Fireflys jockey for the best starting position.

Capt Marty was writing after the last day of the 2010 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek, held at Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa from 21-25 July, where yachts and crews from all over the world compete across six classes for the top prizes – and 500 sailors mix with island revellers for five nights of 5-star parties.

Malaysian yacht, Baby Tonga, highlights the value of regatta branding.

Fast cementing its reputation as the sailors’ regatta on the water – and the absolute best regatta party scene in Asia – Six Senses Phuket Raceweek, inaugurated in 2004 to be ‘different’, captured the island’s imagination this year as Phuket notables descended in droves either to race and party – or just to mix with the sailors and party.

With an impressive sponsorship line-up that counted international giants Six Senses Resorts & Spas, Jaguar Cars and QBE Insurance alongside local companies such as Da Vinci restaurant (the latter recognised as one of the island’s most marketing-savvy outfits), Phuket Raceweek is steadily establishing a second unique reputation – one for working closely with its sponsors to deliver tangible commercial benefits.

Racing Class just after a perfect start.

“Companies like Six Senses and Jaguar don’t return year after year without a measurable ROI – one that fits in with their commercial objectives, so the fact that the former has just completed its third year as Title Sponsor and the latter its second year as Co-sponsor tells its own story,” said Grenville Fordham, MD of rights owners and organisers, Image Asia Events, adding, “Although it’s early days, both have indicated that they expect to be back again in 2011, as have Da Vinci.”

But back to that last day… because a bit of adrenalin-pumping excitement never hurt an event’s popularity, nor its commercial prospects…

After four days of very mixed winds, ranging from perfect 10-15 knots down to almost dead calm, the racing yachts on the last day were

Andaman Cabriolet Niña dropped sails and rushed to rescue two men overboard. Photo by Rolien Beute.

treated to not one, but two squalls rolling over the island into Chalong Bay, bringing winds up to 40 knots with them. Rain-laden black clouds gathered on the horizon as Race Officer Simon James started to get the different classes away on what was planned to be the first of two last-day races.

“If I saw that coming at us at home, I’d be dropping the sails and going home,” said Tasmanian sailor, John Bourke, veteran of many Sydney-Hobart races who – like many of the Raceweek regatta crews – had flown into Phuket to find out what racing in Southeast Asia was all about. John, who revelled in the conditions, has vowed to return for Phuket Raceweek next year, if not before.

It wasn’t long before things started to unfold… the first squall hit just after the racing class had crossed the start line; a

‘Ghost’ ships passing in the white-out.

newly-launched frisky Phuket 8, Surf Patrol, broached, catapulting two crew members overboard. The Andaman Cabriolet catamaran, Niña, waiting for its own multihull class start, dropped sails and was quickly on the scene hauling the two out of the increasingly heavy swell. The irony of dripping crew shirts proudly boasting ‘Surf Rescue’ was lost on neither the rescuers nor the camera-shy rescued…

At the same time, one of the multihull fleet, Little Soul, having sailed all the way from Bali to join the regatta, lost its mast and drifted across the start line, holding up proceedings for the remaining classes while its sagging mast and tangled rigging was sorted out.

The delay meant the remaining classes got away in relatively calm conditions, on a course heading into the more ‘sheltered’ part of the bay – but not before a number of participants had decided to call it a day, opting for an early beer in the post-regatta bar rather than put fortitude and gear to the test.

Racing Class winner Ben Copley (Katsu) and crew receive trophy from YRAT’s Admiral Apiwat.

Those who eschewed the onshore comforts and raced on were in for an added ordeal. Looming over the Kata hills was another ominous black cloud, which descended on the ‘sheltered’ waters without remorse. Again 35 knots or more, this time bringing with it enough rain to create a ‘white-out’, saw ghost-like shapes hurtling around marks, avoiding boats moored in the crowded anchorage as well as unforgiving concrete navigation marks, racing towards each other with collision seemingly inevitable, but always miraculously keeping clear.

All-in-all a superb start to a day that was to end with the fabulous gala closing party and prizegiving, where 5-star food, top-class live music and a no-limits free bar combine with the exhilaration of a challenging week on the water and the famous ‘Phuket party mood’ to create THE Phuket social event of the season for Thais and expatriates alike.

Andaman Cabriolet Niña gets a hull out of the water on the last day. Photo by Rolien Beute.

Nevertheless, the soul of any regatta is the racing and here is what one Phuket Raceweek regular, Keith Garry up from Malaysia on BeauX Esprits, had to say the day after it was all over: “Thanks for a great regatta as usual. This regatta had just about everything in terms of weather and conditions. We had some first time Southeast Asia sailors from West Australia on board who were impressed to say the least with the regatta and the great functions. They are all keen to come back next year!”

Properly targeted, activated and managed sponsorship can be among the best marketing investments a company can make. Find out if Six Senses Phuket Raceweek is the vehicle for your sponsorship – contact Grenville Fordham on raceweek@image-asia.com

For more general information, photo gallery, regatta history and results visit www.phuketraceweek.com
Marketing support by Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd