Spectators and hotel guests at the Evason Phuket on 27 July lazed around Into the Beach, the resort�s beachside bar, which for the past week doubled as headquarters for the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek regatta. Many looked across the waves as 40 vessels criss-crossed the waters of Chalong Bay in fresh final-day sailing conditions. Unlike the languid scene on the sand, crews on board competing craft worked hard to score points and boost their teams to victory.

In the hotly contested Firefly 850 design class, the result came down to the very end as local favourites Henry Kaye at the helm of Mamba and Roger Kingdon leading Moto Inzi battled for bragging rights in the 2008 Firefly of the Year competition. Peter Dyer�s SEA Property took the overall Raceweek trophy for Firefly 850s, with Mamba in second and Moto Inzi in third. After remaining neck-and-neck with Kingdon down to the last race of the day, Kaye ended out front by a single point to earn Mamba the title of 2008 Firefly of the Year.

Competition in the IRC 1 class provided a dramatic finish after skipper Peter Ahern�s boat Yo!2 dominated the field all during Raceweek. After seven first-place finishes, Yo!2 recovered from a slow start in the final race to end with another first place finish and a thoroughgoing sweep of the competition. Niels Dgenkolf led Phoenix to victory in the IRC 2 class, while Andrew de Bruin helmed Awatea to the head of the Club Charter class; Bob Mott and Chameleon finished with four straight wins to top the Ocean Multihull class; Mark Horwood�s Charro took the Racing Multihull class; and Gunter Nutt�s Kerida finished as best of the Classic Class.

The fifth Phuket Raceweek was not without disappointments. Mike Downard, a second-place finisher in the IRC 2 class last year with his Tua Lek, had to pull out of competition on Saturday when his new boat, the fabulous red Elite Switchblade lost a boomvang �kicker� in 30-knot winds during racing on 26 July. Still, Downard explained, Switchblade had �showed its potential� by finishing in fourth place up to that point.

For this year�s competition, Downard handed over his �little one�, Tua Lek, to Sukda Vangtim, a former gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games. Tua Lek drew its crew from yacht sponsors Laguna Phuket. Comprised of watersports instructors from Laguna hotels throughout Thailand, the crew performed exceptionally well on the opening day, Downard explained, finishing in third place. As the weather improved from the torrential downpours of the first day, they never managed to match their originally impressive start. Downard, though, said he was happy with the performance � especially considering that Raceweek marked the four-man crew�s first-ever time in competition.

�It�s easy to make a boat sail, but much harder to make it sail fast,� he said. �The demanding boat Switchblade will sail well in the King�s Cup� in December.Tua Lek, which many regard as one of Thailand�s fastest little boats, will also join the top regatta, Downard added. Many spectators likewise predicted Downard�s return to glory.
When speaking with Downard, it�s easy to see that he loves sailing Tua Lek, which he affectionately calls a �big dinghy�. He hints that he�ll return to skipper Tua Lek for next year�s event.