A landmark of the last ten years

Samui Regatta 2016 (15th edition)

The 15th Samui Regatta ran from 21 to 28 May 2016 with Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui on Chaweng Beach as host venue.

When
21 - 28 May 2016
Where
Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui, Chaweng, Koh Samui
Colorful sailboats compete in a thrilling regatta on a sunny day at sea.
A general photo of this kind of event, not a photo of this event. Photo: Tolga Aslantürk, Pexels License

About this event

The 2016 Samui Regatta was the 15th edition of an annual sailing week off Chaweng Beach. The event began in 2002, when 11 boats took part, mostly beach catamarans. Organisation sits with Regattas Asia, working with the Samui Yacht Club Regatta, the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Sports Authority of Thailand and the host resort, which in 2016 was Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui.

The regatta grew from that small catamaran start into a multi-class event for keelboats and cruising yachts. Asia Times described it in 2019 as the closing event of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix championship. It is held in late May, and the 2016 week fell in the second half of the month. The Tourism Authority of Thailand had already backed the event in 2015, when it announced the 14th regatta, so the 2016 edition was part of a steady run of yearly support.

The facts

  1. 1 Race director Simon James called the fleet possibly the best top-end racing fleet the regatta had ever had.
  2. 2 Kevin and Tom Whitcraft's TP52 THA72 dominated IRC Zero, with eight race wins by Day 4.
  3. 3 A squall with gusts over 30 knots forced a mid-race abandonment on Day 1.

Why it matters

Shows the Gulf of Thailand's main keelboat regatta at its pre-pandemic peak, with one of its strongest fleets.

Muay Thai and sport on Koh Samui

Sport on Samui means three things. Muay Thai fights run most nights in Chaweng: Samui International Stadium on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, Phetchbuncha on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, with six bouts from about 21:00. The Samui Regatta, the island's longest-running sporting event, brings sailing fleets to Chaweng in late May. Running events add a half marathon starting in Chaweng, which has been held in June, and the Samui Trail in November, with distances from 7 to 55 km starting in Na Mueang. Start times are early, to beat the heat.

Around Chaweng

Chaweng is the main resort town on Samui's east coast, with the longest beach on the island, roughly 7 km of sand. Soi Green Mango, just back from the beach, is the nightlife alley, and Central Festival Samui sits between the beach road and Chaweng Lake. Chaweng Beach Road is one-way northbound and slows to a crawl between 17:00 and 20:00 with taxis, scooters and pedestrians. Most club nights, pool parties and Muay Thai bouts are here, and Pru Chaweng Park hosts public festivals and races.

Similar events on Koh Samui

From the history of Koh Samui

Guides for your trip