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Arrival
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Saturday & Sunday, 21 & 22 February 2009
The last weekend,
with both teams at Bang Rak, it was decided to
have race each other Saturday and on Sunday have
a passage race to the nearby island of Koh Som. |
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The Doomed Beach
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Eleven boats set
off in 15 knots on Sunday, shadowed by two
rescue boats and the 46 foot sailing catamaran
run by Sa ard watersports.
First to the beach
was Mai followed by Stephanie and Nuttaphol from
SYC. No capsizes and all the kids were treated
to lunch on the catamaran while coach Cap'n
Squall and his assistant Monsieur Jacques were
busy sipping champagne and white wine with the
new manager Khun Fah and heard of the time share
villa plans for our favourite beach. |
Khun Fah |
The Signs of Koh Som
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Last weekend, to
break the racing routine, it was decided to have
a passage race to the nearby island, Koh Som.
With a stiff 14
knot breeze the kids sailed downwind and made
short work of the trip and all arrived in under
30 minutes. |
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Click Image for Large View of Giant Bee |
While at the only
restaurant, now under new management, the kids
were taken good care of by the charming Khun
Phar where she gladly replaced Adrian's wine,
the previous glass having been dive-bombed by a
Super Jumbo Bee...freaky, why Adrian ?
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After lunch, it was
a long beat back to Samui Mermaid and
surprisingly Sky finished first showing good
tacking skills up the coast to escape the
current. |
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Saturday 17 & Sunday 18
January 2009
Last weekend the S.Y.C.R. juniors sailed out
of a new club/restaurant "The Boathouse" at Haad
Nam Jud, just past Rockies Resort.
Kim Carter and his wife Phen have set up a
cozy club on the beach and the kids enjoyed two
days of flat water sailing in 14 knot winds.
With only a narrow passage into the lagoon,
the surrounding reefs offer good shelter from
the North East monsoon. Both S.Y.C.R. and the
S.Y.C. clubs are at hard practice now before
heading North to compete in the annual Ocean
Marina Regatta in Pattaya.
Popee presents roses to the cashier
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Sailing inside the lagoon out front of The
Boathouse
All out front of the clubhouse
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FIRST REPORT JANUARY 2009
At last, after 2 cold, rainy, blustery weekends,
the weather improved yesterday Sunday 4th Jan
and the boats and equipment were quickly trucked
over to the more protected Mermaid Resort.
S.Y.C.R. fielded three sailors, Amanda, Kom and
Bier who after the morning training session ,
all sailed down to the S.Y.C. club to race their
six who had showed up for the weekend, for a
five race triangular course series.
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The massed starts
do hone the kids starting skills and they were
soon showing more agressive off the line speed
starts. There was no stopping Nuttaphol (S.Y.C.)
who won all five races but the minor placings
were shared by sailors Stephanie and Florian
(S.Y.C.) Amanda and Kom (S.Y.C.R.). |
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The last weekend of
Dec. 13/14 we were able to sail off
Chaweng as the NNE. winds left the beach
relatively sheltered.
Six kids showed up
including newcomer Nong "Mew". New lad Com
showed much improvement and top sailor Amanda is
now struggling to keep ahead of him.
Five
windward/leeward races were held over two
sessions on both days and the closest finishes
were between Joseph and Bier with just half a
boatlength between them several times. |
All the Gang
Newcomer Nong Mew
Repeated anchoring duties was wearing away
Peter's hands, so here he recieves some sailings
gloves
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S.Y.C.R. returned
to Banrak and Mermaid Resort last weekend, now
the N.E. monsoon has finally arrived. Seven
sailors were racing their windward/leeward
courses when Henrick from S.Y.C. called and
invited us to race their sailors, who are
located further down the bay. A triangle course
was set and 16 sailors from both clubs completed
three races on both Saturday and Sunday
afternoons. |
A mixed fleet from both clubs |
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Henrick made new
friends by paddling his kayak out to the course
and presented the kids with ice creams and John
the Race Officer with some welcome cold beers.
