Bates Batters Hobie Catters; O’Brien bests the rest

by Peter Cummins, Pattaya

In a brilliant display of fast sailing, Aussies Peter and Juliet Bates totally demolished the Hobie Cat 16 fleet racing off South Pattaya last weekend, to win all eight races of the regatta and take out the 1998 Volkswagen Hobie Cat National Championships of Thailand for the second successive year.

Photo: Hobie Cat Champions of Thailand - Peter & Juliet Bates receive their VW trophies. Photo Peter Cummins.

Likewise, in the Catamaran Open raced concurrently with the Hobie Cats, Steve O’Brien, sailing solo on his Nacra 16 Square, won all eight races and, consequently, his first national title, emerging at the end of the three-day event as the 1998 Catamaran Open National Champion of Thailand.

It is, indeed, rare when winners of both classes in any event are able to throw away a first placing as the allowable "worst placing" discard.

Photo: Catamaran Champion of Thailand Steve O'Brien collects his trophy from VW Representative. Photo Peter Cummins.

The game was over, really, at the end of the second day and it was then a matter of who filled the minor placings in each class. A tense struggle developed between Hong Kong’s Mike Scantlebury, crewed by Royal Navy Petty Officer Manat, and Royal Varuna team John Marten/Alexis Welsh, with the China Coaster beating the Varunian by just one point, finishing 23 and 24 points, second and third Hobie Cats, respectively.

The gap was much wider in the Catamarans, with Anders/Rosanna Widen (Topcat ‘J’, 16 points), Christoph Hoppen/Marie Joy Schulte (Nacra 5.8, 18 points) and Alex/Ping Skaria (Hobie 17 Sports Cat, 31 points), second to fourth, respectively.

The Bates’ overwhelming victory was the crowning success of several years of competition in and out of the Kingdom and, on departing for a new assignment in New Zealand next week, they leave a legacy of top-class Hobie Cat sailing to the Royal Varuna Yacht Club.

Some of their achievements include a third placing in the Australian Hobie Cat 16 Nationals in 1995, first and third in the Hong Kong Hobie Nationals in 1996 and 1997, and an endless number of club racing titles at Royal Varuna. These included the 1998 Bangkok Post Three Island Race, won in record time - a record which is likely to last well into the Millennium - and another great win in the Vega Rudder Trophy Race, dedicated to His Majesty the King.

Photo: New Hobie Cat National Champions Peter & Juliet Bates receive their VW trophies. Photo Peter Cummins

Although there were not as many numbers as were expected for the Volkswagen sponsorship in terms of participation, nevertheless the standards of both the racing and the race management were extremely high. The level of the racing could be gauged from Chris King’s placing. This five-time Hobie Cat national champion had to settle for a lowly 10th place this year, in spite of having his agile and lovely youngest daughter Lisa as crew (or, perhaps "in spite of" should read, "because of"?)

Race management, under international judge Mark Pryke and Royal Varuna’s Dick van den Heuvel, was of the highest order, with Admiral Krayim of the Royal Thai Navy (ret), James Thomson, Royal Varuna sailing secretary Marco Miagostovich and Royal Varuna’s own flag-man, Khun Sukit always on station to ensure fair courses. Perennial results officer Dave Wales had completed the score sheet updates before, even, the first boat had beached at the end of the day’s racing.

Mother Nature, too, smiled benevolently on the championships with clear skies, moderate seas and medium-to-strong southerlies (21-knots maximum in some of the gusts) the prevailing conditions throughout the Songkran weekend.

The whole performance was a great show for the Kingdom and Royal Varuna personnel. Mark Pryke, president of Hobie Cat International, left very satisfied that Thailand will be the host venue for the very prestigious Hobie Cat World Championships, which have been awarded to the Kingdom for March, 2000, just prior to the Sydney Olympiad.

Results, 1998 VW Catamaran Championships of Thailand:

Hobie Cat 16 (points, first 10 only) 1. Bates (7); 2. Scantlebury (23); 3. Marten (24); 4. Ben Merz (33); 5. Patrick/Bianca Helms (36); 6. Murray Maunder/Birghita Weinmann (38); 7. Alain Brancart/Michael (38); 8. David/Lucy Monk (51); 9. Rauch/Rauch (59); 10. C.J. King/Lisa (65).

Catamaran Open (first five only): 1. O’Brien (Nacra 16 Square, 7); 2. Widen Topcat ‘J’, 16); 3. Hoppen (Nacra 5.8, 18); 4. Skaria (Hobie 17 Sports Cat, 31); 5. Brendan Dunne/Steve Blackburn (Prindle 19, 36, 18).

