Royal tradition continues as sailors prepare for the 37th Phuket King’s Cup
The management and staff of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta would like to start this regatta by offering their heartfelt condolences to the Royal family on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, who left us on Oct 24th at age 93. We humbly recall with the utmost reverence her grace and benevolence and she shall forever remain in our hearts.
Indeed, this regatta was founded in 1987 to honour her late husband His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX’s 60th birthday (Fifth Cycle) and since then
the regatta has been a fixture on Thailand’s sporting calendar.
And we are indeed honoured that the royal tradition will continue this year as King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana will once again join the regatta. Her Majesty will sail on Vayu THA72 from December 4th – 6th and the King will join her to for the final royal awards ceremony.
Sadly, it is also with deep regret that we note the passing of Nithipat “Art” Thansrikiat, Vice President of the PKCR Organizing Committee. Khun Art was one of the strongest supporters of sailing in Thailand and always there to help without hesitation. He was on a rib his last few days supporting the Thai SEA Games team. He spent his final day doing what he loved—out on the water, talking proudly about his family and supporting sailing. It’s hard to believe that we will no longer see him by our side at the PKCR, on the docks, on the boats, but he remains in the hearts of our sailing community.
All competitors in the 37th Phuket King’s Cup are invited to participate in a non-scoring practice session in an area off Kata Beach, the day before racing officially started. The practice day is extremely important to the sailors as they get to get the kinks out of both themselves and their boats, making sure that crews are working in unison as they prepare to compete in Asia’s most illustrious regatta.
This year, thirty-eight keelboats and multihulls are spread across eight classes (IRC Zero, IRC 1, IRC 2, Premier, Bareboat, Monohull Cruising, Spirit of Classic and Multihulls) again with a range of nationalities competing, including crews as far away as Armenia, Australia, Belgium, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Dinghy racing starts on Sunday, set against the backdrop of the Andaman Sea. Eight titles are up for grabs in dinghy racing including Boy’s and Girl’s Optimists, Open Skiff U18, ILCA4 U18 (both male & female), the ILCA6 Open Class, the ILCA 7/Ok Dinghy class & the International 470 class. Disabled Sailing Thailand (DAT) will have a strong presence in the regatta, entering boats from Phuket and Pattaya in the S/V14 class.
The big boats will begin their competition on Monday. Watch for Kevin Whitcraft’s Vayu THA 72 and Ray Roberts Team Hollywood to resume their friendly rivalry in the high-profile IRC Zero class. The IRC 1 class will be led by Rolf Heemskerk’s Next Factor and Nick Burns’ Blitz, who will continue their rivalry from last week’s Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta in Malaysia.
In the Premier Class, you’ll find the sleekest yachts in the regatta as Hans Rahmann’s Yasooda and Peter Cremers Shatoosh return to carry on the aquatic jousting they have displayed in numerous previous competitions. They will be joined by Ithinai Yingsiri’s Thai team on Pine Pacific, who always perform well at the King’s Cup.
The Regatta’s sponsors, including Host Sponsor the Kata Group of Hotels, Amazing Thailand, Centara Hotel & Resorts, the RMA Group, Coca Cola Haad Thip PCL, Bangkok Airways, Garmin Thailand, Ford Thailand, RICOH (Thailand), the National Telecom Public Company Limited, Primus Marine, Ao Po Grand Marina, B & G Marine Electronics, Bangkok Hospital, and Singha.
For more information and result, please visit www.kingscup.com.
# # #
About the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta – Asia’s legendary yacht race under Royal Patronage
Under Royal Patronage, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta was founded in 1987, organized 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.
For more information and result, please visit www.kingscup.com
High resolution images for media are available upon log-in.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phuketkingscupregatta/
IG: https://instagram.com/phuketkingscupofficial
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@phuketkingscupregattaofficial
For further information, please contact the Phuket King’s Cup Committee: i[email protected]