills 51 Fortis Mandrake claimed first place in Race 7 by a mere six seconds. Second place for Hi-Fi gave them a run away overall win and they did not have to compete in the final race. Always lurking in the wings, Ray Roberts’ DK46 Quantum Racing claimed Race 8 to deliver them second overall from a tightly knit bunch of boats vying for the remaining podium places. Second place in Race 8 for the Fred Kinmonth/Nick Burns owned Fortis Mandrake elevated them to third place overall and a just reward for pushing on during the regatta despite some mid fleet finishes. Matt Allen’s Beneteau First 44.7 Ichi Ban ended up fourth and the Bill Bremner/Andy Cocks owned TP52 Foxy Lady IV eventually got the better of Sam Chan’s TP52 Ffreefire 52.
The first three days of racing saw the wind gusting to over 20 knots and boats roaring around the courses. Bright sunshine, blue sky and 8 to 10 knots of wind set the scene for the final showdown off Samui’s Chaweng Beach. For six days and seven nights, crews, spectators and international media have been treated to an uninterrupted schedule of sailing – providing thrills, along with a few spills, and the opportunity for Race Director Simon James to try something completely new by sending the boats off on a round-the-island race – a first in the history of this regatta.
As many skippers and crews leave Samui, thoughts quickly turned to the 2010 Sawadee.com Regatta that will again be contested on the pristine ocean waters off Chaweng Beach. Many will return, as they have for the past eight years, to participate in this ‘tropical island regatta’.
For full regatta round up and results log on to www.samuiregatta.com
By Jennifer Crooks with information supplied by https://asianyachting.com
