A five-day celebration of all things sailing
More than 200 boats will be dotting the waters of the Gulf of Thailand during the 2018 Top of the Gulf Regatta, which will see yachts of all sizes and sailors of all ages and abilities racing in a warm and friendly environment from April 27 until May 1. Hosted by Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Pattaya, Chon Buri, this is the 14th edition of the award-winning regatta, which has earned a reputation for providing international standard race management and close and competitive racing across all classes. This year’s event will feature up to 12 classes of boats, including keelboats, multihulls, one-design Platus (competing for the Platu Coronation Cup), beach catamarans, a series of dinghy classes, Optimists (competing in the Thailand Optimist National Championships) and, for the second consecutive year, the IOM Class of radio-controlled boats. The race is expected to see a strong line-up of 600 international and Thai competitors coming from more than 25 countries, including Australia, the UK, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. They are varied, ranging from youngsters in the Optimist and dinghy classes to past Olympians and regional champions, sailing pros and weekend sailors. With the Asian Games set to kick off in Jakarta in August, many countries are sending their national teams and Olympic sailors to test the waters at this regatta, including Thailand, which will have its full national sailing squad racing in preparation for the regional championships. This year will also present a demonstration of the SV14, a boat built in Thailand and designed especially to be sailed by people with disabilities. It is an initiative by Disabled Sailing Thailand, which aims to give the disabled an opportunity to sail and perhaps a future chance to compete in the Paralympics. After registration day on April 27, all boats will be racing daily from 11am-5pm. On each evening, sailors and friends will gather on the lawn outside the yacht club to discuss the day’s action and more. The regatta will conclude with a sumptuous gala dinner under the stars right on the marina front on May 1 at 6pm.