THE BAY REGATTA - REGISTRATION 2022

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Due to recent COVID-19 restrictions. crew registration, the skippers briefing and the opening event of this year’s BAy Regatta has been relocated to the Royal Phuket Marina, Koh Kaew, Phuket.

  • Complementary berthing will be provided for the evening of the 26th of January.

  • Marina Berths should be pre-booked by contacting the Marina Manager: Oliver Wince on +66 (0)81 958 1959

  • Email: marina@royalphuketmarina.com

  • VHF: 79 INTERNATIONAL

    LATITUDE 07° 58′ 65″ N

    LONGITUDE 98° 24′ 90″ E

    Registration will be held between 16:00 and 18:00, Skippers Briefing at 17.30 with the official Opening Event commencing at 18:00.

  • The Start line for the first race will now be situated outside Koh Rang Yai, with the course heading South East around the bottom of Koh Yao Yai before heading north to Koh Yao Yai/Koh Yao Noi channel for the scheduled overnight stop and social event at Baan Chang. All other stopovers are as previously published.

Vacation Village - PhraNang Inn Special Rates for The Bay Regatta.

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Our Krabi host venue: Vacation Village, Phra Nang Inn have announced their special rates for The Bay Regatta 2022.

The 2022 Krabi stop-over is Friday 28th and Saturday 29th January, with the presentation event held on Saturday night.

Get your sails ready for the 25th The Bay Regatta now opened for entries for the race on 26th-30th January 2022. 

Vacation Village Phra Nang Inn is happy to host the award party on January 29th evening. 

Special rates offers for participants! 

Promo code: REGATTA22   (10% room discount)

Click! https://phrananginn.vacationvillage.co.th/

Fez & Phoenix grab top spots in 24th Bay Regatta

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Report by Scott Murray, Sea Yachting.

The fourth and final day of the Bay Regatta saw PRO and race organizer Simon James started the multihulls and monohulls together for the Budget Car Rental and Coca Cola Haad Thip Race Day, for their long race back to Ao Chalong. Originally scheduled to start off of Krabi’s Railay Beach, a lack of wind saw the fleet motor approximately 6 miles towards Ko Yao Yai until they found enough to start. A line was quickly setup utilising two fish traps and the Start/Mark Boats and the racing commenced with the fleet being led by the ever-present Mojo.

John Coffin’s Fez pulled the surprise of the regatta winning the five-boat Multihull Racing Class with John Newnham’s Twin Sharks coming in second. Twin Sharks had a man overboard on day two, which saw them lose valuable time and finish fourth, which would hurt them later in the overall standings, though thank God crewmate Ken Wottawa was alright (a big shout out to Grenville Fordham who was crewing on Coconuts as they were hot on the heels of Twin Sharks as he managed to alert his squad to avert as Wottawa hit the water).     

Dan Fidock’s Fugazi had a number of line honours throughout the regatta but handicap saw them settle for third overall. Alan Carwardine’s Coconuts never recovered from their DNF on the first day and settled for fount overall, while Glywn Rowlands’ Twister 2 took fifth-place in the class. Multihull Performance saw the order shift as follows: Twin Sharks, Fugazi, Fez, Coconuts, Twister 2 & Mojo.

Niels Diegenklow and Phoenix rode three first-place finishes to victory in the four-boat IRC monohull class allowing the Dane to win this class for the umpteenth time in the Bay Regatta. Fellow Dane Torben Kristienson’s Kinnon was third and it was only Andrew McDermott’s Jessandra, who was able to take a spot away from Phoenix at the top of the podium  winning day two of the regatta, allowing them to finish second overall in the class. Paul Merry’s Night Train was fourth. Overall results were the same for the class in the Monohull Performance division. 

Rick Fielding’s Mojo led the fleet to win the day 4 prize in the Multihull Performance Cruising Class. While not Mojo finishing high in the overall standings Fielding did show great sportsmanship in ferrying Night Train’s crew to shore safely in Ao Nang. He was honoured by PRO Simon James with a bottle of port in memory of the late Marty Rijurkis who made a habit of highlighting good deeds people would perform during regattas.  

Simon did a tremendous job as PRO setting the courses, manning the starts and keeping things in order. Kae Wattana and her Regattas Asia team made sure everyone was happy onshore, providing plenty of good food and drink and great entertainment from songstress Bonnie Anderson. Bob Mott provided his “Rainman” boat as the support vessel which Chandran used to lay the marks and act as a gate to record times during the regatta. A big shot out to Simon’s team on the water—Susie, Chandran & Eddie—who as always, made sure all the starts and finishes were correctly posted and recorded. And a huge round of applause for the great job Brenda Kealy did for providing his catamaran Catapulta the committee boat. The final night’s party was once again held at Kan Eang 2 restaurant, overlooking Chalong Bay and a great time was had by all.  

Light wind makes Krabi Race Day tough slugging

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Report by Scott Murray, Sea Yachting.

