Kiteboarding set for King’s Cup
Mark Pawlak 
sailingbreaks 
King's Cup, kiteboarding, Sailing, Sailing Holidays, sailing regatta, thailandPeople who love sailing in Thailand will be able to add kiteboarding to their list of activities to check out at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.
The Kiteboard Tour Asia (KTA) has announced that it will be holding an invitation-only event at this year’s King’s Cup, which is celebrating a quarter century of competitions in 2011.
Kiteboarding, coming to Phuket's top sailing event. Image: Flickr/tibchris
The inclusion of the developing sport shows that the King’s Cup is at the forefront of new forms of sailing, with some 20 kiteboarders expected to compete at December’s event.
People visiting the King’s Cup who’ve not watched kiteboarding before will also be able to witness the best the sport has to offer – with pro riders from the World Tour likely to be among the competitors.
At the helm of the demonstration will be all-round kiteboarding legend Narapichit “Yo” Pudla. The Thai kiteboarder and two-time Asia champion will be joined by two-time Japanese freestyle champion Aya Oshima and Philippines champion Ken Nacor, suggesting that fans of sailing events attending Phuket will be enjoying the cream of the kiteboarding crop.
The sport is already well-established in Thailand, but its inclusion at the King’s Cup will throw it open to whole new audience who are more familiar with general yacht racing. The international tour has been held in Hua Hin for the past two years, while professional kiteboarders are also used to the exquisite Thai waters thanks to the country’s status as a Kiteboard Tour Asia stop.
Willy Kerr, KTA tour director, said: “This year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta will feature a thrilling KTA race event which will be a unique addition to the Phuket King’s Cup. There is a growing interest in the sport across much of South East Asia, and we’re very excited to be able to bring this spectacle to people who may not be familiar with the stylish, cool fun of the professional kiteboarding scene.”
Kevin Whitcraft, president of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organising Committee, said: “We’re delighted to welcome an exhibition event by Kiteboard Tour Asia at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup. This is a bold step for us in terms of broadening the regatta, and we hope this new element will have very strong appeal to kiteboarding enthusiasts and a younger sailing audience. Kiteboarding continues to grow in popularity in Asia, and Thailand in particular offers an accessible and exciting opportunity for anyone who wishes to see pro kiteboarding events.”
Established in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of the King of Thailand, the Phuket King’s Cup will celebrate 25 years when it gets under way on December 3 at Kata Beach.
Sailors limber up for Sydney-Hobart
Sailors will be warming up for this year’s Sydney to Hobart challenge in Friday’s Cabbage Tree Island Race.
The fleet of 32 vessels will get plenty of experience sailing in Australia when they embark upon the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 180 nautical mile sailing race. The race is a qualifier for the Sydney-Hobart, which gets under way on December 26 and will see thousands of sailing fans following its progress over the Christmas period. The Cabbage Tree is seen by many as a good indicator of how crews will perform during the main event on Boxing Day.
But this isn’t the only opportunity to limber up for the Hobart, with a number of other events also pencilled in over the coming weeks. On the weekend of November 26, Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship will get under way, with the Lion Island Botany Race planned for December 3. The Botany Race is the latest addition to the CYCA’s Blue Water Pointscore Series (BWPS).
But there are opportunities for sailing in Australia all year round, with many other events to keep people busy and entertained. One of these is the Hamilton Island Race Week, which attracts thousands of yachting lovers every year. Last year’s Cabbage Tree race was won by Chris Bull on board his Cookson 50 Jazz, however he won’t be taking part in this year’s event. He isn’t the only major face missing out either, as Bob Oatley’s super maxi Wild Oats XI won’t be involved in the race.
Weather experts have predicted that the yachts will embark upon the race amid an east to north-easterly of up to 15 knots, with the sea breeze remaining steady until late on Saturday, when winds are expected to reach 20-25 knots. The weather conditions cast shadows over hopes for beating previous records, experts have suggested.
The rush for the BWPS title is being led by Darryl Hodgkinson, who will embark upon the challenge fresh from victory last month in the Flinders Islet Race. He currently holds an eight point lead over Loki, the current BWPS champion. Many commentators have also mentioned Hodgkinson’s name when discussing potential winners of the Sydney-Hobart Tattersall’s Cup. The coming few weeks mark a busy time for lovers of yacht racing events, with the BWPS series set to conclude at the end of the Sydney Hobart and the prizes dished out too.
Top Dubrovnik tourist spot named
Tourism bosses in Croatia have issued their top tip for holidaymakers planning a visit to the city of Dubrovnik.
Any sailing holiday in Croatia this summer is likely to include Dubrovnik in its itinerary, and the local tourism board has highlighted East West Beach as one of the most exciting attractions in the popular coastal city.
