And its a wrap

King's Cup Regatta in Phuket draws to a close with the big win going to the DK46 of Ray Roberts

Sydney-based businessman Ray Roberts managed to hold off former champion Neil Pryde of New Zealand to win the final race and finish first overall in the top flight Racing class in the 19th Phuket King's Cup Regatta on Saturday.

Roberts, sailing his boat Drumstick Quantu m Racing, won four of the eight races contested since Monday and along with his three second places finished with 10 points to take the top prize from Pryde, who finished the regatta with 15 points. Both Roberts and Pryde are past winners of the King's Cup, with Pryde winning in 2004, 2001 and 1998, while Roberts won in 1995. Hong Kong-based Pryde, sailing his new boat Hi Fi, had two first places and three seconds in the eight races this year. Former UK-based boat Mandrake, with Nick Burns at the helm, finished third overall in the Racing class.

The final day's racing - which was sponsored by property developers Raimon Land who have signed up for the King's Cup for the next three years - was held in good winds of about 10 knots off the southern tip of the resort island, but the wind faded slightly when a rain squall moved in. There was an Australian one-two in the Premier class with Brian Hayden's Vida finishing first overall after four wins from six races, while Geoffrey Hill's wonderfully-named Strewth a very close second after one win and four second places.

Thai sailor Suwan Poopopsakul did very well to finish third in the Premier class on his boat Lawana. In the Sportsboat class, a dream came true for Britain's Claudia Spinks. Spinks, an 18-year-old who has just finished school in England and is travelling around the world, met Thai-based Danish sailor Morten Jacobsen on Kata beach, discovered Jacobsen needed an extra crew member and volunteered to help out on his boat Emma Mathilde XX.

Spinks not only helped out, but took over as skipper and steered the boat into first place, giving Emma Mathilde XX first place overall in the Sportsboat class. Spinks and Jacobsen also finished in front of Thai-based Aussie Scott Duncanson, a former world junior sailing champion, who steered his boat Somtam Express into second place overall. Jonathon Mahony's Happy Endings finished third..

Jacobsen also came to the rescue of a crew of sailors from Finland, whose chartered Platu boat had been damaged in a collision and put out of the regatta earlier in the week. He loaned Emma Mathilde XX to the Fins for the final race so they could enjoy some sailing on the last day of the regatta. "It seemed a great shame that they had come so far and then couldn't take part in any races after their collision earlier in the week," Jacobsen said.

Meanwhile, veteran Thai sailor Viroj Nualkhair took the honours in the IRC 1 class on his boat Octopussy on a countback after finishing level on points with New Zealander John Vause's Ruby Tuesday. Robert Bailey's Switchblade was also close behind the two in third place.

The was another local winner in the IRC 2 class with the Royal Thai Navy 1 boat taking the honours after three firsts and two seconds in the five races contested. The Navy boys finished just in front of David Lindahl's La Samudra, with a second local boat, Royal Thai Navy 2, in third place.

Danish-owned boat Patrice III finished first in the IRC 3 class, with skipper Ian Wilkinson of Great Britain getting two wins and two second places. Mia Gillow's Minx was second and Graham Lind's Sumatra third.

Roger Kingdon's new boat Moto Inzi blitzed the field in the Multihill 1 class despite a strong challenge from King's Cup regular Radab Kanjanavanit on Cedar Swan. Radab finished second overall with Ko Samui boat Coco Blues back in third place.

The regatta was fun for Julian Hill's Classic class boat Sanook, which finished first overall from Bryce Rassmussen's Silvia and Lady M, which was sailed by New Zealand's Wade Kimpton. Novelist James Eckardt, was ecstatic after crewing - some unkind souls said he was ballast - on Jemini Jo, which won the Ocean Rover class with Larry Emerson at the helm.

Jemini Jo beat Helmutt Schutte's Aquavit III and Derek Holding's Amadeus. The annual Phuket King's Cup Regatta finished with a gala party on the beachfront at the Kata Beach Resort after Privy Councilor ML Usni Pramoj, his Majesty the King's representative, presented the trophies to the winners.

The Phuket King's Cup Regatta was inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King. It has been held in early December every year since then. The King's Cup Regatta is held under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, and organized by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organising Committee and the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket.

Raimon Land is the principal sponsor for this year Regatta. They are joined by co-sponsors including Kata Beach Resort, Mom Tri's Boat House, Chang Beer, Thai Airways International, Coutts Bank, Sunsail, Phuket Magazine, Thailand Elite Card and Royal Phuket Marina and many of whom supported the event in 2004.