It is a special year for both Thailand and the Phuket King's Cup Regatta, with the regatta celebrating its 20th year, and the regatta's patron, His Majesty the King, celebrating his 60th year on the throne.

The biggest fleet of boats ever are expected to enter this year's regatta, with yachts from all around the world making their way to Phuket for not only Asia's biggest sailing event, but one of the biggest marine events anywhere in the world.

Last year 86 boats from 18 countries entered the regatta and this year the numbers are expected to be much higher.

Over the past 19 years the regatta has grown from a small, mostly locally-contested event into one of the world's premier regattas and word has spread in the yachting world that Phuket is the place to be in the first week of December each year.

"In April the regatta was named Yachting Event of the Year at the Christofle Asia Boating Awards, held in Singapore, something we are very proud of," said Santi Kanchanabandhu, the President of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organising Committee.

"This year's regatta is shaping up as a record year in the number of entries, and promises to be the most exciting to date. With our team of experts in place, we can guarantee racing at the highest levels."

Overseeing the action on the water this year will be Bryan Willis, a renowned International Sailing Federation (ISAF) official who has been involved with five Olympic sailing events and six America's Cups.

An added interest this year will be a small contingent of sailors from mainland China, who are keen to sharpen their skills on the water before the Olympic Games in Beijing. At last year's King's Cup the first team from China took part on a chartered boat, but this year they will be bringing their own boats, and also a large media contingent, who will be sending daily television reports back to China.

The fastest boats on the Andaman Sea during the regatta will be the new Firefly catamarans, which are designed and built in Phuket. Almost half a dozen of these flying, ocean-going catamarans are expected to enter

this year's regatta and the competition promises to be fierce.

The action starts from Monday, December 4, and there will be five days of racing with a lay day on December 7, which coincides with the annual Phuket Boat Show.

One of the highlights of every King's Cup is the candle lighting ceremony held on Kata beach in front of the Boathouse Resort to celebrate His Majesty the King's birthday. It's an impressive sight with more than 1,000 skippers and their crews holding up candles while a choir sings the national anthem.

The Phuket King's Cup Regatta is held under 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.

For more information on Asia's biggest sailing event, go to www.kingscup.com.

Alan Parkhouse

The Nation