This is planned to be a regular routine now on
the weekend's afternoons. Nuttaphol, Mai,
Stephanie and Pim from S.Y.C were dominant in
the first four placings, co our new lads just
have to train harder. |
Poppee prefers the new Foxy Lady boat |
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 OCTOBER
2008: The latest boat has arrived, sponsored by Bill
Bremner, owner of the Singapore based TP52 Foxy Lady |
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September 13 & 14, 2008
Pre race briefing |
Last
weekend marked the first anniversary of junior
sailing on Koh Samui and some fourteen juniors
showed up representing no less than six different
schools on the island. We now have our first sailing
twins, Den and Don from Wat Sawang Arom school who
actually finished 1st and 2nd in one of the
weekend's races. Both Saturday and Sunday, a fleet
of seven boats sailed a series of windward/leewards
in fresh conditions and with only one capsize (Kom)
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Preparing the boats |
Sailing twins Den and Don |
New friends |
Amanda wins again |
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September 6,
2008
Passage race to Coral Cove
Saturday 6 Sep. a fleet of
seven Optimists competed in their first long distance race
this year. The start was from a line off Tradewinds and most
of the boats sailed two up to a finish line laid off Coral
Cove Resort, some 6 kms. to the South. This weekend welcomed
three new starters from Wat Sawang, Khun New who shared a
boat with Anon and the two new girls, Oi and Muay joined the
rescue boat as observers. Sailing with a brisk ten knots
Westerly, all the boats finished and were on the beach in an
hour.
New star Cote accepts a tow to the start
Coral Cove is a hideaway resort
set among numerous boulders with small sandy spits and the
kids spent an hour exploring and swimming before lunch. The
fleet had a beach start at 2pm. for the return trip and this
time, the new girl Oi who seemed at home in the water, was
paired with experienced helm, Amanda.
The leaders head down the coast south
As they sailed into a building
North Westerly, the two leaders Popee and Cote led the fleet
far offshore to Koh Mud Lang before tacking and heading for
home. To their credit, all the boats stayed upright in the
windy conditions and were all ashore by 4 pm.
After being in his first
sailboat just one month ago, Cote showed he is emerging as
our newest star and regularly changed the lead from the
regatta veteran Popee. Mike Holley then rewarded all the
kids with ice cream for a good days sailing.
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August 31 2008 The last
weekend in August was devoted to timed starts with the
proper flags and time sequence. Saturday was a little
chaotic, as, of the new lads, only two sported countdown
watches, but they soon learned to stay close to those that
did and at the end of the day, all the boats were starting
in line. Francesco and wife Ja followed the boats and the
kids were getting advice from a native Thai for the first
time. Sunday, John and Mike Holley piled on the pressure and
got eight races done in the morning session and a further
five in the afternoon. Although Amanda and Popee were always
trading places up front, the new kids from Wat Sawang were
soon pegging them back and young Bier in particular finished
second in the last race, splitting Popee and Amanda. Next
weekend, to break the boredom of racing windward/leewards, a
4km. passage race will race from Tradewinds to Coral Cove,
have lunch and race back.
Hungry Sailors
Cleaning up, the unsung heroes.
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Last weekend on
Saturday 16 August 2008 , a new wave of juniors arrived
at Tradewinds, six from Wat Sawang Arom and one from Haad
Ban Ngam schools together with two French lads. Amanda and
Popee took the lads one at a time, showing them the art of
tacking and they were then presented with their own boat to
solo. Six boats were sent out in a steady 10 knot breeze,
but with frequent 15 knot gusts, two boats soon capsized,
but these new lads soon righted their boats, bailed them out
and rejoined the racing all the more wiser. Two sessions
were sailed and the same on Sunday, where all the new lads
surprised everyone, as they sailed like veterans and no
capsizes. Lunch was provided and Mike Holley treated them
all to ice cream and drinks. As there are now some ten boys
with no English, SYCR will host three coaches this month
from the R.T.N., Sattahip who will be flown in courtesy of
Bangkok Airways.
New Juniors and Coaches ready to go
| New starters head out to the sailing course
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