The renowned venue has been named as a top site for a chill-out session thanks to its famous day beach soirees, which provide the perfect opportunity to lie back and relax on one of the world’s top coasts.
Those on a yacht charter in Croatia can spend a memorable day at East West Beach and enjoy its restaurant, club, lounge and pampering facilities.
The venue even provides a speedboat that can be used to explore Dubrovnik and nearby islands including Lokrum.
At night, the club becomes a fashionable and exotic party spot where revellers can boogie the night away.
Other recommendations from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board include Culture Club Revelin in the historic area of Fort Revelin.
Sailors face rough weather in island race
Mark Pawlak sailingbreaks Isle of Wight, Sailing, sailing holiday, sailing race, sailing races, YachtingIt is not just yacht charter holidays around exotic islands off the coasts of far-off countries that can tempt sailors out onto their vessels.
A race around the Isle of Wight has proved to be a strong enough attraction to draw in over 1,900 boats and 16,000 sailors.
One of the largest yacht races in the world, the J.P Morgan Round The Island Race took place on the 25th June.
The largest ever number of competitors faced rough weather conditions to take part in the sailing event, which is now in its 80th year.
TV presenter Denise Van Outen signalled the beginning of the race from the Crowes starting line, but because of the severe conditions – with up to force seven winds and waves around 20 feet – many boats were forced to retire early.
The winner of the epic race was Lionel Lemonchois, which crossed over the finishing line with a time of three hours, 49 minutes and 58 seconds.
Croatian beaches have sex factor
Croatian beaches are famed for their gorgeous climates and easiness on the eye – but for one steamy website it is their inhabitants that cook up most of the heat.
Travel Channel has taken it upon itself to compile a list of Croatia’s 10 sexiest beaches, for those fancying a double dose of natural beauty.
Over 95 million users, many of whom will be plotting their next sailing holiday in Croatia, have been advised that Plat beach is the sexiest on offer.
The US-based company advises fun seekers to “leave the kids at home.. we’ll take you to the sexiest beaches”.
As well as finding a yacht charter in Croatia, beaches have long been the biggest attraction, with Zrce beach on the island of Pag and the beaches of Pakleni islands also deemed notable for their sex appeal.
Others to feature on the list include Zlatni Rat on the island of Brac, Rab Kandalora beach, Rovinj Valalta, Baska on island Krk and Girandella in Rabac.
Travel Channel also pointed out numerous islands just off the country’s coastline that are well worth a visit.
Ben Miller hails Caribbean paradise
Comedian and actor Ben Miller is loving filming a new BBC detective series in the Caribbean.
The Primeval star is currently filming in Guadeloupe for the new show, to be shown on BBC1 later this year.
The new series, called Death in Paradise, sees Ben play the role of a British detective who is posted to the Caribbean island of Sainte Marie despite hating sun, sea and sand.
But Ben has been loving the location, having already visited a few of the surrounding islands.
He said: “It’s amazing. Guadeloupe where we’re filming, there’s quite a few different islands but the two main ones are Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre.
“Basse-Terre is very flat and touristy and where they grow loads of sugar cane and Grande-Terre is volcanic, very wild and basically just rainforest and beaches, very little tourism. Completely unlike any other place I’ve ever been.”
The show could encourage people to visit the region on holiday, and may even tempt the more adventurous to consider sailing in the Caribbean to experience the different islands like Ben.
However those looking for a family holiday may also want to consider the region as Ben said his children loved the beaches.
He said: “They’ve come out (to visit me). My son loves it out there absolutely loves it. The last time he was out there he was just running about on the beach going ‘I love it here I love it here.’”
Winds force MedCup cancellation
The final day of racing has been cancelled at one of Europe’s biggest sailing events.
Strong Mistral winds made it impossible to hold the last scheduled showdown of the Audi MedCup Marseille Trophy 2011. The tough conditions saw the magnificent yachts of the TP52 fleet remain firmly moored in Vieux Port.
The 16-metre racing yachts, constructed entirely of carbon fibre, are widely considered to be the Formula 1 craft of the sea, with the brand also a popular choice for those taking part in corporate sailing events.
The cancellation in Marseilles made the previous day’s results final, with Container named the winner followed by Quantum Racing.
There was also silverware for the Audi Azzurra sailing team, who took third place as they did in the first leg in Cascais.
The overall classification for the circuit after two legs also sees Azzurra in third place with Quantum in the lead and Container in second.
Azzurra tactician Francesco Bruni said: “We came in the top three again, even if with some difficulty, it is still a good result.”
“We made a few too many mistakes and on two occasions we could have done better, in any case this is a positive result. The next objective is to be protagonists during the home leg in Cagliari from July 19.”
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