Hi Fidelity edges ahead in King’s Cup

KATA: Winds were a steady 20 knots yet, apart from some moderate chop beyond Koh Racha, the seas were calm for some swift sailing in the King’s Cup Regatta today.

Neil Pryde’s Hi Fidelity today finished just 44 seconds ahead of Peter Ahern’s Yo! to take the lead in the Racing class by a single point.

As tomorrow will be a rest day for the regatta, Yo!, currently on 10 points, has just three races left to take the lead, with the final races to be held on Friday and Saturday.

Mandrake, currently third place in the Racing class on 14 points, has a tougher task at hand after finishing third today.

The crew aboard Buzz 8 continued their winning ways in the Sports Boat class, scoring another first to maintain their lead on eight points. Pink Pussy Cat finished second to maintain its second place in the class with 10 points, while Jativa came third to remain in third place overall on 12 points.

In the American Express Premier Cruising class, Hocux Pocux 2 staved off Stormvogel long enough to win by just 19 seconds, a win good enough to take it to equal first in the class with Vida on eight points. A third place today by Yendys kept it in third place overall with 13 points.

In IRC1, Kylie beat Ruby Tuesday by 17 seconds to score a win, with Blue Juice crossing the line third. However, Ruby Tuesday has a commanding lead in the series with just seven points, while its nearest competitors are Foxy Lady and Di Hard on 15 points apiece.

Royal Thai Navy 1 continued to dominate IRC2 with its third consecutive win. Royal Thai Navy 2 came second to remain second in the series on seven points. Emerald Blue came third, though the result was not enough to hoist it past La Samudra, in third place overall with nine points.

Simba finished more than three minutes in front of Patrice III to win IRC3. Abraxas came third, leaving it at the top of the class on eight points. Vara Peto is second overall with 13 points, one point ahead of Patrice III.

Coco Blues won its second Multihull race, with Charro and Chameleon in second and third places respectively. The finishing order reflects the standings on the leader board, with Coco Blues leading on four points, Charro on five, and Chameleon on 10.

In the Ocean Rover class, Cordelia beat Aquavit III to cross the finish line first. Tarawadee came third. Aquavit III still leads the class with six points, with Cordelia close behind on eight points, and Tarawadee further behind on 13 points.

Today’s race in the Classic class saw a shuffling in the standings. Although Sylvia came first, followed by Greensleeves and then Sunshine, Greensleeves moved to first place overall with five points, while Phuket Sail Sanook and Sunshine now share equal second place with eight points apiece.