So it is fitting that one of Phuket’s most popular regattas, Six Senses Phuket Raceweek, should kick off the 2010/2011 Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championship, where Asia’s top racing yachtsmen and women compete over the course of several Asian regattas.

Six Senses Phuket Raceweek, unique in the regional yacht racing calendar for its expectation of strong breezes, scenic race courses and its 5-star social scene, is held at the Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa from 21-25 July.

As we went to press, entries were looking strong in all classes, with a record number of first-time participants. “With Top of the Gulf and Koh Samui regattas over, we usually get a flurry of entries from sailors who have been focused on those events,” said Grenville Fordham, MD of organisers and rights owners, Image Asia Events, adding, “It looks as though we’ll have a strong Racing Class this year, although – as usual – we never really know the final line-up until shortly before the event. The logistics and costs of getting a boat and crew ready to take part in an event away from home are horrendous, so quite often boat owners are never sure if they can make it until all the pieces come together.”

To encourage participants to think ahead, Six Senses Phuket Raceweek had an ‘Early Bird’ entry scheme with impressive savings on boat and crew fees for those who registered and paid online. And this year, thanks to sponsor Global Investments (Far East), one lucky early-bird entry will have boat and crew fees refunded in full.

If you thought that a regatta like this is only for the serious racers, think again. “We have separate courses and start lines for cruising yachts so it really doesn’t matter if you’re not the best racer in the world. We find that those cruising yachts who join in have the time of their life – both on the water and off,” said Fordham, adding that there is a large available fleet of locally-based yachts available for charter at very reasonable ‘low season’ rates.

Sponsorship is a big part of any sporting event but first finding sponsors, and then keeping hem, is a challenge. “We’re proud of the fact that we manage to keep many of our key sponsors, including Six Senses and Jaguar Cars, coming back year after year,” said Fordham.

First time Co-sponsor for 2010 is local restaurant Da Vinci, who hit regatta fame in 2009 by sponsoring Racing Catamaran winner, the new design Andaman Cabriolet Niña. In response to their win, at the closing party of last year’s event, Da Vinci owners placed an order for a sister yacht, which will be launched just in time to race in the SEA Property Multihull Regatta and Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2010. “We gained a lot of valuable exposure just by branding and naming a boat last year,” said Da Vinci partner Mark Norris. “Now that we have our own yacht, we decided it made sense to leverage our participation by becoming an event sponsor too. We’re also hosting one of the regatta parties at Da Vinci, so participants get a chance to see who and what we are,” he added.

For the first time, Six Senses Phuket Raceweek will see two boats branded by event co-sponsors (Jaguar Cars and Da Vinci), demonstrating an increasing awareness that combining event and boat sponsorship is the way to achieve maximum brand exposure. “Naturally, as organisers, we maximise the exposure in photographs and TV programming of event sponsors’ branding. Sponsoring the event as well as a racing yacht is the smart way to get more for your money,” said Fordham.

For more information on the regatta and to view the SSPRW 2009
TV programme:
www.phuketraceweek.com
Email: raceweek@image-asia.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyU8gxaWQ44

For more information on sponsorship opportunities:
www.paulpoole.co.th/phuketraceweek
Email: paul@paulpoole.co.th,
aruwan@paulpoole.co.th (Thai speaking)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxFIBbPbbeI
Marketing support by Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd