Six Senses Phuket Raceweek - Day 1

Day 1 of the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek started in overcast conditions and light drizzle but progressively the South Westerly tradewind kicked in and by the afternoon a steady 12 to 15 knots propelled the yachts around the course to complete two races on the opening day of the regatta. Last night's welcoming party with the free flow of mixed drinks and magnificent buffet on two levels of 'Into the Beach' set the precedent for the social side of the event. A slight adjustment to the classes saw the boats divided into 2 X IRC classes, Club/Charter, Multihull, Firefly One Design and Tom Howard's North Sea Fishing Boat Seraph being the sole Classic Class entry.

The seven boats in the IRC Racing Class were keen to get away but it was arch rivals Ray Roberts DK46 Evolution Sails, Neil Pryde Welbourne 52 Hi-Fi and Peter Ahern's defending champion Yo!2 that took advantage of the favoured pin end and left the rest back in the second row of the startline.

Paramount importance was placed on getting the crew work sorted, playing the wind shifts and staying in the pressure lanes. In his usual impeccable style Ray Roberts' crew on the DK46 Evolution Sails responded the best to clock up Race 1 and 2 victories and start the regatta in fine style. Peter Ahern's Farr 40 Yo!2 slipped into second place by a mere two seconds leaving Neil Pryde's Welbourne 52 Hi Fi to settle on third place.

In Race 2 around the islands the roles were reversed with Neil Pryde's Hi Fi taking second, missing first place by 14 seconds and Peter Ahern's YO!2 in third place. Even at this early stage in proceedings it seems the well oiled teams are coming out on top.

A battle royale is shaping up between the eight boats in the IRC 1 Class with several changes to the order and a few seconds separating the diverse range of boats in the class. Peter Dyer's IOR 1/2 tonner Madam Butterfly drew first blood with Jaray Tipsuk's Platu 25 Mitrmitri only 10 seconds adrift in second place. A further 29 seconds behind Niels Dgenkolf's X Yacht IOR 3/4 tonner Phoenix claimed third place. The longer reaching and running legs around the islands saw some interesting contraction and expansion in the fleet especially on the leeward side of Koh Aeo. Stuart Williamson's Beneteau 34.7 Skandia Endeavour of Whitby came to the fore in Race 2 with defending champion Niels Degenkol's Phoenix claiming second place by a mere 14 seconds from Jaray Tipsuk’s Platu 25 Mitrmitri.

After the first day of racing three boats are tied on five points and judging by the performance the battle will rage till the end of the regatta.

Two first places for Donna Stephens Ron Swanson Sloop Awatea puts them well on the way to defending the title, that they convincingly won last year. Rob Azzopardi Jeanneau SO 34.2 Prosafe Cunning Plan slotted into second place in Race 1 but was over the start line in Race 2 and scored OCS for not returning. Horst Lakits Swan 55 Big A came in third and by scoring 2nd place in Race 2 keeps them within striking distance of Awatea. Third place for Elite Yachting's Benjamin Dupal skippering NRG Alissa puts them in good stead for the NRG Cup.

The big winner of the day was the race organizer, Grenville Fordham's newly launched Andaman Cabriolet Da Vinci Ni skippered by designer Alan Carwadine, which went on to win two races on her racing debut. Despite being covered in spray and seemingly blitzing the fleet Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer's Sea Cart 30 Thor suffered from a few breakages and torn Code O to end up with two second places at the end of the day. Trading third and fourth places Neil Ayre's Corsair 28 Miss Saigon and Faraway Yachting's Chameleon skippered by Shane Smith sees them tied on points for third overall.

Hans Rahmann's Voodoo Child helmed by the designer Mark Pescott continued on their winning ways in the Firefly 850 One Design Class by eclipsing the fleet during the two races held today. Two second places for Roger Kingdon's Moto Inzi and two third places for The Frog chartered by UK's John Newnham from the Andaman Sea Club has them finishing in the respective order in the overall stakes.

Composite Catamarans have also come on board as a sponsor of Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2009, staging a competition in conjunction with Evason Phuket. First prize is a charter holiday on Ni, combined with accommodation at Evason, worth around 5,000 Euros. Details of how to enter the competition - open to all-comers whether participating in Raceweek this year or not - will be announced shortly.

The SW Monsoon struck with a vengeance this afternoon drenching the crews as they came ashore and although it seems to come in blasts, the forecasters predict it will be here for the duration of the regatta. That's the good news on the water and now to rush back down to 'Into the Beach' for tonight's sumptuous delights and entertainment.

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