A keen and proficient sailor, Queen Suthida joined the Thai-based Whitcraft family team aboard Vayu, boat number THA27, a Grand Prix-class racing boat with high performance and high speed, to lend her expertise.
Queen Suthida had raced aboard the Vayu on the final day of the 35th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta last year and is therefore familiar with the boat and crew.
Her Majesty’s official role yesterday was that of ‘strategist,’ with specific responsibilities to observe wind direction and advise crew so they could act accordingly in regards to the position and weight of the vessel while in competition.
This was especially crucial when making turns as each boat passes at high speed very close to one another, sometimes no more than one metre in distance, so ensuring the safety of the boat and crew is paramount at all times.
With sea breezes ranging between 8-10 knots in the Bay of Palma, Vayu completed the first race in an overall time of 56 minutes to place a very respectable sixth and go into the remainder of the week’s action with confidence.
The 52 Super Series is the world’s leading high-performance monohull yacht racing circuit and the Puerto Portals race week consists of a 13 boat fleet representing nine nations.
Competition runs from Aug 28 to Sept 1 with two races per day across the five days.