Organisers of Asia’s largest multi-class regatta, the Top of the Gulf Regatta, to be held 30th April to 4th May at Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Jomtien, Pattaya, are expecting another successful event and a multi-million baht boost to the local tourism coffers as more than 700 sailors and friends descend on the city to take part in the award-winning sailing festival.
The TOG Regatta generates more than THB40 million for the local economy over the four-days of competition, with surveys showing that sailors return to the country multiple times each year.
Thailand national sailing team (foreground) join the official launch of the 2015 Top of the Gulf Regatta: (Back row, from left) Rear Admiral Sunan Monthardplin, Yacht Racing Association of Thailand and President of Junior Sailing Squadron; Ittiphol Kunplome, Mayor of Pattaya City; Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports; Kirati Assakul, Director of Ocean Property Co., Ltd.; and Bill Gasson, Co-Chairman, Top of the Gulf Regatta Organising Committee.
“Sports Tourism is an area in which we see a lot of growth potential for the country. Marine events attract high-spending tourists, many of which are repeat tourists coming back to Thailand throughout the year,” said Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Thailand.
Sports tourism is one of the most dynamic sectors of Thailand’s tourism industry and marine leisure tourism is leading the way attracting high-spending tourists. Boat owners who berth their boats in Thailand spend in marinas and on boat maintenance, creating jobs and providing year-round revenue giving Thailand a competitive advantage over its neighbours and making it the leader and marine leisure tourism hub of ASEAN.
Ocean Property have recently assumed full ownership of the Regatta it co-founded in 2005, further increasing its investment in marine leisure tourism on the back of launching the Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show in 2012 and expansion of Ocean Marina.
“Having been awarded ‘Asian Regatta of the Year’ at the 2014 Asian Marine & Boating Awards, and subsequently taking full ownership of the event, we are very keen to keep the successful formula intact. The on-water and onshore teams that have put in so much hard work over the years remain the same and we are committed to our goals of 11 years ago, namely to deliver an international-standard sailing event in the Gulf of Thailand, provide a platform to develop grass roots sailing and to promote Greater Pattaya,” said Kirati Assakul, Director of Ocean Property Co., Ltd.
The Top of the Gulf Regatta has developed from a home-grown event in 2005 to become the biggest multi-class regatta in Asia today, with over 200 boats competing and 700 sailors and friends from more than 30 countries taking part annually.
“What is unique about the Top of the Gulf Regatta, and was something we instilled in the regatta at the very beginning, is its inclusiveness. The regatta includes a wide range of boats and sailors from under 16 year olds racing in the Optimist through to single-handed and double-handed dinghies, beach catamarans and one-design sport boats, up to the large keelboats and multihulls,” said William Gasson, Co-Chairman of the Top of the Gulf Regatta Organising Committee.
Working closely with internationally-accredited race management professionals, the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand and the Royal Thai Navy, the on-water race management on all courses is world-class.
Promoting sailing at the grass roots level in Thailand is a core tenet of the regatta and organisers have supported the Thailand Optimist National Championships, incorporating it as part of the regatta and providing a top-level competitive training ground for Thailand’s up-and-coming youth sailing stars.
Two such Thai sailing stars who have come through the ranks and have their eyes on the 2016 Olympics in Rio are Keerati Bualong and Kamolwan Chanyim, both of whom are back to defend their titles in the Laser class this year. Joining them are many sailors from the national team as well as the team of sailors who won the 2014 Optimist World Team Racing Championship.
Ocean Marina Yacht Club, home of the TOG Regatta since its beginning, is the perfect host for a large regatta like this, being the largest marina in South East Asia and providing safe berthing with international-standard facilities.
“The expansion of Ocean Marina in recent years means it is now the only marina in Thailand that can host a sailing event as large as Top of the Gulf Regatta,” said Kirati Assakul.
For more information about this year’s regatta, visit www.topofthegulfregatta.com or Facebook: www.facebook.com/topofthegulfregatta.