World Sailing International Race Officer Simon James staged two different starts for the mono-and-multihulls on the third day of the 2021 Bay Regatta. Krabi Race Day saw both classes eventually settle on 17 mile course though there was a two-and-a-half hour delay between the start of the multi and monohull classes. Lack of wind, which wasn’t factor on the first two days of the regatta, was definitely a concern today. Squalls were not on the menu today. 

 The five-boat Multihull Racing Class saw John Newnham’s Twin Sharks rebound from their man overboard yesterday finishing first with John Coffin’s Fez in second, Alan Carwardine’s Coconuts in third,  Glywn Rowlands’ Twister 2 in fourth and Dan Fidock’s Fugazi rounding out the class. Multihull Performance saw the order shift as follows: Twin Sharks, Fugazi, Coconuts, Fez, Twister 2 & Mojo. 

 The four-boat IRC monohull class was agonizing slow, but all competitors finished the course and no one complained. When it was all sailed and done, Niels Diegenklow’s Phoenix took top spot again followed by Andrew McDermott’s Jessandra  and Torben Kristienson’s Kinnon was third. Paul Merry’s Night Train (named after the Jimmy Forrest song) brought up the caboose.  Results were the same for the Monohull Performance class. 

 Kudos must go out to Rick Fielding’s Mojo, no one knows how to have more fun in light wind than the crew on that cat.    

A special shout-out to John Newnham  for freeing up Matt McGrath and his supply boat to be the photography boat for the day, which captured all the great images of the stunning karst topography that Phang Nga Bay is so famous for.   

The evening party was held at Pra Nang Villa where prizes were given out for racing on days two and three. The final day will be an exciting race home to Ao Chalong as both classes are still up for grabs.  

Just a huge shout-out to Matthew na Nagara all the staff at the Port Takola Marina for the gracious hospitality in allowing the majority of the fleet to moor at the marina for two nights.

And Hughie Thompson turned 83 during the regatta serving as crew on Mojo. Hughie has been support crew for many Phuket regattas over the years and it was great to see him racing, Still sharp as a tack, Hughie shows no signs of slowing down.   

Fugazi flies through Bay Regatta course

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Report by Scott Murray, Sea Yachting.

After a buffet and awards presentation at Baan Chang on Koh Yao Noi, the crews were well rested and set out for day two of the 2021 Bay Regatta on Friday April 2nd, sponsored by Octopus Electrical Service. 

 The 20 mile course today left from east of Koh Yao Noi rounding Koh Pang to starboard, then passing Koh Pak Bia to port, and then passing Koh Ka and Koh Ka to starboard. The fleet moved past through the gate to Koh Kaya (between the island and the committee boat), and then rounded Koh Ngang to port, passing between Koh Daeng and Koh Samet finishing between the committee boat and Koh Ya Man.     

 PRO and race organizer Simon James had two starts for the competitors again: first off were the monohulls (4 boats) followed by all the multihulls (6 boats). Bad weather set in again soon after the start as a squall quickly moved in. 

This caused an unfortunate incident as Twin Sharks lost bowman Ken Wottowa overboard after he moved to the stern of the boat an during a manoeuvre and lost his footing falling overboard. Crewmate Olly Wilce was the first to notice as the crew scrambled to take down the kite – they were going 25 knots. Jason Corall spotted Wottowa in the water and directed the Firefly back to him. After being in the warm water for about 15 minutes, Ken was pulled onboard and later seemed the avid sportsman seemed totally unfazed by the whole incident - great recovery by the Twin Sharks crew.    

 In Racing Multis, Dan Fidock’s Fugazi took line honors again finishing twelve minutes ahead of its nearest competitor but when handicap was figure in John Coffin’s Fez was the winner of the division, followed by Alan Carwardine’s Coconuts with Fugazi taking third. John Newham’s Twin Sharksrebounded after their mishap to take fourth with Glywn Rowlands’ Twister in fifth spot. Rick Fielding’s Mojo again hung tough through rough weather finishing the race and grabbing a sixth in Multihull Performance.    

 Results in the four boat-Monohull IRC Class saw Niels Diegenklow’s Phoenix taking top spot followed by Torben Kristienson’s Kinnon in second Paul Merry’s Night Train in third with Andrew McDermott’s Jessandra bringing up the rear. For Monohull Performance, Night Train & Jessandraflipped third and fourth place finishes. 

 Just a big shout out to the all women making this regatta happen including co-organizer Kae Wattana and her volunteer crew, many of whom are university students. Jessandra has eight women sailors on board, Phoenix has four and Coconuts and Twister 2 also have a number of female crew.     

 Many in the fleet docked at Port Takola Marina but it was a free night in the Krabi area for all competiot9ord as the awards for today’s races will be handed out tomorrow at the Phra Nang Inn in Ao Nang. 

Bay Regatta sails again.

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Report by Scott Murray, Sea Yachting.

