The 11th Top of the Gulf Regatta Presented by Ocean Marina welcomed sailors from around the world, led by a strong Thai and Australian contingent, to compete in what has become Asia’s largest multi-class regatta, held at South East Asia’s largest marina, Ocean Marina.
This year’s Regatta will go down as one of the toughest yet. Not only were there top international crews and close racing on-the-water, the conditions proved to be some of the most varied, tricky and challenging in the Regatta’s history.
Founded in 2005 the 2015 Top of the Gulf Regatta Presented by Ocean Marina took place from the 30th of April to the 4th May. Owned and organised by Ocean Property, the Regatta is hosted by Ocean Marina Yacht Club with support from the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, Royal Thai Navy, Royal Varuna Yacht Club and Pattaya City.
Sailors competed for three perennial trophies: Top of the Gulf Regatta trophy, the prestigious Coronation Cup, competed for by the one-design platu class, and the Thailand Optimist National Championships, which combined make the award-winning Top of the Gulf Regatta one of the most diverse class line-ups in the region.
“The fleet shaped up to be one of the most competitive yet with a number of new international entries in the keelboat and multihull classes, including top sailors from Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, and a number of past champions back to defend their titles ,” said Mr. William Gasson, Co-Chairman, Top of the Gulf Regatta Organising Committee.
The Coronation Cup, established to celebrate the Coronation Date of His Majesty the King of Thailand (5th May) – who himself is a proficient sailor winning the gold-medal at the 1967 SEA Games – saw a near-record line-up with crews from as far away as the UK taking part.
“The Coronation Cup is an integral part of the Top of the Gulf Regatta and has grown to become the largest one-design racing competition in the region. This year’s fleet included some top sailors – both regular competitors and new faces. It is a multi-national fleet with Australians the biggest contingent, and they will be challenging defending champion Scott Duncanson for the Cup,” commented Mr. Gasson.
Dominated by Thai sailors, including many from the national team, the dinghy and beach catamaran fleets exceeded 50 entries with the Thai competitors up against a strong team from Malaysia as well as sailors from Singapore, Hong Kong and beyond.
The Thailand Optimist National Championships is the Kingdom’s second-oldest sailing competition. Celebrating a milestone, its 40th year and a record fleet of over 130 boats.
“We have hosted the national optimist championships as part of the Top of the Gulf Regatta since we started the Regatta 11 years ago. Providing a competitive racing opportunity of international standard has helped develop many young Thai sailors who have sailed and won in World competitions recently,” added Mr. Gasson. “The large Thai fleet were up against sailors from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Myanmar”.
After a slow start to the 2015 series, Kingdom Property (AUS) rallied to put in a string of five wins and take a commanding position at the top heading into the final day. With two races planned for the final day, a first in Race 1 secured the title for Kingdom Property’s Scott Duncanson and his crew one race early – the first time ever that the title has been defended and the fourth time in total that Scott Duncanson has won the Coronation Cup.
The Regatta has been active in supporting grassroots sailing and youth development since its inception and this year Ocean Marina Yacht Club have sponsored a group of young Thai sailors from the Phuket Sunshine Village orphanage in Phuket, to compete in the national championships as part of the Phuket Youth Sailing Club team.
Photos courtesy of Top of the Gulf