Although showers greeted the contestants early in the morning at Pattaya's Ocean Marina Yacht Club, the rain failed to dampen the excitement of the competition.

Conditions may not have been perfect, but they were sufficient to make it a good day for the races, with the wind averaging at 7-8 knots throughout the day.

Nowhere could reflect the exciting nature of the race as strong as in the Multihulls division where well-known Thai captain Radab Kanjanavanit, on board Cedar Swan, got off to a strong start.

Given the weather, Radab, with a high pedigree under his belt, pressed home the advantage through the size of his boat to finish first in both races. However, the veteran captain would be at his peril to be complacent in the rest of the races considering that two strong opponents, Sonic with Kirati Assakul at helm and The Sting captained by Dave Wales, are breathing down his neck.

In the Platu division, The Ferret from Australia captained by Scott Duncanson staked its claim to take the Platu Coronation Cup with some consistent performance, sailing home first before finishing in third place.

Frenchman Pascal Leray, on board The Breakaway, did exactly the same as the boat's name after dishing out a steady display, which enabled him to go top of the standings despite finishing in second place in both two races.

In the Super Mod class, designed by His Majesty the King for Thai waters, THA6 crossed the line first, putting captain Kittipong Kambang ahead of compatriots Piyapong Chanthara and Teerapong Watiboon.

The action continues today off Jomtien beach, with young sailors threatening to steal the limelight when they launch their campaign in the Optimist category.

Kitinan Sanguansak

The Nation