Report By Scott Murray - Sea Yachting Magazine.

With 18-20 knots of breeze forecast, the fourth and final day of the 26th Bay Regatta got underway as PRO and race organizer Simon James set off the yachts in 2 starts exciting starts, with the multihulls enjoying clear air for the first start followed by the mass monohull classes for the Coca Cola Haad-Thip Race, a 35-mile sprint back from Krabi to Ao Chalong, anchorage on Phuket.

The wind was definitely not a problem today as it increased to 20+ knots with a spring tide against the wind creating challenging conditions. For the first time in many years, all classes sailed course 12, taking them around the islands and directly back to Ao Chalong..

Starting from an off-wind line between the committee vessel & Koh Yaman, yachts passed the famous "Chicken islands" Koh Dam Hok & Koh Dam Khwan to starboard before heading west, passing through the gate at Hin Mu Sang Nua before a 15-mile south-westerly sprint to the finish, at the entrance to Ao Chalong. - For the first time

Dirk Weiblen and his crew on No Fear capsized just south of Koh Yao Yai – while competing with the Firefly 850's, but the sea state caused them to nosedive and pitchpole into the water. Twin Sharks and Blue Nose immediately stopped racing to assist while the race committee was alerted.

After a failed attempt to right the vessel due to the conditions and sea state, the inverted hull was towed to shelter, where its waterlogged hull and rig were eventually righted with the assistance of 2 race-committee support vessels and Shiraz, a passing yacht. Once the boat was again under control, it was towed into Ao Chalong near the Phuket Yacht Club.

Except for ego, all crew were uninjured, with the full rigging remaining intact.

A big shout-out to the on-water support team and the crew on Shiraz, who just happened to be cruising by at the time of the incident and who hopped into the water to assist the less experienced crew on No Fear in righting the vessel.

Twin Sharks and Blue Noze, who suspended racing when No Fear went over, were compensated by being awarded finishing points equivalent to their known race position when they stopped racing.

The seven-boat OMR Multihull class saw Dan Fidock’s Parabellum winning their fourth straight race, their fourth line honour SMASHING the Krabi-Chaolong course in a time of 1:34:40. Making it a family 1-2 on the day, Dow Fidock's Stealth 11.8 Saffron came in second with Glywn Rowlands’ Twister II, a Stealth 12.1, finishing third and showing the strength of the locally built Stealth boats from local sponsors Asia Catamarans.

James Haste and his crew on Bonza were on their way to set their own course record when they ran into rudder trouble and ended up finishing fourth. Overall the series concluded with Parabellum first, Twin Sharks second and Twister II third.

In the IRC-Racing Class, Aquarii led the way, with line honours and a handicap win, closely followed by the single-handed Thomas Valentin on his Classe Mini 6.5, in second place and DSA Venture in third place.

Overall the 5-boat IRC Racing Class saw Peter Winter’s Australian team win on Aquarii, a Sydney 40 Mod, with DSA Venture, a First 40.7, coming in second. Niels Degenkolw’s X ¾ Ton Phoenix had to settle for third as the harsh winds hampered their progress on the final day. Thomas Valentin’s Brisk, a Classe Mini 6.5, was fourth – the single-handed sailor received a standing ovation from the other sailors –– while Aliaksandre Racheuski’s Uminoko, a Farr One Ton, rounded out the class.

The IRC Cruising Class saw Paul Merry’s Night Train, a Hanse 415, win every race with Andrey Arbuzov’s Birds & Bees, a First 44.7, and Aleksei Brunov’s Moonshine, a Sun Odyssey 45, tied on points. Moonshine took second overall based on a better performance in the last race.

In the eight-boat Cruising Monohull Class, Hans Rahmann's 70ft Yasooda loved the strong conditions and led the monohull fleet back in to Ao Chalong with a new course record of 3:05:11 for the 35-mile course. After handicaps were applied, Yasooda remained in pole position, closely followed by Snap Dragon and Wind of Change.

Overall, Steven Wong’s Snap Dragon, a Peterson 46, retained top spot with Hans Rahmann’s J/V 70 Yasooda, placing second. Creating another record, with a combined age of over 450 years, Jack Christensen’s crew on Lynda, a Bavaria 49, years was third. They were followed by Sergei Dikanov’s Wind of Change, Fons Wang’s Sumalee, Duncan Fraser’s beautiful Hanse 575 Gale Force and Mayo Hood’s Chinnon 2 with Tony Byrnes’ late entry Zingara rounded out the class.

Defending champion Rick Fielding’s Mojo, a Fusion 40, took home both line honours and the overall title, breaking his own speed record of 19kts in the three-boat all-Australian Cruising Multihull class. Bo Wharton’s Troppo, a Lagoon 410, followed closely in second and Bob McIntyre’s Allegro, a Stealth 13, placed third. Of course, Fielding, who is known for playing to the crowd, did just that during his acceptance speech.

The final party was once again held at Kan Eang 2 restaurant, overlooking Chalong Bay and a great time was had by all. Since its inception 26 years ago, the Regatta has been described as the “party that sails around”. This year's event just keeps entertaining all those who participate and certainly didn’t disappoint this year.

The Race Management team did a great job setting the courses, manning the starts and keeping things in order. Kae Wattana and her Regattas Asia team ensured everyone was happy on shore, providing plenty of good food and drink. A big shot out to Simon’s team on the water - Susie, Chandran and Khun Lep - who as always, made sure all the starts and finishes were correctly posted and recorded under some very trying conditions at times.

Stay tuned as what many competitors decribed as the region’s friendliest regatta will be announcing its dates for 2024 soon.

See you next year.