Excitement was at a premium in the continent's premier sailing event, which was marred by light winds on the first three days. The contest livened up on a bright day with a northeasterly wind propelling each boat to sail to its capacity.

It was no surprise, therefore, that a boat called "Firefly" made the most of the strong wind, hovering around 15 knots, to justify its reputation as the super-fast yacht that holds the speed record on the waters.

These catamarans dubbed "Formula One cars", which are exclusively designed for conditions off the southern resort island and compete in their own division, for the first time thrilled the media boat with their phenomenal speed, illustrating the atmosphere of motor racing on the sea.

The scene was set up for an exciting finale in the division as two boats have been engaged in close duel. Frenchman Marc Cudennec on "Chi Machine" had a slow start in the first race of the day, finishing a disappointing fourth, but redeemed himself in the second by sailing home first to consolidate his overall lead, with six penalty points.

However, British sailor Roger Kingdon on Moto Inzi remained at a striking distance to pip the Frenchman in the first and coming third in the second race to stay in second place with 12 penalty points.

The top-flight event, the Racing class, is set for a thrilling end. It is not exactly plain sailing for three-time winner Neil Pryde of New Zealand to reclaim the title.

Although the well-known sailor on his new boat Hi Fi recovered from a distant fifth to finish first in the two races yesterday, propelling him to the top in the overall standings with 16 penalty points, Paul Winkelmann, who skippered Island Fling, is breathing down his neck. The Irishman finished first and sixth to lie second with only a point adrift of Pryde.

In the IRC2 category, Lieutenant Peera Sakultem, on the Royal Thai Navy boat, underlined his claim to the title for the third consecutive time by finishing second in the only race of the day, clocking four hours and 27 minutes.

"It was pleasure to sail out there. We got off to a strong start, leading at the start and holding on until at the turn where we lost the position to Master Blaster," said the 31-year-old captain.

"It was not a surprise though, because it was the bigger boat. Given the strong wind, they were able to sail to their full potential.

"In sailing, the bigger you are, the faster you can go. We tried to stay as close as we could in the hope that we could finish above them," said Peera, who crossed the line third but was declared second after calculations by the officials. Despite being firmly on course to add another King' Cup title to his trophy cabinet, Peera is determined to get a good result in the final race of the competition today.

"Although it looks as if we are 80 per cent sure of clinching the title, we will not take anything for granted as there is still a possibility that we won't finish first."

Kitinan Sanguansak

The Nation

Phuket