Phuket, Thailand, December 10, 2022 / TRAVELINDEX / High waves at Kata Beach made it difficult for sailors to access their boats today, prompting the Phuket King's Cup race committee to postpone the start by about an hour. However, the wind didn't cooperate. After the first race was shortened due to lack of wind, the race director, after consulting with wind forecasts, decided to abandon the regatta early and send the sailors home.

In the IRC Zero class, the two TP52 yachts (THA 72 and Team Hollywood) engaged in a thrilling race, which Kevin and Tom Whitcraft ultimately won with their THA 72 by a mere 0.08 seconds ahead of Ray Roberts' Team Hollywood. Tomorrow, on the final day of racing, all eyes will be on this class, as Team Hollywood leads THA 72 by two points. Sarab Singh and Nick Burns' Windsikher, winners of the 29th King's Cup, will have to settle for third place in this class.

Kazuki Kihara's Japanese crew on Char Chan continued their strong performance in the IRC-1 class, winning today's race. Matti Sepp's Judy finished second and Craig Douglas' Ramrod third. Ramrod had a half-mile lead at the windward mark in this class, but as they rounded the mark and the wind dropped, Char Chan overtook them to take the win.

Garry Holt's "Let's Get It On" finished fourth, followed by Morten Jakobsen's "Hanuman XXXIX". Craig Nichols' "Alright" had been struggling with problems since the start of the regatta and was unable to compete for the second day in a row. Heading into the final day, "Char Chan" leads "Ramrod" by three points and "Let's Get It On" by five. "Char Chan" was formerly known as "Karasu" and was one of the most successful boats in King's Cup history.

In the Premier Cruising class, the Thai X-Yacht Pine Pacific continued its strong performance, securing another victory. Peter Cremer's Shatoosh finished second, and Simon Piff's Firstlight again took third place. This class is also eagerly anticipated on the final day, as Pine Pacific holds a two-point lead over Shatoosh after today's races.

Jakob Handte's "Fei Jian" won the Charter Cruising class today, followed by Masami Yamashita's "Inlova". Torben Kristensen's "Kinnon" could not be repaired in time after a collision with Hermann Schwarz's "2Fast4you" on the third day of the regatta. Heading into the final day, "Fei Jian" leads the class, while "Inlova" and "Kinnon" are tied for second place.

Jakob Handte, Markus Schweizes, and Peter Jung form the core crew of the Fei Jian, which they have been chartering for ten years. In their home country, they regularly sail on Lake Constance, the largest lake in Western Europe. Although they are experienced sailors, this is their first time participating in the King's Cup in their class in three decades. Handte and Jung first joined the regatta in 1993 after delivering a boat from Singapore. Schweizes joined the team shortly afterward, and since then they have made the pilgrimage to Phuket every year. Even last year, when no regatta was held, they were there. Besides sailing, they love the people and the food in Phuket and take the opportunity to play golf when they are not sailing. Handte praised the residents of Phuket for their urban planning and their environmental remediation initiatives. He also thanked the race organizers, who shortened the course on the third day due to the decreasing wind and did not keep the sailors on the water too long when it became clear that it would be very difficult to sail another race.

In the Multihull OMR class, Hermann Schwarz' 2Fast4you recovered from the collision with Kinnon on Wednesday and beat Hang Chen's ZOE for the fourth time in five races, securing a comfortable lead in the class going into the final day.

The Royal Awards ceremony will take place on December 10, 2022 at Beyond Resort Kata, Kata Beach, Phuket.

About the Phuket King's Cup Regatta – Asia's legendary sailing race under royal patronage: The regatta was established in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and has been held in the first week of December ever since. It is organized under royal patronage by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee, under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in cooperation with the Yachting Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy, and the Province of Phuket.