Where is the Wind?

Despite the lack of wind and its forever changing circumstances the racing has been close and challenging for all. The race committee have been quick to shorten courses and respond to these variable and light conditions.

The most exciting classes seem to be the Sportsboats and multihulls who have the most entries and grouped together in similar boatspeed bands.

The Malaysian Navy teams responded to the slightly increased breezes and out gunned the favoured Phuket 8’s that have dominated the Sportsboat Class so far to bring them into contention with one days racing to go. An elated Fauzi MUSTAFA told us at the press briefing that his crew put their win down to good sailing rather than good luck as the earlier races where a bit of a lottery in the changing winds and if the wind holds tommorrow they hope to repeat this performance.

Four classes have been dominated by the top boats respectively taking 3 successive victories. Peter AHERN’S Yo! in the Premier Racing Class 1A has done enough to keep Stuart Harrison’s Mum 30 Panic in second place and Amir ZOHRI’S Gotcha Lagi’s 3 wins puts them in a unbeatable position in the Premier Cruising Class 1B in front of David LINDAHL’S La Samudra. Similarly in the Multihull Classes Mark PESCOTT’S Summersalt has scored 3 handicap wins over their Phuket rival Brian RITCHIE on Fine Pitch who has taken 3 line honours but not managed to convert them into handicap wins. Brent MCINNES’S No Fixed Address despite racing with a damaged starboard hull from a accident during the Phang Nga regatta over the Chinese New Year has also managed 3 wins in the Cruising Multihull class.

In the Club Cruising Class 5A Mark HARDESS’ Dai Mouse IV has scored 2 wins and a second to have a comfortable 5 point advantage over Michele PIPPEN’S Simpatico with one race to go. In the Cruising Live Aboard Class 5B a close battle between Harald STUMMEIER’S Regolarita II and William CRUMP’S Fistral will be determined after the final race. Similarly in th Classic Class the battle of the heavy weights between Joao SOMBRA’S Guardian and Blanc ANDRE’S Al Na’ir also comes down to the last day.