December, the month for boating in ThailandPrepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
December is the month for boating activities in Thailand. All over Thailand there are longboat races on the rivers and, remember, Thailand is a land of rivers and canals. But the biggest race of all, and which attracts racing yachts from all over the world, is the King’s Cup every December in Phuket on the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand. And this year there is even an added attraction: the largest group of yachts ever to sail to Thailand will begin arriving in Phuket on New Year’s Day with the Sail Thailand Rally.
The 2008 Phuket King's Cup Regatta begins on 29th November and continues until 6th December. It is Asia's biggest and most popular regatta. More than a regatta, the week long event consists of great parties, great sailing and lots of fun. Inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, the event has been held every year since during the first week of December. With the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, the Regatta is organised by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket. His Majesty the King will send a personal representative to present the King's Cup trophies on his behalf. This special Royal awards ceremony is the highlight of the event.
In the true spirit of adventure, the kingdom’s newest sailing event is the Sail Thailand Rally. This rally actually began in Darwin, Australia with the sister event, The Sail Indonesia Rally, organized by sailor David Woodhouse. On 26 July 2008, 122 yachts departed Darwin for Indonesia, Bali, Singapore and arrived in Malaysia mid-October. On 14th November, the baton was passed to Sazli Basha and Hardeep Dhaliwal of PassionAsia and the organizers of the Sail Malaysia Rally. On 20 December, the baton will be passed to Capt. Bianca Hein of Marina Blue Productions and the organizer of the Sail Thailand Rally.
The Sail Thailand Rally is a continuation of the Sail Indonesia (www.sailindonesia.net) and Sail Malaysia (www.sailmalaysia.net) rallies first established in 2001. The Sail Indonesia sector arrived in Kupang after leaving Darwin. Conducted by the Indonesian Marine Foundation YCBI and supported by the Indonesian Government, it was a three-month journey with a series of events across Indonesia.
Yachts began to arrive in Johor, Malaysia, on 14 November, and will sail north to Phuket up the Malacca Strait with stops at Lumut, Perak, 26-28 November, Tanjong City Marina, Penang, 3-5 December and Langkawi, Kedah, 18-20 December. At each destination there will be welcoming receptions and we can be certain there will be plenty of parties.
All of the sailors will receive The Pensea Mariners Certificate on the 20 December at the final dinner of the Sail Malaysia Rally in Langkawi, Malaysia at Mutiara Baru Bay. Sailor Marina Blue will present the certificates and take the baton to start the Sail Thailand Rally. To initiate this brand new event, the Pensea Mariners Certificate will have been ‘carried in a seabag’ by Sailor Marina Blue along Thailand’s many waterways: from the river’s head at the foothills of the Himalayas in Chiang Mai to the Gulf of Thailand in the East. In mid-November, Marina Blue will sail with the certificate from the East coast of Thailand to the West coast of Thailand…And so the Pensea Mariners Certificate is initiated for the Sail Thailand Rally.
The Sail Thailand Rally lasts from 31 December – 21 January 2009. The public is invited to meet and greet the fleet the first two weeks of January where you can see the yachts at anchor in Ao Chalong Bay, Phuket, Thailand.
For those who want more information about this event they can contact Bianca Hein, Executive Producer, Marina Blue Productions and organizer of the Sail Thailand Rally, phone no. 084-147-5557. Bianca is long time sailor of the SE Asia-Pacific region who has devoted much time and effort to make this event a success. Of note, she says she will retire her US Coast Guard captain’s license on 21 January and celebrate 29 years of sea service. She adds, however, that she will still be involved with the marine industry promoting young marine talent. Bianca Hein was in Johor to meet and greet the fleet upon their arrival. For more information on this event visit www.marina-blue.com.
It’s enlightening to know that yachting has come of age in Southeast Asia. Thirty years ago when I announced to my Asian friends that I was going to build a yacht they were delighted. They always suspected that I might be a rich Tokay masquerading as a poor writer, and now it was confirmed. They looked forward to the Onassis-type yacht I would build and the day that I would invite them aboard for cocktails.
Their disillusionment came when I launched my yacht. It was a sailing schooner and not a shiny luxury yacht. It had masts, with sails, and not twin diesel powered engines with turbo chargers. And imagine ratlines going up the rigging, with a jutting bowsprit, just like the junks in olden days that sailed the South China Seas. I lost face with all my Asian friends.
That was awhile back, more than thirty years ago, and times since then have changed. Yachting, after a long struggle, has finally come of age in Southeast Asia. More and more cruising yachts from abroad are finding new pleasures in Asian waters, and Asians themselves are discovering that sail boating can be as much fun at home as it is in the Mediterranean––and cheaper. Take a look at Phuket as an example. When I sailed my schooner into Patong Bay in 1976, I had the whole bay to myself. Mine was the only boat there, aside from local fishing boats. There was but one hotel on the beach and the only road was a deeply rutted track that led to Phuket City. No road circled the island. There were a few food stalls along the beach in Patong and we thought that was great. Now there’s the yearly King’s Cup races and the Sail Thailand Rally with yachts arriving from Australia via Indonesia and Malaysia. And for services Phuket now has every type of marine service available including sail making. The only service I could find in 1976 was an outboard engine repair at a shop on the beach in Patong called Billy Budd’s.
I wonder what Billy Budd thinks today, if he is still around.
Next week I will be telling readers about Family Getaways sponsored by Royal Orchid Holiday. The holiday season is coming and now is the time to plan. QUESTIONS & ANSWERSQ. Dear Mr. Stephens, My wife and I plan to visit Thailand and in reading up on Thai culture and history we learned that the Thais use a different calendar than used in the west. Will this be a problem for us? Henry Sims, North Carolina
A. Dear Henry, It’s true, the Thais do use a different calendar but don’t let that worry you. The western calendar is also used. However, for your information here is the Thai calendar:
The official Thai calendar is calculated from the beginning of the Buddhist Era in 543 BC. The year 2000 AD is therefore 2543 BE. The year is subdivided into 12 months, the same as the Roman calendar. This year it is 2550.
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. | 
