Jelik scents glory at King's Cup

Boats seek an advantage in light winds yesterday during Bareboat Charter Class racing.

Trophies up for grabs on final day of racing

Frank Pong's Jelik took a commanding lead in the IRC Zero Class on yesterday's penultimate day of racing at the 26th Phuket King's Cup Regatta.

In light Andaman Sea breezes of 10 knots, Hong Kong-based Pong - a previous winner here - took a decisive step towards landing the prestigious King's Cup after collecting 13 points from nine races. That left the Thai-registered Wan Ma Rang, skippered by successful businessman-turned-sailor Kevin Whitcraft, trailing in second place just two points behind.

Former Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club commodore Pong skippered Jelik, one of the largest boats in this year's regatta, to third place in yesterday's first race, the eighth race overall.

But as the winds picked up, Pong read the conditions smartly for a comeback win in the second race of the day. However, with Kevin Whitcraft's Wan Ma Rang hot on his heels just two points behind, Pong cannot afford to relax on today's final day at Asia's premier regatta if he wants to clinch the King's Cup.

In the IRC1 Class, overnight leader Bill Bremner aboard Foxy Lady 6 was bumped down to second place when Aussie David Fuller's Ichi Ban fared better in yesterday's 8th and 9th races, finishing second and first respectively for an overall 15 points from nine races. Bremner has collected 18 points to trail in second spot.

Ichi Ban, with Australian Matt Allen at the helm, captured a comfortable lead in the IRC2 Class with 11 points after nine races, followed by former Thai national sailor Wiwat Poonpat, skippering Royal Thai Navy 1, and Briton Peter Dyer on board Kata Rocks, with 18 and 22 points respectively.

The Thai-registered Voodoo, helmed by Hans Rahmann, came within a whisker of winning the Firefly 850 Sports Class after collecting 11 points from nine races, with a nine-point gap to second-placed Shaun Jackson's Dyer Straits on 20 points.

Locked in a tight contest, Peter Wilcox aboard Mojo and Andrew Stransky's Fantasia will battle for the Multihull Class trophy today, when both start on 12 points from nine races.

Stretching the lead in the Platu One Design Class is Scott Duncanson's Tuay Lek with 14 points from nine races. Chasing for second place are Japan's Junichi Ishikawa aboard The Beaver and Sakura, helmed by Yoshio Furuta, with 17 and 19 points respectively.

In the four-yacht Premier Class field, Richard Dobbs' Titania of Cowes leads the way with six points from six races, while Irish Barry Cunningham, skippering Patrice III, has eight points from six races to lead the pack in the Modern Classic Class.

The Bareboat Charter Class, which attracted the largest fleet of 23 boats at this year's regatta, saw Russian Kirill Sakhattzev's Sail Plane capture pole position with six points from six races. In the Cruising Class, Aussie William Lo's No Name is out ahead with 10 points.

After today's final day of racing, Rear Admiral and Privy Councillor ML Usani Pramoj will preside over the awards presentation and the closing ceremony at the Kata Resort Spa.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/12/08/jelik-scents-glory-at-kings-cup/