Australian boats the big winners in Top of Gulf
A single race for all except the Platus, who raced twice, brought to a close a highly successful ninth edition of the Top of the Gulf Regatta in Pattaya yesterday.
With a large contingent taking part across the 250 strong fleet, Australian boats were the big winners this year.
Competing for the prestigious Coronation Cup were four Australian boats in the 16-strong class with two Aussie crews and one from Hong Kong battling it out at the top. In the end it was consistency and four first-place finishes over the series by Gary McNally and his crew on Black Betty (19) that made the difference, with them being crowned 2013 Coronation Cup champions.
They were pushed hard by another Australian crew on Problem Child (22), skippered by Brian McMaster who finished second overall ahead of Andrew Moore’s Tigrana (25) in third.
In IRC Racing 2, it was Rolex Sydney Hobart regular Matt Allen and his crew on Ichiban (6), who scored six firsts from seven races to be the clear winner, and beat local favourites Royal Thai Navy 1 (11), skippered by Wiwat Poonpat who finished second overall. Souy 1 (20), (Dean Rheault) was third.
Singapore Management University had three teams racing this year – two in the Platu class and one in IRC Racing 3 – and it was Hi Jinks (6), skippered by Peiquan Chung, in the latter that finished the Regatta undefeated and were crowned class champion. Second place went to the all -Thai team on Sansiri Ooh la la (15) skippered by Patinyakorn Buranrom, and third to Sadunori Osada’s Tai Two (19).
In IRC Racing 1 it was another Singapore boat, Foxy Lady (8), skippered by Bill Bremner, that placed second on the last day which was enough to secure the overall class win, with Thai team Wan Marang (11), skippered by Kevin Whitcraft, in second and David Ross’s KukuKERchu (15) in third.
David Liddell’s Miss Saigon (8) were back to their winning ways yesterday in the Ocean Multihulls class with a first in the last race to place first overall. Sonic (11), skippered by Kirati Assakul finished second and Scott Galle’s Black Swan (14) in third.
