Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008

Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008
July 23-27, 2008

Programme

Four days of racing, no lay day. Five nights of parties.

The regatta HQ — registration, results, prizegivings and all regatta administration — will be operated from the lower sea view terrace (Into The Beach) of Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa, adjacent to the jetty, which will also be the venue for the post-race Regatta Tavern and four of the five official regatta parties.

All race starts will take place at 10:00 hrs off the Evason Phuket Resort. There will be shuttle boats from the Evason for boats anchored in Ao Chalong, although past experience demonstrated that there is ample available anchorage right off the regatta venue.

RACING: Registration Wednesday 23 July. First race day will be Thursday 24 July. Last race day Sunday 27 July.

SOCIAL: Opening party Wednesday 23 July. Closing party and overall prizegiving, Sunday 27 July.

Upgrades to the programme in 2008 include full buffet parties (no more little 'cocktail' parties) each night and the Rodenstock Happy Hour with free flow of drinks for the first hour of each Evason-based party.

Online registration is now open for Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008 — anticipated to be the best Raceweek yet — offering a reduced entry fee for early registrations. Phuket’s ‘Green Season’ regatta, now in its fifth year, sees a mixed fleet of yachts race in the southwest monsoon breezes off Phuket’s south coast every July, this year from 23-27 July. While retaining the same one-regatta-one-venue format, combining four days of competitive racing with five nights of grand waterside parties — a format that has met with unanimous approval from competitors — this year’s event brings a host of new dimensions.

Evason Phuket’s ‘Into the Beach’ venue, Asia’s favourite waterside regatta party spot, is undergoing an extensive upgrade. Returning to join the newcomers on the sponsorship front are avid supporters of Thailand’s regatta scene, Raimon Land, who are firm in their conviction that up-market property development and yachting are part of the same premium ‘lifestyle’ scene.

Media partners throughout Asia and Australia will take Raceweek news and views to a wide readership in the boating, business,

entertainment, travel, lifestyle, national and local Phuket press, while — a first for Raceweek — a special Raceweek programme,

commissioned by the organisers, will be televised worldwide on sporting and lifestyle channels such as CNN Mainsail, Eurosport, Star

Sports, the European Sailing Channel and many more — a total potential audience of 140 million households.

In an exciting move that’s a first for Thailand’s regatta scene, Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008 will incorporate the inaugural ‘NRG Cup’, providing more party space for the ever-growing number of competitors, while Six Senses Title Sponsorship means a massive leap forward in catering, with copious 5-star full buffet spreads at every party.

On the racing scene, early indications are of a strong sport boat class, the eye-catching Firefly racing catamarans in greater numbers than ever,a solid club/cruising class and the mainstay of this region’s yacht racing, one or two highly competitive IRC classes. And, of course, the old ladies of the regatta, the striking classic boats competing for the Seraph Perpetual Trophy. While the Firefly skippers are wondering if Thailand’s newly-arrived Corsair trimarans will dare to mount a challenge in Firefly home waters, the faster monohull boys would welcome some competition from Malaysian yachtsmen who, according to Mata Hari skipper,

Vincent Chan, “… are at a disadvantage because of the lack of competitive practice…” With the usually consistent strong breezes off

Phuket in July, the ‘practice’ doesn’t get much more competitive... but beating the local boys is another matter altogether. Then, the

dark horse on the water this year — making its racing debut after breaking up in a 40-knot squall during the 2006 Koh Samui Regatta — is the super-fast F28 catamaran, rebuilt at Latitude 8’s Phuket boatyard. According to the owners, “Our primary objective at Raceweek is to take line honours in every race.”

Demonstrating that event sponsorship brings tangible benefits directly to participants, the first-time support from Rodenstock, Mont Clair Wines and Johnny Walker will fund a late afternoon Rodenstock Happy Hour and a free-flow open bar throughout all the official regatta parties. an event-within-an-event, where participants in the Oil & Gas Industry can compete for this brand new trophy against their colleagues and business associates from around the region, whilst still racing in the main event against all-comers. "Our industry is competitive,

fearless and spirited, and this first edition of the NRG Cup should be no different," said Benjamin Dupal, CEO of NRG Engineering, who conceived the idea for the NRG Cup. The NRG Cup is expected to attract at least 10 boats and crews that have never before competed in Phuket's ‘Green Season’ regatta. For more information, contact info@nrgcup2008.com

Attracted by excellent sailing in mostly reliable breezes of 15 knots upwards and a hard-to-beat social scene, entries are expected to top previous years, although organisers Image Asia are not yet predicting numbers.

