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BCCT marches into 2006 at Jameson’s Irish Pub
‘Promising monthly meetings this year
Dr. Iain Corness
The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) under Vice-President
Graham Macdonald will have their popular networking evenings at least
once a month on the Eastern Seaboard. The first for 2006 was held at
Jameson’s Irish Pub, with the energetic Landlord Kim Fletcher exhorting
everyone to enjoy themselves, and everyone took him at his word, and
did! And of course, Jameson’s is the place for it!
 Graham Macdonald (centre) flanked by the sponsors,
Robert Collins of Savills (left) and Jameson’s landlord Kim Fletcher.
The co-sponsors of the evening were Jameson’s and newcomer to the scene,
Savills. This company was represented by Robert Collins, who explained
that Savills was one of the largest real estate companies in the world,
and with the expansion going on in Bangkok, and especially on the
Eastern Seaboard, the company had arrived and would be looking at the
high-end developments taking place here.
The attendees covered the usual polyglot of industries, with even the
American auto industry in the form of the ever-youthful American George
Strampp seen to be holding court before he tripped off to China. At this
stage he does not see the Chinese as posing any threat to the local
“Detroit of the East” on the Eastern Seaboard.
 Stuart Edwards (Thames Water) and David Quine (YES
Technologies) reflect on business trends in the area.
Many of the people who attended were from Bangkok, such as Michael Healy
from WSI Consulting and Education and Joe Grunwell from ComCon (proud
father of up-and-coming motor racing star James Grunwell – remember that
name, you will hear more of this lad), but another trend has been for
those previouslysolely based in the nation’s capital to begin splitting
their time between Bangkok and Pattaya. One of these is Peter Sterling
from PR people Milan Crosse and partners, who now spends four days here
and three up there.
Another regular was Ken Sly, now with Traill International School, and
with so many of the BCCT members having young children, he undoubtedly
interested a few of the proud fathers, such as executive director of the
BCCT, Greg Watkins, with his new four month old daughter (you can’t
start too early).
 Pat Gossett and Dr. lain Corness enjoy a pint together.
Seen drinking anything but water were Water Engineering Technologies
Keith Wilson and his wife, while Pat Gossett was handing out his Asian
Tigers pens (perhaps that was a hint to write something about him, and I
just have, Pat).
Regular Peter Smith from AA Insurances was there, introducing his new
staff members, all of whom have to be smaller than 1.5 meters, while
another pair of regulars were Jimmy Howard from Katoen Natie Sembcorp
and Stuart Saunders, the ‘flossify’ specialist with his unique credit
card sized dental floss dispensers, both enjoying glasses of the amber
liquids.
Many stayed on after the sponsored food and refreshments had run out
later in the evening, and all who attended are looking forward to the
February networking evening, details of which will be posted in the
Pattaya Mail.
Keith and Samantha Wilson
from Water Engineering Technologies were seen drinking anything but
water with regular Peter Smith from AA Insurance.
Dr Paul Bland (Asian
University) & Jerry Friend (Marsh PB) mingle during the evening.
A group of happy Brits
enjoying a pint or two.
BCCT Executive Director
Greg Watkins, Mark Butters (RSM Nelson Wheeler), and Ken Sly (Traill
International School) stop for a moment to pose for posterity.
Graham Macdonald (BCCT
Vice Chairman and MBMG International), Simon Matthews (Manpower), Clive
Butcher (Highfield Equity) and Joe Grunwell (Comcon) talk motor racing
whilst enjoying the liquid refreshments.
George Strampp (Interstar)
holds court with Jeannie, Astrid Ott (Interstar) and Tirachart
Charuvastra (Sukhothai Associates).
Fun day for Pattaya’s teachers during Teacher’s Day sporting events
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
National Teachers Day was celebrated in Pattaya on January 16 with a
series of sporting activities that involved teachers from all 10 of Pattaya
City schools.