Regattas Asia have done what few people in this region have done: stage two major regattas throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Co-operating with local health authorities the 24th Bay Regatta, and second Bay Regatta since the novel coronavirus outbreak, set sail this morning from Ao Po Grand Marina. 

 And indeed it was a breath of fresh sea air to see ten sailboats head out from their moorings to head through some of the world’s most stunning karst topography on their four-day nautical journey.         

 Held later this year after from March 31st to the 4th of April, the Bay Regatta is a series of passage races – an event format that catches the attention of the region’s best sailors as they competed in two classes, Racing Multihulls and Monohulls with a cruising multi (Mojo) thrown in for good measure.  

This four-day circumnavigation of Phang Nga Bay focuses on fun. Attracting the serious, the not-so-serious and the not-at-all-serious “racing” sailors, the regatta appeals to those who enjoy the stunning sailing grounds of the area and a different destination each evening. 

Each evening, the regatta anchors at a different venue and the sailors go ashore. Those staying ashore –the majority of the fleet – book accommodation and either eat in the local restaurants or enjoy the official event functions which engage with the local community. Most of the expenditure of the regatta goes directly into the local economies of the areas the regatta visits — this has been the case since the regatta was launched and it will remain so for the future — an excellent example of how sports tourism works to the benefit of communities and local economies.

Starting in Ao Po on Phuket's east coast, after registration and an opening party yesterday evening at Ao Po Grand Marina, the yachts did something different this year. The government prohibited the yachts from racing north as they usually do, so they went south instead. 

The 25 mile course set off from Koh Naka Yai, passing Koh Sup to starboard and rounding Koh Yao Yai to port, before passing through the gate (between the committee boat and the Hin Mu Sang Mu Nua).  

PRO and race organizer Simon James had two starts for the competitors today: first off were all the multihulls (6 boats) followed by all the multihulls (4 boats). The weather did not cooperate today as a squall set in almost as soon as the sailors crossed the start line (Thank God for warm rain!!). 

Dan Fidock’s Fugazi took line honors in the Multihull Racing class followed by John Newham’s Twin Sharks, John Coffin’s Fez, and Glywn Rowlands’ Twister.  The rough weather took its toll on Alan Carwardine’s Coconuts who did not finish the race. The results stayed the same for the Multihull Performance Class though Rick Fielding’s Mojo did finish ahead of Coconuts because if its DNF, and Mojo must be commended for sticking it out in the rough weather and finishing the race.   

Results for the four boat-Monohull IRC & Performance Class were identical with Andrew McDermott Jessandra finishing on top followed by Niels Degenkolw’s Phoenix with Torben Kristienson’s Kinnon in third, followed by Paul Merry’s Night Train..

The Bay Regatta was originally described thus: “The regatta allows participants to experience the best of southern Thai hospitality and the unrivaled sailing grounds in the area. Boats sail amongst 200-metre high karsts and past hidden bays on their way to nights under-the-stars in idyllic anchorages.” 

That description still rings true today. 

Route update for the Bay Regatta 31st March - 4th April 2021.

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We can now confirm that registration and the opening of the 24th Bay Regatta will be held at The Port of Call, Ao Po Marina.

Marina Berths will be available at a discounted rate for regatta competitors for the evening of the 31st March.

Due to current restrictions from the National Park, the first-day route has been revised. Race One will now head South-East from Ao Po, around the southern tip of Ko Yao Yai and back up to the Channel between Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai for the event at Baan Chang.

All other courses will remain roughly the same, allowing for a few restrictions on Mark laying, which are currently being clarified.

Updated course diagrams will be published soon.

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Ao Po Grand Marina announced as Registration and Opening Venue.

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We can now confirm that registration and the opening of the 24th Bay Regatta will be held at The Port of Call, Ao Po Marina.

Marina Berths will be available at a discounted rate of 50% off for regatta competitors for the evening of the 31st March.

For booking please contact derrickd@aopograndmarina.com and or use the booking form on their website at http://aopograndmarina.com/project/berth-reservations/

For further details on berthing please contact:

Derrick Van Deventer

Marina Manager

www.aopograndmarina.com

+66 (08) 5794 7600

KRABI Venue - Vacation Village, Phra Nang Inn, Ao Nang.

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The Bay Regatta is delighted to announce the return to Vacation Village, Phra Nang Inn as the Krabi stop-over venue for the 2021 Regatta.

The resort has offered a fantastic deal on accommodation for both the 2nd (Free night in Krabi) and 3rd night (The Phra Nang Inn Prize giving dinner).

For these special rates goto:

https://phrananginn.vacationvillage.co.th/accommodation/

Use Promotion Code: REGATTA2021

Phra Nang Inn was the first resort established on Ao Nang beach, located in the best location where you can easily take off to Krabi’s beautiful islands. It is a boutique resort of 69 rooms with two main buildings; Beach Wing and Spa Wing. The resort is situated in the very centre of Ao Nang beach; only a few steps away from Ao Nang’s shopping and dining streets.