July proved to be a month to savour for SEA Property International as the company celebrated the twin successes of launching South East Asia’s first ever all Multihull Regatta, followed by a nail biting first place finish in the Firefly 850 class at the ever competitive Evason Phuket Raceweek.

The SEA Property Multihull Championship, 11-13 July

A brand new regatta took to the waters for the very first time in Phuket this July. The SEA Property Multihull Championship attracted a competitive field of 11 boats for an exciting two days of racing. Competitors were favoured with clear skies and gentle wind conditions as they set off from Chalong bay on the islands south east coast for a hotly contested opening days racing, which was dominated by Phuket locals Henry Kaye aboard Mamba in the Firefly 850 class and Bob Brindley on X-Cat Riot in the Multihulls.

Crews spent the Saturday evening unwinding and soaking up the atmosphere in the comfortable surroundings of the Ratri Jazztaurant in Kata before getting back to the serious business of racing on the Sunday. Many of the boats competing in the event have previously tasted success in other well known regattas throughout Asia but after a 2^nd day of short course and island racing it was ultimately the opening days leading team Mamba who emerged victorious in the Firefly 850’s, with Neil Ayre and his team snatching overall victory aboard Shanghai Baby in the Multihulls. The winning teams accepted their trophies at the closing ceremony and after race party at Jimmy’s Lighthouse restaurant on the Chalong Bay waterfront.

The regatta brings something unique to Phuket as the very first of its kind in South East Asia to be dedicated solely to the Multihull (Catamaran or Trimaran) Class. Indeed the majority of the boats racing in the Firefly 850 class are the creation of respected local boat builder Mark Horwood and designer Mark Pescott, of the Latitude 8 boatyard, a Phuket based boat building company which has been responsible for the launch of more than 30 vessels in the past few years. Mark Pescott himself competed in the Firefly Class on Twin Sharks, a boat of his own design and commented “overall the racing was excellent and well organized as were the Saturday and Sunday night presentations. We have a large local fleet of multihulls here in Phuket and it offers a great opportunity for monohull sailors to experience a new type of racing”.

The event was organised in conjunction with the Ao Chalonag Yacht Club. Mick Kealy, the clubs president is enthusiastic for the races future, commenting “the regatta will definitely be a fixture on our calendar next year”. Mick went on to say “By having a dedicated multihull regatta we are achieving several important points. Firstly we make it specialized so the local and international media pick up on it as it is the only of its kind in Asia. Secondly during the off peak season it can be hard to get experienced crew to fill the boats, with the multihull regatta almost half of the sailors racing normally race on keel boats so by having them available we were able to get more boats on the water and increase the overall strength of competition and spectacle out on the water”.

Commenting on SEA Property International’s sponsorship of the event, company MD Norbert Witthinrich expressed his enthusiasm, saying “we were delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor Phuket’s first ever Multihull Regatta. Sailing is one of the most recognised and prestigious sports in South East Asia and remains a focal point of interest in Phuket. Events such as this raise the profile of Phuket and this can only be good for local businesses and the development of the island on the whole”. He went on to explain “The Kings Cup and Evason Phuket Raceweek already generate a huge amount of excitement, competition and media coverage and we are very hopeful that we can build on the success and positive feedback from this year’s race debut to build an even bigger, better event to raise the profile of the multihull class and set the standard for multihull racing throughout Asia in the future”.

Local yachtsman Peter Dyer, a key figure in the organisation of the regatta and owner and skipper of the SEA Property boat, which finished 4^th in the Firefly 850 class added, “the level of competition and quality of sailing over the two days was fantastic and I was thrilled with the response from all the sailors involved. Our expectation is to at least double the number of entries next year as the event acts as a perfect feeder to the Evason Raceweek and we believe that with this year’s success we can attract new boats from further afield and increase the level of competition and enjoyment for the spectators still further”.

Evason Raceweek, 23-27 July

SEA Property, skippered by Peter Dyer gained revenge upon close rival Mamba, victors in the Multihull Championship a week earlier after 8 fiercely contested races to claim the much coveted first place on the podium in the Firefly 850 Class at the Evason Raceweek. Mamba finished a close 2^nd, with fellow Phuket local Roger Kingdom 3^rd on Moto Inzi.

In the top rated IRC 1 class, Australian based skipper Peter Ahern devastated the field with a perfect 8 from 8 race wins on his yacht Yo!2, while victory in the IRC 2 class was taken by Niels Degenkolw on his Phuket-based yacht Phoenix. SEA Properties own Madam Butterfly finished a credible 2^nd in this category.

The popularity of Raceweek continues to grow at an incredible rate, with entries for 2008 up 40% on the previous year. Following another excellent week of racing, the regatta is fast turning into the yachting spectacle of the ‘low’ season across South East Asia.

2008 Phuket Kings Cup Regatta, 29 November – 6 December 2008

Be sure not to miss the thrills and spills of Asia’s number one yachting spectacle, The Phuket Kings Cup. Established in 1987, to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, the regatta has become the single largest event of its kind across Asia. This year’s festivities begin with registration on Saturday 29^th November, with 5 days of racing commencing on Monday 1^st December.

A brand new racing regatta makes its Phuket debut in July with the launch of the SEA Property Multihull Championship at Ao Chalong. Two races are scheduled to take place each day on the 12^th and 13^th of July with registration, a full race briefing and opening party to be held on the 11^th at the Ao Chalong Yacht Club (ACYC) clubhouse between 6 and 9pm. Both island and inshore courses will feature dependent on weather conditions. A full book of courses and sailing instructions will be issued to all competitors on registration.

The event is set to be keenly contested with many of the top yachts and crews from across the region expected to compete. Racing will be divided into 2 classes: Firefly 850 One Design Class and Ocean Multihull Class.

Trophies will be presented for both days racing to the overall placings in both divisions with a party for all competitors and guests to be held at Ratri Jazztaurant in Kata at 7pm on the evening of Saturday the 12^th. A barbeque and final prize giving ceremony will take place at Jimmy’s Lighthouse in Chalong at 6pm on Sunday the 13^th July.

The deadline for entries is 9pm on July 11^th, so it is not too late to take the plunge and be a part of the very first SEA Property Multihull Championship.

Registration forms are available from the SEA Property International office in Rawai or the Ao Chalong Yacht Club. For further information contact either: Peter Dyer on 081 271 0018 or Mick Keely on 081 396 0785. Email enquiries to pr@sea-property-international.com

For the 2nd straight year, the SEA Property International sponsored Madam Butterfly raced home to 1st place in the IRC 2 Class of the 2007 Kings Cup. An experienced crew, lead by skipper Peter Dyer and tactician and former Olympic squad coach Adam Bowers returned to Phuket to re-claim the trophy in fine style.

Managing Director Norbert Witthinrich commented; “SEA Property International are delighted to continue our sponsorship of Madam Butterfly and support of Asia’s premier racing regatta. As a business we can identify with what it takes to be number one and I am pleased that the prestigious Kings Cup event has once again resulted in a 1st place finish for us”