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| By Invitation only... |
An exclusive affair, with
Superyachts and guests in attendance strictly by invitation, the annual Phuket rendezvous of graceful
classic vessels and multi-million dollar motor yachts is a fabulous festive sight. |
There are sailing races, there are regattas. And then
there's the Phuket Invitational. Held just a week after the Phuket King's Cup, the Invitational is a
significantly more exclusive affair, with - as the name suggests - participants included strictly by
invitation. The inviting is done by organizers Seal Superyachts and principal sponsors Feadship, and - as
those names suggest - the invitees are anything but your average regatta racers.
Names like Yanneke Too, Sylvia, Maid Marion II, Silolona, Serenity and Samax set the hearts of a certain
type of yacht-watcher apoundin'. The reason for this is that these fine vessels more than fulfill the
classification of superyacht - that special breed of boat that usually requires high six-and seven-figure
down-payments and double-digit crews just to swab the decks.
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So, while Kata Bay may have boasted its biggest ever fleet - 96 racers - for the King's Cup in December, it was
equally gratifying for Nai Ham Bay to see its largest flotilla of the big boys since the Invitational began.
Six super sailboats and a fistful of mega motoryachts made the bay look positively crowded. At an average of 45
metres in length each, that wasn't such a feat, but just having that number of superyachts in one place most
certainly was.
The Invitational was the brainchild of Graham Frost. Some dozen years back, this superyacht services
specialist was the first to make it easy for the big boats to take it easy in Thai and Burmese waters.
Arranging everything from flight permission for private helicopters to staging onboard circuses - complete with
elephants - meant that, when it came to organizing an event just for these beautiful boats (and, by extension,
their owners and crews) Graham was definitely the man for the job.
Over the years the event has slowly gone from strength to strength, building up a reputation as a very classy
soire for the visiting VIP yachts with a last-night feast provided by host sponsors Le Royal Meridien Phuket
Yacht Club. The 2004 Invitational was no exception. Indeed surpassing previous years, with a prebanquet
cocktail party aboard the magnificent Silolona, the finest expression ever of the traditional Indonesian
phinisi.
There was also some racing to be had, earlier in the day, as the massive sails of Yanneke Too, the 33m
Italian-built Naos, and the Burma-built classic Fife Sunshine set to the winds and went hard for the line.
 Graham would have loved it. That he could not attend made the event
all the more poignant. A few months after the 2003 Invitational - and shortly after this writer had
interviewed him for a story in Asia-Pacific TROPICAL HOMES, at which he talked earnestly about his plans
and hopes for the future of Phuket - Graham was involved in a serious road accident that he barely
survived. He was left comatose and on the critical list for many weeks. Ever the fighter, Graham didn't
succumb to the ravages of his injuries, brother Adam reports that he is slowly making his way back, now
under the care of one of Singapore's top hospitals.
The financial burden of this hospitalization is now beginning to cause his family serious problems, and it was
this - and his love for his good friend - that prompted Yanneke Too captain Charlie Dwyer to announce the
establishment of a special fund to help alleviate some of that burden. Those who know Graham will recall how much
he has given to Phuket over the years, creating an industry in Superyacht services that had not existed earlier,
thus bringing many millions of Baht to the island.
If you would like to know how you might contribute to his
return, please don't hesitate to contact his brother, Adam Frost at
adam@seal-superyachts-asia or visit:
http://www.seal-asia.com/trust.htm
With luck and the wind on our side, Graham will be on the finish line with us at the 2006 Phuket Invitational.
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The classic lines of Sunshine graced the 2004 Phuket Invitational
event. Looking the part of a century-old classic, this beautifully finished boat was, in fact, launched only
months ago following its construction in Burma. Builder-owner Peter Wood has since departed this region for
the Mediterranean where the boat will charter guests.
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