Pattaya Sailors will be "Panning for Gold" on weekend of 25, 26 April off the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, South Pattaya. The Annual Gold Rush is sponsored by Boonrawd Brewery. The water is warm but the beer (Singha) will be gold.

Surf Club’s First Windsurf Cup took longer than expected

The Surf Club at Wong Amat Beach, known for its good location and the ever blowing wind there, finally managed to finish their first wind surf competition after several delays due to non-cooperation from Mother Nature.

The competition started on Saturday, March 28th with many participants from all over Thailand. On Sunday the 29th, the races had to be postponed until the following Saturday, April 4th, because of bad wind conditions. Races then had to be postponed again to Sunday, April 5th, due to heavy rain and a thunderstorm making it impossible for the races to start. Finally, on Sunday April 5th, the wind came up at 4:00 p.m. and all participants rushed to finish the Surf Club Cup.

The winners in division A (Professionals):
Deecha Homanee, Pattaya’s local hero
Suhaimee Mohammadkasem
Pratheep Kongsomjaroon

The winners in division B (Professionals):
Pornchai Vanichvirulh
Paul Boonrajatawaj
Santi Sookbuangboon

The winners in division C (Amateurs):
Anucha Chaidee
Miss Sribang-on Tapsri
Carudio

Overall winner division A & B was Pornchai Vanichvirulh. By the way, he is also the owner of the Surf Club.

At the end of the prize giving ceremony, Pornchai announced that there would be at least 4 Surf Club Cups held per year. The next one is already planned for June.

Sattahip navy men dominate Phatra Laser Nationals

by Peter Cummins, Pattaya

Royal Thai Navy sailor Verasit Pougnak decided that a six-year hiatus was enough. Last weekend, at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in South Pattaya, Verasit claimed the 1998 Phatra Marine Products Laser National Championship of Thailand, his first title since winning it in 1992.

But it was not easy. Verasit, scoring 1, 2, 4, 2, 1 in his best five of the six races sailed for a total of 10 penalty points, was just three points ahead of fellow-rating Junrapong who, with 3-3-1-3-3 (13 points) was, in turn, well clear of Manut Phatong (18), just ahead of Richard Wood (22), former Royal Varuna sailor back from Borneo to compete in the nationals.

It must have been a bit of "deja vu" for Richard as he hauled his faithful Laser out of the Varuna rack to race and finish next behind Manut, as he did in 1997, when they also finished third and fourth, respectively.

Actually Richard and 1997 defending champion Patrick Helms were equal on 22 points but Patrick had to slip to fifth on the tie-breaker count. Luckily he did not slip further, for right behind big brother was little sister Bianca in sixth place on 25 points.

This little lady, who has just turned sixteen was, in this correspondent’s opinion, undoubtedly the best out there, taking everything into consideration. Being the youngest by far, almost the smallest (although she ‘dwarfed’ one competitor from Phatra Yacht Club) and the only girl in a macho-dominated participation, Bianca performed superbly. Winning races two and five, she was forced into a penalty at the start of race six which left her dead last at the start, to recover to eighth place at the finish.

The sailing and racing was as varied as Nature herself, with opening day starting sluggishly while incessant storm clouds glowered around the horizon.

Principal race officer Mark Pryke, up from Sydney to manage the Phatra Laser nationals and this week’s Volkswagen Catamaran Nationals, was kept rather busy, to say the least. Constant wind shifts oscillated through 180 degrees but, nevertheless, race one went ahead, finishing in light winds and a strong ebb tide, just as a massive storm front from the east raged down on the hapless sailors. Mark sent them home.

Day two was still dogged by heavy cumulus and light winds. With Royal Varuna flag commodore Lawnin Crawford roving the course set well out off Pattaya Point, shifting buoys like some landlubbers shift gears, Mark managed three back-to-back races before dusk.

The third day was a dream for the lighter sailors, as a clear sky, 8 - 10 knot winds and a negligible tide saw the stronger, bigger sailors like defending champion Patrick Helms drop behind while the light-weights such as eventual winner Verasit Pougnak and Bianca Helms excelled in the conditions.

At the awards ceremony for the 1998 championships, Lawnin Crawford noted that Royal Varuna has been selected as the venue for the 1998 Asia Pacific Laser Championships to be held next October. Mark Pryke, president of Hobie Cat International also confirmed that Thailand has been chosen as the venue for the pre-Olympic Hobie Cat 16 World Championships, to be held in March, 2000.

