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 Like the Aman group, this was Villa & Yacht's first collaboration with the event as
a co-sponsor, however as one of the rendezvous veterans exclaimed we were right at home in what he
described as the birthplace of Villa & Yacht some twenty years ago; the Amanpuri providing the villas on
what has become one of the most exclusive pieces of real estate in South East Asia. The rich and famous
have been bringing their yachts here and enjoying the Thai hospitality for many years previously.
A captain's briefing preceded a lavish welcoming cocktail party, perfectly set on the terrace, poolside,
looking out to sea in one of the resort's exclusive private villas. This provided a fantastic opportunity
for captains, crews, yacht owners, event organisers, sponsors and guests to mingle and bring in the festive
season in style. The jovial atmosphere enjoyed here became a theme throughout the rendezvous; however, a
competitive edge was maintained in the form of a rather intriguing model yacht race.
 Each crew was handed an identical box containing a number of items including some conventional materials
for model yacht building, like strips of wood and pieces of polystyrene, plus some not so conventional
items, such as a ladies bra! Putting their cocktails to one side, for the time being, the crews sat on the
floor in the villa's large sala and began to devise their model yachts whilst the onlookers reminisced of
woodwork classes in high school and debated the pros and cons of the differing construction techniques
being observed. The general consensus amongst the observers was that the couple of teams constructing
catamarans were the most likely winners.
The race course was not as I had first imagined - a lap of the Villa's oval shaped pool. Instead, two
parallel water lanes had been constructed, rather like a couple of horses' drinking troughs. These enabled
a member from each team to run alongside the water lane whilst frantically blowing into the sail of their
yacht, when they arrived at the other end a bottle of beer had to be downed before returning to the
starting point. What made it even more difficult and entertaining was that on the return leg they were
blowing against a steady breeze and far less steady on their feet.
The crews assembled, proudly showing off their creations and the opening heats began. As there was
previously no way of testing the vessels' buoyancy it was with some trepidation that they entered the
water. At this point it became apparent that one or two designs were definitely outclassing a few others
that sadly toppled to one side or the other. Fortunately these model yachts were devised by the crews and
not the Superyacht manufacturers, although event sponsors Feadship did ensure each yacht had a couple of
stickers displaying their logo. I'm sure the real thing sails a little better, however all the models did
manage not to sink, even one with a 36DD sail!
The crew from Cordelia won the overnight bragging rights taking first place in a hotly contested final.
However the real race took place the following morning. The superyachts assembled at the starting line off
the Phuket headland, a perfect day in the Thai Sunshine on the calm Sea. From my vantage point on the
Amanpuri's motor yacht we weaved between the fleet of superyachts, an awe inspiring spectacle against the
backdrop of the beautiful architecture of the Amanpuri.
The fleet set sail out to sea, looping around the bay before entering the home straight parallel to Surin
Beach. First over the finishing line was Intrigue, a classy racing yacht with an experienced crew: she was
in a class of her own. The race for second and third place was what provided the drama with Argo passing
the winners of the previous night Cordelia on the last windward race for the line.
The party commenced again as Bali based Silolona, a beautifully reconstructed Phinisi, hosted sunset
cocktails, immediately followed by a splendid gala dinner and beach party back on the dry sand of the
Amanpuri. A splendid finale to proceedings left everyone looking forward to rendezvousing again in
December 2007.
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