Kid sailors in Samui-Phuket race

By J.B. HOLDEN

WITH their first competition in Pattaya under their belts, Samui youth sailors are off to compete in the first Phuket youth sailing event organized by the Phuket Yacht Club Ao Yon. 

The inaugural Island Trophy two-day regatta, with kids from Koh Samui and Phuket competing in their first-ever real boat race, takes place off Ao Yon, Phuket, on  March 22-23.

The competitors are children from age eight  upwards who have been learning to sail the tiny Optimist dinghies. They have been training in Samui with the Samui Yacht Club’s Youth Sail Program and in Phuket as part of the Phuket Yacht Club’s sail training program.

Both islands have a growing membership of youth led by teams of sailing instructor volunteers committed both to teaching youngsters to sail and to developing the respective clubs as a sailing-oriented family venue.

The Island Trophy has been announced as an annual event, alternating between Koh Samui and Phuket with three races every weekend followed by a beachside “BBQ & Prize Giving.”

Ten to 12 youngsters from each island will race over the two days and the trophy will be awarded to the overall winner. Medals will also be awarded for individual races and age categories.  The young sailors from Samui will arrive on Phuket to race against an equal number of their counterparts from across the isthmus. Racing will take place in Optimist dinghies, which are about 1.6 meters long each. 

Both Samui and Phuket have active youth-training schemes. All of the children have been trained for a minimum of six months and will be supervised by adults in other boats in the water. The races will take the young sailors outside Ao Yon and around a course set according to weather conditions on the day.

The sail kids are hoping for better weather and kinder winds in Phuket. During their first competition in Pattaya, the Samui Yacht Club reported that on the second day, halfway through the race, the wind rose from six knots to 35 and (again) the course was littered with capsized boats. 

Samui Yacht Club’s John Squall said regardless of the winds and challenges, all the children and adults were ready to enjoy a superb dinner. Prizes were given at the plush Ocean Marina Bar, giving all the young participants a chance to meet one another.

Nakarin Gaopradit and Martin Zach from Samui placed second and third in the Beginners Class (sailing for less than a year) from 17 starters. The overall champion of all 54 starters was 12-year-old Noppakao Poonpat from Yacht Racing Association of Thailand   

For information on youth sailing sponsorship, visit www.samuiyachtclubregatta.com; call 66 (0) 77230602-4, or check with John Squall at the Tradewinds Resort. For more details on the Island Trophy, email phuketyachtclub@ gmail.com