“Experience has shown us that it is simply not possible to know in advance how many boats will take part,” said Image Asia MD, Grenville Fordham. “The racing community is notorious for leaving their registration until the last minute, so — while we’ll start to build a picture as Raceweek gets closer — we can’t be absolutely sure who’s coming until registration day,” he added, noting that that the early-bird registration incentive was aimed at tackling this problem. With formal backing from the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008 is solidly supported by Thai authorities, demonstrating their advancing commitment to yacht racing. The regatta is run under the auspices of the Ao Chalong Yacht Club.

For more information on Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008
E-mail raceweek@image-asia.com
Web site: www.phuketraceweek.com

Find out more about Six Senses Resorts & Spas at www.sixsenses.com

Source from: Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008/Image Asia release dated April 8, 2008
Website: phuketraceweek.com/
Tourism Authority of Thailand - Email: info@tat.or.th -
Website: tatnews.org/

SEVEN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AT BANGKOK

1. Jim Thompson's House
Soi Kasemsan 2

Jim Thompson was a New York architect who served in the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, now the CIA) in Thailand during World War II and afterward settled in Bangkok. Almost single-handedly he revived Thailand's silk industry, employing Thai Muslims as skilled silk weavers and building up a thriving industry. After expanding his sales to international markets, Mr. Thompson mysteriously disappeared in 1967 while vacationing in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. Despite extensive investigations, his disappearance has never been resolved. (The most recent theory, for which some evidence apparently exists, is that he was accidentally struck by a truck and his body hidden to prevent repercussions.)

Thompson's legacy is substantial, as both an entrepreneur and a collector, and his Thai house contains a splendid collection of Khmer sculpture, Chinese porcelain, Burmese carving (especially a 17th-century teak Buddha), and antique Thai scroll paintings.

The house is comprised of six linked teak and theng (harder than teak) wood houses from central Thailand that were rebuilt according to Thai architectural principles, but with Western additions (such as a staircase and window screens). In some rooms the floor is made of Italian marble, but the wall panels are pegged teak. The house slopes toward the center to help stabilize the structure (the original houses were built on stilts without foundations). The busy nearby Klong San Sap and landscaped garden make a lovely spot, especially on a hot day. You can buy silk from the Jim Thompson Company retail shop at the intersection of Surawong and Rama IV roads.

2. Kamthieng House (The Siam Society)
131 Soi Asoke

The 19th-century Kamthieng House, on the grounds of the Siam Society Headquarters, is a rice farmer's teak house transplanted from the banks of Chiang Mai's Ping River. Its collection, organized with financial help from the Asia and Rockefeller foundations, is oriented toward ethnographic objects illustrating the culture of everyday life.

Many agricultural and domestic items, including woven fish baskets and terra-cotta pots, are on display, but we were drawn most to the exhibit about the Chao Vieng, or city dwellers from the northern Lanna Thai Kingdom. If you plan to trek through that area, you will particularly enjoy this small but informative collection. We also enjoyed walking through the grounds,which are landscaped like a northern Thai garden.

The Siam Society also supports an excellent library and gallery, with information on nearly every aspect of Thai society, concentrating on regional culture. They also publish scholarly texts on Thai culture, which can be purchased.

3. The Grand Palace

The number one destination in Bangkok is also the most touristy. However, you shouldn't let the large busloads keep you away -- it's a terrific sight to see, and, if you arrive at 8:30am when the gates first open, you can have the place to yourself. As this is sacred royal ground, visitors are required to wear long pants or skirts, and shirtsleeves that cover the upper arms. The rules are inconsistently
enforced, but many have been turned away for inappropriate dress. And remember -- it closes at 3:30pm so don't show up any later than 2:30pm!

One of King Rama I's earliest accomplishments was to move the capital from Thonburi to a more defensible site on the opposite bank of the Chao Phraya. He chose the center of the Chinese community, which was then moved south to Sampeng, the current Chinatown.

He intended to reproduce the destroyed capital of Ayutthaya. The construction of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo were the first phase of his grand goal, though both were added to and rebuilt in subsequent reigns.

The palace as it appears today was greatly influenced by Western architecture, including colonial and Victorian motifs. Anna -- tutor to the son of Rama IV and the central figure in the story The King and I -- lived here. The royal family moved to Chitralada Palace after the death of King Ananda in 1946, but it was here, in 1981, that General Chitpatima attempted to overthrow the government in an unsuccessful coup.

As you enter the palace gate, built in the 1780s, you'll see the Pavilion for Holy Water, where priests swore loyalty to the royal family and purified themselves with water from Thailand's four main rivers. Nearby is a lacquered-wood structure called the Arporn Phimok Prasad (Disrobing Pavilion), built so the king could conveniently mount his palanquin for royal elephant processions (Most of the time it served as a kind of elephant parking lot.)