Village sports competitions were held and there was a football match between
city administrators and senior teachers that ended in a 1-1 draw. Mayor
Niran Watthanasartsathorn led the administrators’ side, with both sides
featuring the over-40s.
The activities were held at Pattaya School #2 with the objective being to
foster relations amongst teachers under the jurisdiction of the city
council.
Mayor Niran
Watthanasartsathorn (yellow) goes for the ball during the football match
between City administrators and senior teachers.
Teachers learn mass-teamwork
during this exercise.
Activities like this were held
to forge relations among teachers under the jurisdiction of Pattaya City.
Sailing, yacht racing and cruising:
A burgeoning lifestyle for Thailand
Part 2. Pattaya, Phuket and the Eastern Seaboard to the fore
Peter Cummins,
Pattaya
In the first part of this story (Pattaya Mail, Vol X1V, #3, 20 January,
2006, p.23), we presented an overview of the development and rapid rise of
Thailand’s marine sector. Now, we turn to some of faces and places leading
this.
Two we singled out last time were the remarkable Peterson family from
Western Australia who, arriving in Phuket for the sixteenth regatta in 1992,
had on board their 57ft (18m>) ketch “Cowrie Dancer”, their six-year old son
Jack. Now more than halfway through their voyage, Jack is a remarkable
seaman, has done well in his schoolwork, accomplished on-line and is
definitely the epitome of a marine lifestyle aficionado
Another sailor who does so much to promote “a life on the ocean waves” as a
most desirable lifestyle, does so for an unlimited number of people through
his Sunsail Chartering Company worldwide. Simon James could think of no
other type of life.
Thailand, with some of the world’s best waterways, is relatively easy to
promote noting such marine-sport oriented cities as Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin
and Rayong, to mention a few.
 Sunsail’s Simon James (centre) makes a point about
Thailand’s booming marina market, at Boat Asia 2004, off Sentosa Cove,
Singapore.
Pattaya, in fact, is being transformed into a family resort through marine
sports, and has been allocated 70 million baht (almost US$2 million) from
TAT’s tourism promotion budget for 2006. This will include road shows aimed
at the British, Chinese and Russian markets, to mention a few targets, and
promoting the resort city at a number of the big international trade fairs
and tourism marts.
According to Chattan Kunchorn Na Ayutthaya, TAT director for the Central
Region, with the assistance and cooperation of local authorities and the
immense private sector based in the Jomtien-Pattaya environs and along the
Industrial Estates in Rayong, Pattaya, particularly, is starting to “ride
the crests” of an economic wave.
The city and environs, continued the director, “are poised to become a
prized destination for sports and family recreation.”
The Peterson family from
Cottesloe, Perth (with six-year-old Jack waving), sets off on a six-year
cruise around the globe: sailing AND education.
On the broader front, TAT aims to launch Thailand on the world market as a
premier marine leisure destination, while the Harbour Department is looking
into the feasibility of building municipal marinas in strategic locations.
Yet another support comes from the office of the Ministry of Tourism and
Sports – an ideal symbiosis within the context of promoting tourism through
sports, on this occasion, all forms of marine activities. The minister, H.E.
Pracha Maleenont, sees a solid compliment between the two sectors.
Closer to home base, a fleet
races off the Phuket start line.
The 19th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, sailed from December
05 – 11, was arguably the best on record and did much to boost Thai tourism,
through a worldwide press and media campaign. An entry of 86 craft, from 18
countries, vied for the top honours in 12 classes, with teams from China,
Finland and Russia competing for the first time.
Besides these newcomers, there were many “regatta perennials” such as the
Australians, British, Canadian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italians,
Indonesians, Malaysian, Maltese, New Zealanders, Singaporeans, the USA and,
of course, a large contingent of Thai sailors, especially the
ever-consistent teams from the Thai Naval Academy who repeated their usual
winning performance this time, too.
Thai Platu 25s racing in the
Northern Gulf recently.
