Phang Nga Bay 'Fun Regatta' gets underway today

With four days of racing and five days of partying, the regatta fleet sails into the three southern provinces of Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi, giving it one of the most scenic routes on the ever-growing Asian sailing calendar.

Known as the "fun regatta", skippers and theirs crews from around the world will compete for honours in six classes: Racing, Cruising A, Cruising B, Bareboat Charter, Firefly 850 and Multihull.

This year entries have come in from New Zealand, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Austria, the US, France, Russia and, of course, Thailand.

This hugely popular event is unlike all the other regattas held in Thailand as the fleet races to a different anchorage each night. All the other big sailing events held in Thailand and the region return to the same base at the end of every day's racing.

Now in its 13th year, the 2010 Phang Nga Bay Regatta started with registration and the opening party last night at the Absolute Chandara Resort and Spa at Ao Po on the north of Phuket, sponsored by the Absolute Resort Group.

Today's first race heads out from Ao Po and the fleet races north to the top of the picturesque Phang Nga Bay, past the famous Koh Hong group of islands and James Bond Island, ending the day at one of the area's famed beachside restaurants, Laem Sak Seafood at Chong Lat.