Also nearby is the Chakri Maha Prasad, designed by Western architects as a royal residence for Rama IV to commemorate the centennial of the Chakri dynasty. The king's advisors urged him to use Thai motifs to demonstrate his independence from growing

Western influence: The Thai, temple-style roof rests physically and symbolically on top of an imperial Victorian building. This Thai-Victorian building contains the ashes of royal family members on the third floor, the throne room and reception hall on the main floor, and a collection of weapons on the ground floor.

The whitewashed stone building nearby now serves as the Funeral Hall, though it was originally the residence of Rama I and Rama II. The corpse of a deceased royal figure is kept in this building for a year before it is cremated in a nearby field. On each of the four corners of the roof is a garuda (the half-human, half-bird "steed" of Rama, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu), symbolizing the king,

who is considered a reincarnation of Rama. The palace garden was rebuilt under Rama IV in the 1860s, and the highlight here is a section that reproduces the landscape of a Thai mountain-and-woods fable. This structure was used as a ceremonial place for Thai princes to cut their topknot in a coming-of-age ritual. The Grand Palace also has a harem, the Forbidden Quarters (no one other than the king was allowed to enter), where the king's wives lived (King Bhumibol Adulyadej ended the age-old tradition of polygamy and has only one wife, Queen Sirikit). Close by is the Amarin Vinichai Prasad, or Coronation Hall, built by Rama I and added to by subsequent kings. Today, this building is used, like the palace in general, for royal coronations, weddings, and state events only, and it is here that the king makes his grandest appearances.


4. The National Museum

It's important to remember that the facility is closed on Monday and Tuesday, but the National Museum, just a short (15-min.) walk north of the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is the country's central treasury of art and archaeology (32 branches are located throughout the provinces). Some of the buildings are themselves works of art.

The current museum -- the largest in Southeast Asia -- was built as part of the Grand Palace complex when the capital of Siam was moved from Thonburi to Bangkok in 1782. Originally the palace of Rama I's brother, the deputy king and appointed successor, it was called the Wang Na ("Palace at the Front"). The position of princely successor was eventually abolished, and Rama V had the palace converted into a museum in 1884. Thammasat University, the College of Dramatic Arts, and the National Theater were also built on the royal grounds, along with additional museum buildings.

To see the entire collection, which is highly recommended, plan to spend a few hours. Start with the Thai History and the Prehistoric Galleries in the first building. If you're rushed, go straight to the Red House behind it, a traditional 18th-century Thai building that was originally the living quarters of Princess Sri Sudarak, sister of King Rama I. It's furnished in period style, with many pieces originally owned by the princess.

Another essential stop is the Phuttaisawan (Buddhaisawan) Chapel, built in 1787 to house the Phra Phut Sihing, one of Thailand's most revered Buddha images, brought here from its original home in Chiang Mai. The chapel is an exquisite example of Buddhist temple architecture. From the chapel, work your way back through the main building of the royal palace to see the gold jewelry, some from the royal
collections, and the Thai ceramics, including many pieces in the five-color bencharong style. The Old Transportation Room contains ivory carvings, elephant chairs, and royal palanquins. There are also rooms of royal emblems and insignia, stone carvings, wood carvings, costumes, textiles, musical instruments, and Buddhist religious artifacts. Fine art and sculpture are found in the newer galleries at the rear of the museum compound. Gallery after gallery is filled with both Thai and
pre-Thai sculpture (including some excellent Mon work) and Hindu and Buddhist images from the provinces.

5. The Royal Barges


If you've hired a long-tail boat on the Chao Phraya, stop by this unique museum housing the royal barges. These elaborately decorated sailing vessels, the largest over 46m (50 yd.) long and rowed by up to 60 men, are used by the royal family on state occasions or for high religious ceremonies. The king's barge, the Suphanahong, is decorated with red-and-gold carvings of fearsome mythological beasts, like the Garuda or the dragon on the bow and stern. (If you can't make it to the royal arges, there is a smaller display of barges at the National Museum.)

6. Vimanmek Mansion Museum
193/2 Ratchavitee Rd

Introduction to Vimanmek Palace

Upon his return from Europe in1897, King Rama V (1868-1910) used his personal money to purchase orchards and paddy fields between Padung Krungkasem Canal and Samsen Canal for the construction of a royal garden which he named “the DusitGarden”.

