The long stretches of sandy beach that shelve out into the tropical waters of the Gulf of Thailand are among the highlights of Cha-am and Hua Hin,. The twinned resorts are ideal, both for bathers to safely frolic close to shore and for sailors to do what comes naturally in the offshore breezes fanning the ocean waves.
Given the presence of four royal summer palaces nearby and His Majesty the King’s keen interest in the sport of yachting, Hua Hin is considered the traditional home for the kingdom’s sailing community. Dusit Thani Hua Hin has played host to an annual sailing jamboree, the Hua Hin Regatta, since the event’s inception in 2001.
This year’s Regatta will also be organised as part of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s seventh-cycle birthday celebrations. Dusit Thani Hua Hin had double cause for delight when the resortwas chosen by the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand (YRAT) as the host hotel and venue for the Hua Hin Regatta 2011, which will be held on 20- 28 August in full view of the hotel. In announcing the selection, Admiral Khamthorn Pumhiran, President of the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand and Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, observed that the choice of venue coincides with the 20th anniversary of the last occasion that His Majesty the King sailed with the Royal Thai Navy, as a most distinguished guest of Dusit Thani Hua Hin, during our first year of operation back in 1991.
This twelfth Hua Hin Regatta, organised by the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand in conjunction with the Royal Thai Navy, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the District Authority of Cha-am and the Provincial Authority of Petchburi, will see sailors competing for several coveted Royal Trophies, including The King’s Cup for the Royal Vega Rudder Classes; The King’s Cup for the Super Mod National Championship; The Princess’ Cup from the late HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana for the Optimist Championship; and The Queen’s Cup for the OK Dinghy National Championship – a boat in which His Majesty the King sailed single-handedly across the Gulf of Thailand – and a class in which His Majesty the King was a gold-medal winner at the 1967 regional South-east Asian Games.
The Thai yachting and marine sector accelerated midway through the last decade when the Royal Thai Government decided to remove the crippling 240 percent tax and excise duty on the marine sector. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s ongoing support of yacht racing has also been a major catalyst in the development and emergence of world-class Thai sailors in recent years.
Hopefully the barometer will be set to ‘fair’ and the sun will shine on sailors and spectators as upwards of 225 yachts from 22 countries are expected to set sail for the resort in the Regatta. The resort invites guests to witness this spectacle and for further information, contact the reception staff or the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand via e-mail, sail@yrat.or.th or call Royal Thai Navy base in Bangkok, 02-466-6687.
