Following the recent Bali bombing, Phuket has stepped up its safety procedures and is looking forward to hosting the 16th King’s Cup regatta, which starts this weekend (30th November – 7th December)

This year the King’s Cup regatta will welcome up to 100 entries for a week of racing in the warm waters surrounding Phuket. Security levels on the island have been stepped up as a precaution and will include: increasing the security systems at the points of entry and increasing security, patrol and inspection throughout 24hours in tourist areas.

Following recent media coverage the Governor of the Phuket Province, Mr Pongpayome says; “We have carried out utmost security measurements and will do our best to ensure our visitors safety without affecting the congenial atmosphere.”

This year’s regatta will take the format of the 1999 event and start from the nearby island of Koh Phi Phi, where registration will take place this weekend. The first race, on Monday 2nd December, will be raced off Koh Phi Phi. Tuesday’s race will be the Andaman Sea Race from Phi Phi back to Kata Beach, Phuket where the remaining three races will take place.

This year there’s a new Ocean Rover class, designed for cruisers that do not normally race, and may not have valid IRC certificates. It also caters for charter boats who want to sail in a less competitive fleet and want shorter courses.

There will also be a Sports Boat class and the reintroduction of the Beach Catamaran class, which has been absent for eight years. So, this year’s King’s Cup looks set to be an event not to be missed.

Yachting World will reporting from the regatta. For daily news updates, log on to www.yachting-world.com