30 Thai Kids learn
dinghy sailing at
Phuket Yacht Club.
by NBT Broadcast
Jessie interviews
Thai kids learning
sailing at PYC.
by NBT Broadcast
Last Chance Regatta
Dinghy Racing for
adults and Youth.
by NBT Broadcast
Evaluation videos of
the Last Chance
Regatta at PYC.
by Adam Bowes
PRESS RELEASE
We are arranging to give seven children from the Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation the opportunity to compete in the Thailand Optimist Nationals at the Top of the Gulf Regatta 2010 in Pattaya next month.
The Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation was founded in 2004 after the Tsunami hit Phuket and provides a safe and secure home for children who are either orphaned or who are no longer able to live with their natural parents.
The Top of the Gulf Regatta is one of the most prestigious events on the South East Asian sailing calendar and attracts top class sailors from all around the world. It runs from 30th April to Tuesday 4th May and would be an incredible experience for these children.
The children have been sailing for just over a year on most Sundays and have been joining in with the club racing at Phuket Yacht Club under the supervision of Katy and Paul from Topper Sail Phuket. They will also be joined by two other club members meaning there will be a total of nine junior entries from Phuket.
To prepare the children for the Nationals we are arranging for them to join the Advanced Optimist Course run by the Junior Sailing Squadron Thailand, ( JSST) at Sattahip Naval Base, Chonburi from the 17th to the 25th April. This will give them a great opportunity to improve their sailing skills and racing knowledge and the chance to practice with a larger fleet. Arrangements are also being made for them to stay on for further practice before competing in the Nationals.
Staff at Topper Sail Phuket have been donating their time to teach these children to sail and arrange races for them every month and Phuket Yacht Club have allowed the children to use its facilities for training and racing at no additional cost. However the cost of sending the children to the training camp and the regatta itself is estimated at approximately 100,000 Baht to cover accommodation, food, course fees, boat charter, entry fees and transportation.
Travel arrangements have not been confirmed and therefore we are looking at various options including the possibility of any sponsored flights from Phuket to Bangkok and/or Bangkok to Phuket.
Katy Gooch of Topper Sail Phuket says,I am happy to donate my time to these children from the Phuket Sunshine Village but unfortunately I am not in a position to donate 100,000 Baht as well. These children love to sail and have improved so much since they started learning with us and it would be fantastic for them to have the opportunity to go and compete in the nationals. Sailing helps to instill self-reliance and quick thinking and I have seen first hand how it has helped these children develop both on and off the water.’
Anyone interested in sponsorship opportunities should contact Katy Gooch at: 0852159185 / toppersailphuket@gmail.com
KING'S CUP RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS
Dinghy racing will be making a return to the Phuket King's Cup Regatta this year 2009. The King's Cup originally started with dinghies and it will be getting back to its roots with a weekend of dinghy racing prior to the start of the Phuket King's Cup Yacht Racing Regatta.
The racing will take place on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November with the prizegiving scheduled to take place at the opening party on the Sunday night. There will be nine Lasers, six Tasar and four Topper Topazes with a total of 29 sailors racing in the waters off Kata Beach.
Amongst the competitors will be six children from the Phuket Sunshine Village who will get the opportunity of a lifetime to compete in the prestigious Phuket King's Cup Regatta. They have been sailing for just over a year on most Sundays and have been joining in with the club racing at the Phuket Yacht Club under the supervision of Katy and Paul from Topper Sail Phuket.
The children will be racing in four Topper Topazes that have kindly been provided byTopper Sail Phuket and will be joining two other Thai/Swedish sailors also from the PYC.
Katy Gooch, PYC Commodore, tells us that Club's mission is to encourage dinghy sailing and dinghy racing to help develop sailing on Phuket and to encourage the sport of sailing to help widen participation in the local community and further encourage Thai participation. Out of the 29 sailors already entered into the PKCR Dinghy Racing Regatta eighteen of the sailors are Thai.
Phuket Yacht Club & Topper Sail Phuket
Phuket Sunshine Village rides the Optimist Wave
The Yacht Racing Association of Thailand has joined forces with Phuket Yacht Club to open the world of sailing to more of Phuket's disadvantaged children.
