Raceboard Worlds – Days One & Two
A spectacular opening . . .
The opening night of the 2006 King Power Raceboard World Championship was a spectacular occasion. More than 800 people – sailors, officials, and guests – attended a gala evening hosted by Raimon Land and Northpoint.
A sumptuous buffet and free bar was provided throughout the evening, with entertainment provided by a series of live acts from around the world – fire eaters from Thailand, Capoeira from Brazil, Tango performance from Argentina, a live band, and a fashion show of beachwear.
The occasion combined the opening night of the championship with the official opening of the Northpoint beachfront luxury condominium by developers Raimon Land, whose motto – “developing a better environment” – strikes a chord with windsurfers worldwide.
Miss Universe 2005, Natalie, was joined on stage by representatives of the hosts to declare the official opening and ignite a magnificent firework finale.
For those willing and able the party continued into the night – with the prospect of a second day of registration and recovery an incentive.
Day Two
The second day of the 2006 King Power Raceboard World Championships was spent completing sailor and equipment registration; and the competitors were putting the time to good use making final preparations to their boards and rigs.
Competitors representing 9 countries from 3 continents have assembled on Wong-Amat Beach, near Pattaya.
Racers from Europe – including Julien Quentel (FRA 421), Riccardo Giordano (ITA 12), Patrik Pollak (SVK 1) – will be up against respected Asian sailors such as Derrick Menezes (IND 4), Tak Sum Wong (HKG 11) and Phanuthat Ruamsap (THA 44).
Also competing for the host nation are Napalai Tansai( THA 4) and Arun Homraruen (THA 9) who next month will be representing their country in the Asian Games.
Surprisingly, no “hybrid” raceboards have been registered, instead a mixture of traditional “longboards” – F2, Fanatic Mega Cat, Mistral Pan Am, and Mistral One Design – and the “new generation” longboards such as Exocet Kona and Starboard Phantom Race, which have also been provided for charter.
The real talking point on the beach is the Exocet Warp 380 – conventional board in length, but unconventional in most other ways!
These are exciting times in the development of the Class!
