INSIDE - Marine Scene

Lee Marine, Phuket’s leading yacht brokerage, will again have its familiar race boat, the Merry Fisher 655, on duty at the Phuket Six Senses Phuket Boat Race Week 21-25 July. The Merry Fisher carries race personnel around the course to change and move the marks around.

One of Asia’s leading luxury yacht companies, Yacht Solutions, has unveiled a high-end superyacht division - Ruea Yachts - which will design and construct exclusive vessels for the sea-faring affluent.

Topper Sail Phuket sent seven kids from the Phuket Sunshine Village to the Thailand Optimist Nationals at the Top of the Gulf Regatta 2010 held in Pattaya last Friday.

When I arrived at the dive/drive site near Coral Island, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when they were laid on these curiously looking retro-futuristic bikes. They look like they are from the future, yet a future imagined in the 70’s.

Organsers of the planned record-breaking dive in Phang Nga, scheduled for this past weekend, were forced to call off the event at the last minute due to inclement weather.

To me yachting, boating or an amalgamation of the two for the purpose of leisure over transport always seemed a little decadent and, if I am to be perfectly honest, very dull.

Sometimes it’s great being a reporter. I had been invited to be a VIP guest and take a cruise on a luxury W58 Zephyros Windy Boat and after a long hard week at work, I was looking forward to it.

Phuket Governor, Wichai Praisa-Ngob, has approved plans to shut down the Phuket Port Control Centre (PPCC) in Chalong as it could “no longer accommodate the 1200 yachts arriving in Phuket each year.”

Dinghy racing will be making a return to the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta this year. The King’s Cup - now in its 23rd year - originally started with dinghies and it will be getting back to its roots this coming weekend with two days of dinghy racing prior to the start of the full racing schedule.