Phuket Yacht Club (PYC) kicked off another 3 month series sponsored by Topper Sail Phuket dinghy racing at the club in Ao Yon last Sunday with adult dinghy racing for single-handed,2 man crewed and multihull dinghies, as well as Optimist racing for juniors. The dinghy racing has become a regular event at the club, eager to introduce more people to sailing and increase awareness of Phuket's Sunshine Village.
Sunday's race held particular importance to the club, however, which saw the event as a celebration of the support from the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand (YRAT) who have given the club 10 Racing Optimist dinghies on loan to use for their junior training program.
PYC Commodore Katy Gooch tells us,"The boats are fantastic you really saw the difference today when the kids were racing. The boats are identical,so it all came down to the skills they have learned.They were racing together as one fleet and it was really exciting a great experience for the kids, and us!".
Eight children were out racing in the new Optimists,including four of the children from Phuket's Sunshine Village who attended the free beginners sailing course at PYC last October.The course was organized by PYC to help in bringing more Thai children into the sport.
First place in the Optimist race last Sunday was won by 13 year old Akkapoj Kenkeaw, nickname Tik, who picked up two 1sts and an unlucky 3rd after crossing the line early and having to restart. Tik has been a regular sailor at the club since he was invited from the Phuket Sunshine Village to join the beginners sailing course last October and is very happy with the new boats;"The new boats are better because they are lighter and therefore faster,"he explains."I like sailing very much it's better than watching TV or playing computer games and soon,more friends will come from Phuket Sunshine Village so it will be even more fun!".
The next beginners sailing course for youths organized by Topper Sail Phuket and Supported by PYC will start in the first week of May.The free course is primarily targeted at disadvantaged Thai children and five more youths from Phuket's Sunshine Village will join the weekly classes, learning the necessary skills which will enable them to join the monthly Optimist races at the club.
All at PYC agree that Tik and his friends show great promise and enthusiasm for the sport."We were hoping to get all the kids up to the Nationals in Pattaya this coming week, but we just couldn't manage it this time around,"Kate tells us."We have also been invited to Samui for the reciprocal Island Trophy Regatta,the inaugural of which was held here in Phuket last year, but again, we just don't have the funding or the manpower at present to give the kid's this opportunity.Hopefully, as the club grows and more people join us for dinghy racing and lessons and we find sponsorship for the new Optimist boats, the opportunity for these kids to really succeed in sailing will be realized."
The Optimist boats are available for sponsorship for ฿10,000 per year and the money will go towards the free sailing courses for disadvantaged youths and Optimist maintenance."We are also looking for volunteers and crew for the monthly dinghy racing,"adds Kate,"to join the fun and gain valuable sailing skills.".
For more information, contact Katy Gooch (Commodore Sail).
Jan 25 2009 - Start of the Dinghy Racing Monthly Series Ao Yon
Hosted by the Phuket Yacht Club and sponsored by Topper Sail Phuket. As a follow-up to the succesfull “Last
Chance Regatta” in December and thanks to contribution of many volunteers, a dinghy race monthly series
will be running over 3 months: January 25th, February 22nd and March 29th. Every last Sunday
of the month at Phuket Yacht Club Ao Yon from 8.30 hr (first race at 10.00hr), all day and open to anyone
with or without dinghy sailing boat. Fee is 100 Baht for members and 200 Baht for non-members (including
drinking water and snack, lunch is extra). The next 3-month series will be held in April, May and June.
About 10 selected junior sailors compete in Optimists for the Optimist Rob Verhay Trophy as part of the same event.
Topper Sail Phuket sponsors by coordinating, organising prizes and providing dinghy sailing boats to participate in
the regatta (Topaz and Omega).
Interested? Contact Katy Gooch of Topper Sail Phuket for more information.
February - Optimist Junior Learn Sailing Week (5 x half day)
Topper Sail Phuket is organizing an introduction sailing course for children of Phuket Yacht Club Members and
their guests. The 5-day half-day course starts on XX February and ends on XX February (coinciding with school
holidays) and is for children aged 8 till 15 (maximum weight 55 kg). The juniors, who will learn sailing
in Optimistis, will be taught by Katy Gooch (the head coach of Phuket Yacht Club) assisted by Paul Firmin.
During the course the children will learn safety aspects, boat handling and by the end of the course they will
be able to sail. The emphasis of this course is that children have fun on the water, get to know each other
and learn how to sail safely. It will include some games on the water as well, all aimed to improve their
boat handling skills. Cost for the course is 5,000 THB per person including boat rental. There is only space
for 2 times 6 children on the course, so be fast and sign up with Katy Gooch.