The first permanent residence in Dusit Garden was Vimanmek Mansion, built in 1900 by the royal command of King Rama V. The mansion was in fact his former Summer Palace, the Munthaturaltanaroj Residence of the Chuthathujrachathan at Koh Sri Chang, Chonburi, that was dismantled and rebuilt under the supervision of HRH Prince Narissaranuwaddhiwongse. The celebration for the completion of Vimanmek Mansion was held on March 27, 1901. King Rama V moved from the Grand Palace to reside in Vimanmek Mansion for 5 years until the completion of the Amporn Satarn Mansion in 1906 where he lived until his untimely death in 1910. As a result, Vimanmek Mansion become deserted and the royal family moved back to the Grand Palace.

In 1925, near the end of his reign, King Rama VI gave permission to for H.R.H. Indharasaksaji, his wife, to take up residence in a section of Vimanmek Mansion. After his death, she moved to the Residence in Suan Hong compound situated north of Vimanmek Mansion. Since then, the Vimanmek Mansion has not been used as a royal residence and has been used as a place of storage by the Bureau of the Royal Household for the past 50 years.

King Rama VII ordered a few renovations to the Mansion. For example, he ordered the installation of electrical wiring and repairs to the main pier at the man-made lake in the garden.

In 1982, on the auspicious occasion of the Royal Bicentennial Celebrations of Bangkok, Her Majesty the Queen asked for His Majesty’s permission to renovate the Mansion to be used as a museum to honour King Rama V by displaying his photographs, art and artefacts to commemorate royal visits to Europe as well as to exhibit Thai handicrafts to serve as a showcase of the national heritage for future generations.

Vimanmek Mansion

Vimanmek Mansion is the largest residence in Dusit Garden. Its elaborate architectural style reflects a western influence. The building has two right-angled wings. Each wing is 60 metres long and 20 metres high. It is a three-storey building except for the part where the King resided, which is octagonal and has four-storeys. The ground floor is brick and cement while the upper floors are built of
golden teakwood planks. There are altogether 31 exhibition rooms, some of which maintain the atmosphere of the past, especially the bedrooms, the Audience Chamber and the bathrooms. Some rooms house exhibitions of art works, for example, there is a silverware display room, a ceramic display room, a glassware display room and an ivory display room. Besides Vimanmek Mansion and the Amporn Satarn Mansion in the compound of Dusit Garden or Dusit Palace (as it was later renamed by King Rama V), King Rama V allocated plots of land for the construction of residences for his Queens, consorts, sisters, daughters, and his other wives. He also named gardens, canals, gates and roads after the names of ancient Chinese porcelain commonly called “Khrueng Kim Tung”, which were very popular at the time. For example, the residence that belonged to Her Majesty Queen Srisawarindhira was named Suan Hong Residence (Swan Garden Residence). Now these residences, which are no longer used
by the Royal Family and located north of Vimanmek Mansion, have been turned into museum buildings and a hall for royal coaches to be shown to the general public.


7. Wang Suan Pakkard
352 Si Ayutthaya Rd

Brief Description :
Wang Suan Pakkard ("Palace of the Lettuce Garden") is one of Bangkok's most delightful retreats. This peaceful oasis was the home of Princess Chumbhot of Nakhon Sawan.

SUAN PAKKARD PALACE

Five 19th-century teak houses were moved from Chiang Mai in 1952 and rebuilt in a beautifully landscaped garden on a private klong (canal), separated by a high wall from the tumult of Bangkok's streets. The Lacquer Pavilion (actually an Ayutthaya house, moved here in 1958) was a birthday present from the prince to the princess.
Princess Chumbnot was an avid art collector and one of the country's most dedicated archaeologists-credited with having partly financed the excavations at Ban Chiang I in 1967. There is an entire room of objects from that site, including pottery and jewelry,surpassed only by the prehistoric findings exhibited at the National Museum. The balance of the collection is diverse, with Khmer sculpture, ivory boxes, perfume bottles, nielloware, marvelous prints by European artists depicting their image of Siamese people before the country opened to the Western world, a superb Buddha head from Ayutthaya, and a royal barge. Do not miss the pavilion housing the princess's exquisite collection of Thai and Chinese ceramics! The gift shop at Wang Suan Pakkard offers ceramics, some genuine and some reproductions at reasonable prices.

Fast facts:

Tour departure:
Daily from Bangkok hotels

Duration (approximate):
09:00 – 12:00 hrs & 13:00 – 16:00 hrs.

Source from: Siamleisure.com
Travel.msn.com
Palaces of The King
Content Source: Excerpted from Frommer's Thailand, 8th Edition, © 2008. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons Inc. and TripAdvisor.