A landmark of the last ten years

Samui Regatta 2019 (18th edition)

The 2019 regatta ran from 25 May to 1 June with a new host venue, Synergy Samui Resort on Chaweng Beach.

When
25 May - 1 June 2019
Where
Synergy Samui Resort, Chaweng, Koh Samui
Vibrant sailboat with crew racing in open waters during a sailing event.
A general photo of this kind of event, not a photo of this event. Photo: Tolga Aslantürk, Pexels License

About this event

The 2019 regatta was the 18th, and it changed host. Synergy Samui Resort took over as the regatta's home, just a few hundred metres along Chaweng Beach from the previous one, so the anchorage and sailing area stayed the same. Mysailing and AseanNow published the announcement. The event began in 2002 with 11 boats, mostly beach catamarans.

Asia Times described it that year as the final event of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix championship and one of Asia's main sailing competitions. Regattas Asia runs it with the Samui Yacht Club Regatta and the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand. Mysailing and The Phuket News filed reports through the week, which makes the days easy to follow in hindsight. By the 2024 edition the host had become Nora Beach Resort and Spa.

The facts

  1. 1 THA72 (Kevin and Tom Whitcraft) won IRC Zero for a fourth year in a row, setting a record.
  2. 2 Ray Roberts and Team Hollywood took the Asian Yachting Grand Prix Skipper and Yacht of the Year titles, their fourth in the championship's 17-year history.
  3. 3 Racing was cancelled on Day 2 and the sailors stayed ashore.

Why it matters

The last edition before COVID-19 and a record fourth straight IRC Zero title for THA72.

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.

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