According to Charlie Zbinden, Thailand Laser fleet captain - and a highly competitive sailor himself - the decision to award Royal Varuna the 1998 Asia Pacific championships is most timely. This event will give some tough, vital yacht racing competition to Thai Laser sailors preparing for the Thirteenth Asian Games in December.

Cheerut Sudasna, managing director of Phatra Marine Products, the franchised Laser agents for the Kingdom who sponsored the nationals, pointed out last weekend that Laser sailing in Thailand would receive a welcome boost from the Asia Pacific Championships. The Kingdom’s economic problems had hit the marine leisure sector particularly hard, he noted.

The 1998 regatta also featured winners in several categories. The Apprentices (those ‘youngsters’ between 35 and 44 years of age) was won by Royal Varuna sailing secretary Marco Miagostovich, from Smit and Neil Semple and Shin Suenaga.

The Masters Division (the ‘not-so-youngsters’ between 45 and 54) saw a number of white heads among the white caps of the first day’s storms, with Suwan Poopoksakul, Marcel Dubbelman, Pairode Matturanont and Cheerut Sudasna, first to fourth, respectively.

Finally, let us not forget the Grand Masters, those ‘grey hounds’ of the Gulf (55 - 64 years), as they hobbled ashore in finishing order: Charlie Zbinden and William Tate.

Undisputed - and, certainly, not unsung - heroine of the ladies division was Bianca who dominated the fleet.

Meantime, this weekend, the Volkswagen Catamaran National Championships will be contested off the Royal Varuna Yacht Club participation in which could be a little depleted due to two Thai teams leaving to contest the Second President’s Cup in Farr Platus, at Subic Bay, the Philippines.

Results, 1998 Phatra Laser Nationals (First 10, points): 1. Verasit (10); 2. Junrapong (13); 3. Manut (18); 4. Richard Wood (22); 5. Patrick Helms (22); 6. Bianca Helms (25); 7. Suwan Poopoksakul (34); 8. Morton Jakobsen (42); 9. Marco Miagostovich (43); 10. Charlie Zbinden (43).

Sunday quiz scores

In which century was Joan of Arc made a saint? Which German commander was in charge of The Battle of the Bulge?

As the pendulum of war swings backwards and forwards, the positions in the new Sunday league bounce around. But the Rising Sun’s wonder team continues to attract the headlines, even though Cheers reduced their lead by two points on April 5. There will not be a Sunday quiz on April 19 thanks to Songkran, and the scheduled matches are postponed until the end of the season on July 12.

The Wednesday quiz began a new season on April 8 with two new teams, The Last Resort in Soi 7 and Tommy’s opposite The Village entrance on Third Road. Each quiz now has a full complement of bars, the maximum permitted being ten per league. A new category has been added, Travel and Tourism, and the popular picture round has been expanded. Answers to the questions above are twentieth century and Von Runstedt.

Sunday Quiz

Rising Sun 336 points Cheers 324 Pleasure Dome 318 Mick’s 312 Londoner 311

Poteen Still 307 Bob’s 298 Palmer’s 280 Billy and Da 270 Tippy’s 264

PSC Golf next week

April continues on Monday the 13th with the wettest week of the year, being the annual Songkran Festival and official start of the rainy season. However, on Monday the Splinter Golf Group goes to Natural Park Hill for a Better Ball competition while PSC Golf from the Cafe Kronborg has a Stroke Play competition at Sriracha.

On Wednesday the 15th there is only one fixture. Noble Place from the Green Bottle playing Stableford. This course is well worth the journey for both the course and the warm hospitality of the staff.

Thursday the 16th offers a Stableford competition at Khao Kheow from the Cafe Kronborg, and the week ends on Friday with Stroke Play at Phoenix with Splinter Golf from the Green Bottle, or Stableford at Sattahip from Hare House. Have an enjoyable, and hopefully dry, week.

Advanced notice of the second Pattaya Sports Club Charity Classic to be held on Friday May 15th at Phoenix. For more details see our web site. Also note in your diary the annual Papasan Ray Rogers’ Birthday Tournament taking place on May 7th at Pattaya Country Club, with food hosted by Papa Ray at his house afterwards. Booking sheets will be up in all Member Group venues on 19th April.

For more details of April fixtures and the PSC Charity Classic, visit the PSC Golf Web Site at www.pattayasports.org

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.