More than 1,500 sailors and crew from 35 countries will fight for honours in the 26th Phuket King's Cup Regatta from today to December 8, with Thursday designated as the off day.
Over 100 boats will sail off the Kata Beach today to mark the official start of the race.
Meanwhile, a windsurfing competition, which has been included in regatta for the first time, took place yesterday. The event is being held from yesterday to Wednesday, with more than 40 local and foreign windsurfers vying for honours. Among the high-profile windsurfers are Thailand's Ek Boonsawat, who had participated in the Olympics in London this year, and Siriporn Kaewduang-ngam, who won in the Youth Olympics in Singapore two years ago.
Boat classes to be contested this year comprise Premier, IRC Zero, IRC 1, IRC 2, Platu/Sports Boats, Bareboat Charter, Cruising, Firefly 850 Sport, Multihull Racing, Multihull Cruising, Classic and Modern Classic.
All classes will use the Low Point System, while a minimum of two completed races are required to constitute a series. If a race is cancelled or abandoned by the race committee, the mentioned minimum maybe adjusted accordingly.
The prestigious King's Cup trophy will be awarded to the winning boat in each class, while second and third place prizes will also be awarded in each class.
The ethnic mix of entries is changing rapidly. Five years ago there were fewer than a handful of Russian crews. Last year, Russia and other federations provided the largest international representation with 12 skippers. This year that has jumped to 17.
Once again Australia had 10 entries this year Singapore seven, Hong Kong and mainland China seven, Japan six and the United Kingdom four.
According to Kevin Whitcraft, the president of the organising committee, the race, which has become Asia's biggest and the most popular regatta, has grown rapidly year after year.
"The regatta also helps tourism in the province. More than Bt40 million cash flow is expected during the staging of the sailing competition," he said.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/12/03/kings-cup-regatta-pulls-in-huge-numbers/
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