Finally an update! Last Friday held the last two races of the regatta, followed by a frantic rush on the containers, and the closing banquet of the regatta.

First, the racing. The last two races of the event were lighter wind than usual, but still with the wacky seastate that we’ve grown accustomed to. Aside from the general recalls on the start of the first race the races themselves were uneventful, but the fleet generally did seem tired and at times sloppy. I know Noah and I did! Our starts weren’t as good as they have been, and we closed the event with two mediocre races. Could have done worse, but we certainly could have done better. Oh well. We finished the event in 39^th place.

Once on shore the British team were almost immediately packed with all of their boats stowed in their two containers. Maybe they brought some Harry Potter magic with them from good ol’ GBR, or maybe they’ve just done it before, but while they were getting changed into their Thai Party Shirts for the banquet Noah and I were just taking our mast down! We left the Canadian container that night with 3 ½ boats loaded. The rest of the loading went smoothly Saturday morning (we got up extra early in an attempt to beat the brutal heat of a sunbaked container.

The closing banquet was held at the megaresort Royal Cliff Hotel on top of the hill overlooking Pattaya. The buffet at this 6 star resort and conference center was excellent, and the entertainment out of sight. The evening started with a live band, but as dinner got underway a troupe of Thai dancers/puppeteers entertained us with stories of Buddhist gods in puppet form. During dessert we got a sneak peek of the show at Tiffany’s, the premier ladyboy revue in Pattaya (we tried to see the show the next evening but got waylayed and missed it). After their set they cruised through the hall taking pictures with various drunken sailors. It was quite something. The Thai team LOVED it! We then had a short intermission before prizegiving. Despite the absurd amount of tropies being handed out and the usual thanks to all the organizers, the prizegiving was short and sweet, and the entire fleet was recognised in one way or another. It was the best I have seen, and everybody left feeling very good about themselves and the regatta. From Canada the Hendersons won “Most Persistant Boat” for being the last boat in the fleet to finish every race, Debbie Kirkby won the oldest regatta shirt contest (she had one from the 1978 fireball worlds, also held at the Royal Veruna Yacht Club. Her father and some other sailors from Calgary attended that one), and Noah and I took home the “Overall Classic Boat” for being the first skinny-hull style boat to finish (our boat is also 38 years old, if skinny isn’t classic enough for you). So, Canada’s bringing home some hardware!

The next day we said our goodbyes to the staff and officially began our post-event travels.

 

As I write this we are in the back of a cab headed south to Trat, and hopefully the island park of Ko Chang. We missed the bus in Pattaya so we went the more expensive private-car route, but at least the trip will be non-stop and air conditioned. Fingers crossed that we get there! We may spend the night in Trat, or maybe we’ll hop the ferry to Ko Chang. It seems in Thailand you just never can be too sure where you might end up or when. We’ll see! Wish us luck!