Much interest centred around the Chinese team which was
accompanied by an enormous press corps and camera crews and, although not so
distinguished out on the Andaman Sea, it was impossible to miss their red
and white outfits both afloat and ashore.
Now, with a fledgling industry in China building super yachts, a yacht
construction industry is at Zhongshan, China, on the banks of the Pearl
River, where the Kingship Company is starting to build luxury yachts - for
export only for, at the moment, there is no domestic market in China for a
US$ seven million (plus) yacht.
In 2006, China will launch their entry in the America’s Cup Challenge Rounds
off Spain. The giant also awakens to the burgeoning marine leisure industry.
Sponsored by Google of China – Sina.com – the country is destined to be a
major player in international regattas in the future.
What this does indicate, however, is the rapidly rising popularity of
sailing, cruising and yacht racing, from the forthcoming 2007 Swiss defence
of the America’s Cup off Malaga, to Optimist dinghies racing off the Royal
Varuna Yacht Club in South Pattaya.
During the King’s Cup Regatta, the Third Phuket International Boat Show
(PIMEX) was held on water and on land at the Phuket Boat Lagoon. According
to the organizers, Grenville Fordham and Andy Dowden – old King’s Cup
Regatta veterans themselves – directors of Image Asia Events Company, the
2005 show was an outstanding success. Yet another indication of the
burgeoning marine sector.
Along with the Thai Government and TAT support of marine tourism, the 2005
regatta featured a long list of sponsors, placing their confidence in the
marine sector, to swell the tourist arrivals.
For example, Raimon Land, a prime property developer country-wide, uses the
logo “developing a better environment,” which makes yacht racing a perfect
target for its eco-friendly tourist developments. In the past few years, the
company has become one of the Kingdom’s greatest supporters of the marine
sector, especially yacht racing which conforms to the company’s approach to
the prime consideration of environmental problems as being paramount to the
Kingdom’s progress – and, not least – the recovery of the tourism sector
after the December tsunami disaster.
Of course, one should not forget that regatta co-founder M.L. Tri Devakul
placed the resources of his Nai Harn Bay Hotel (then the Phuket Yacht Club
and now the Phuket Meridien Yacht Club Hotel), for the all-important first
10 years and has been a perennial supporter via the Kata Beach Boathouse
Wine and Grill for all of the 19 years.
Other sponsors for the 2005 event included the Kata Group, home for the
King’s Cup for the eighth time, along with perennial supporter, Mom Tri’s
award-winning Villa Royale the Gourmet Hotel and Boathouse Wine and Grill
which, although sustaining considerable tsunami damage last December, again
supported the regatta.
The Royal Phuket Marina and Sunsail joined again as co-sponsors and Thai
Airways International PLC, as on many former occasions, made flights
available for the committee, the race management and the large contingent of
press and media. Many of them came from world-wide destinations to Phuket,
for the first time since the tsunami.
Optimists racing at the
recently-held Asian Championship, Royal Varuna Yacht Club. South Pattaya.
Thai Beverages PLC, in the guise of Beer Chang, joined
for the second time while first-time sponsors were Coutts Bank, the
Singapore-based Merchant Bank and the Thailand Privilege Card Company (Elite
Card).
TAT, which now views marine tourism as a major attraction to help restore
the depleted numbers of tourist arrivals entering the Kingdom since last
December, again supported the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.
There was hardly a private sector business which was not supporting the
regatta, including the Ao Chalong Yacht Club, Canvas Creations, CAT Telecom,
Electrical Marine, Haad Thip, Kata Poolside Resort, Koh Samui Regatta, Lee
Marine, Neil Pryde, Nokia Thailand, Patongo, Pegasus Marine, Phuket
International Hospital, Phuket Magazine, the official publisher, Phuket
Sail, Royal Coffee, Securicor, Simrad Marine Electronics, Tropical Garden
Resort and Yacht Solutions.
Next week, the last part of this story, we shall feature the incredible
development of lifestyle marinas, the boom in boat-building and the change
they bring to Thailand’s marine infrastructure.
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