April 30 to May 4 - The Thai Optimist Nationals - Phuket juniors need sponsors
Will Phuket Junior sailors compete in the Thai Optimist Nationals this year? The Nationals is where the top
junior sailors of Thailand compete in Optmist sailing dinghies. The Nationals are open to anyone and last
year there were 125 entries from all over Thailand. To participate would be a great opportunity for the
Phuket juniors that have learned dinghy sailing at Phuket Yacht Club. Therefore Phuket Yacht Club is
looking for sponsorship to put together a team of 6-8 junior sailors between the age of 7 and 15. Katy
Gooch, of Topper Sail Phuket, says: "We can sponsor the training of the junior team at Ao Yon, we can do the
selection, we can accompany and coach them at the Nationals, but we need more sponsors for chartering
boats and accomodation for the junior sailors in Pattaya.
If you are interested in sponsoring or helping out, please, contact Katy Gooch of Topper Sail Phuket.
Learn dinghy sailing and join Phuket Yacht Club
Learn dinghy sailing at Topper Sail Phuket up to the level where you can join Phuket Yacht Club for
recreational sailing or for race training sessions.Members of Phuket Yacht Club have access to
the club's sailing dinghies and can participate in the club's sailing regatta's and social events. Check
for courses and fees for individual lessons.
Topper Sail Phuket is also offering Junior Optimist Sailing courses
at special prices for groups. See Topper Sail Phuket Sailing School.
Phuket Yacht Club Junior Race Training Programme
On the first three Sundays every month Phuket Yacht Club is running morning race training sessions for competent junior sailors. In the afternoons there is recreational sailing and sailing practice for everyone. The race training is for children who are serious about competing in sailing and will prepare them to take part in regatta's in Phuket or in Thailand (like the Thai Optimist Nationals). The fee is 150 Baht per Sunday per child. Race training an activity of Phuket Yacht Club and is sponsored by volunteer helpers, like Katy and Paul from Topper Sail Phuket, who help with the coordiination, the training and who also provide the safety boat.
Are your kids interested in participating? Contact Katy Gooch of Topper Sail Phuket. Bookings are recommended.
21 December 08 - Last Chance Regatta - Dinghy racing for adults and youth
On a beautiful sunny Sunday, Phuket Yacht Club organised the succesful "Last Chance Regatta", a regatta for dinghy's and open catamarans, open to anyone and with Adam Bowes, National Sailing Coach from Great Britain taking video's of the races and giving instructions and debriefings to the participants. Lots of different boats
participated, from privately owned Hobycats to boats from sponsors, like Topaz and Omega from the Topper Sail Phuket Sailing School, Lasers and Tasers and even the Mirrors from Ao Chalong Yacht Club. This one day event is now continued in the Dinghy Racing Monthly Series at Phuket Yacht Club (see separate news item). Also see Phuket Post Article or NBT Broadcast.
14 December 08 - Philip wins Junior Optimist Mini Regatta
On the morning of 14 December more than 20 children turned up at Phuket Yacht Club to participate in the Optmist Mini Regatta. The day started off with good sailing conditions and several races where sailed, until the wind died off later on in the day. The overall winners of the Mini Regatta: Philip (1st place), Tik (2nd place) and Tan (3rd place). A great day also for the parents and friends who used the Phuket Yacht Club facilities for swimming, kayaking and relaxing. Topper Sail Phuket sponsored the regatta by coordinating the event. As a follow-up of this successful regatta, more junior racing is organised as part of the Dinghy Racing Monthly Series, where youngsters will compete in Optimist sailing boats for the Rob Verhay Trophy (see coming events).
October 2008 - 10 day learn sailing course for 30 Thai youngsters
30 Thai children (boys and girls in the age between 7 and 15 years old) took part in a 10-day beginners course learning Optimist sailing. The course was organized by Phuket yacht Club with support from the Royal Thai Navy, the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand and Topper Sail Phuket. The training was concluded by a
21-boat Optimist Regatta. "The event was made possible by the help of several local organisations and volunteers. The kids had a great time and many got into sailing like naturals, even though it was their first time on the water". The Phuket Yacht Club enables the children to continue sailing and developing their sailing skills. A selection of the best junior sailors will even be able to participate in local or national Optimist regatta's. See more on the NBT Broadcast video.
