38th Phuket King's Cup Regatta
Phuket, Thailand
Upcoming dates
- 5 December 2026 — 12 December 2026
For school graduates and experienced sailors; first-timers sail as crew under a skipper
The King's Cup has been held in Phuket since 1987 and draws the strongest crews in the region. It is a professional regatta with a packed racing programme and an equally packed shore programme.
You do not need your own boat: the club is putting a crew together. Leave a request and we will get in touch about the boat, the roles on board and the budget before you pay for anything.
Key facts
- Where: Phuket, Kata Beach
- Classes: keelboats, multihulls, one-designs, dinghies
- Crew fee: 6,500 ฿ at the last regatta
- Experience: first-timers sail cruising boats
Road to the start
- Now — Your request: experience and a contact. We get in touch on Telegram or WhatsApp.
- Before you pay — The boat, your role on board and the budget — the decision is yours.
- Before December — Brush up the basics — the Yochting school online course and practice on their schedule.
- 5–12 December — The King's Cup.
What it costs
- Crew fee: 6,500 ฿ — last regatta, parties included; 2026 on kingscup.com
- Charter share: when matched — depends on the class and the boat
- Flights and stay: your own — December is high season, book near Kata early
What the regatta is
The 38th Phuket King's Cup runs from 5 to 12 December 2026 in the Andaman Sea off Phuket, with Kata Beach as the base ashore. The regatta was founded in 1987 for the 60th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and is run by the Royal Varuna Yacht Club with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and Phuket Province, under Royal Patronage.
Keelboats, multihulls, one-designs and dinghies race. Every day ends with a prizegiving and a party, and the week closes with the Royal Awards Ceremony.
What you need to know
It depends on the boat. Racing classes take people who have already sailed as crew. On cruising boats a first-timer usually gets a clear job — hiking, trimming sheets — under the skipper's command.
The Yochting school practice and boatmaster sessions on their schedule and the yochting.school courses are a good way to get the basics in before December.