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The perfect low power way to light up your yacht below without too much power being consumed and very little heat generated, check out the range of SMD LED's here, they come in 5 meter rolls and use double sided tape to adhere to most surfaces or can be housed in a clear plastic tube.

They come in red, white, blue, green and yellow as well as RGB for the party boats, they run on 12 volt so they can be connected directly to your yachts electrical system, a regulator to ensure 12 volts is maintained under charging will ensure the long term life of the product.

The synoptic weather chart at 7am today.

PHUKET: The Meteorological Department (MET) has issued a storm warning for Phuket and the entire southern region for the weekend and through until Tuesday.

An “intense” high pressure system covering most of Thailand will bring torrential rain with isolated heavy rainfall across the south, according the warning issued at 10am today.

Unusually heavy, wind-driven waves are expected in both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

People in the risk area should beware of flooding conditions today through Tuesday.

Moderate wind-waves are likely in the Andaman Sea, where shipping should proceed with caution.

To read the Phuket Gazette report on the recent spate of thunderstorms that have plagued the island over the past few weeks, see 'Season of the Storms' in the current issue, now on newsstands throughout the island.

Luxury motoryachts on show at PIMEX earlier this year. The TAT is working a strategy to use Phuket's yachting facilities to attract more high-end tourists.


PHUKET: Phuket's world-class marinas and vibrant yachting community are key to the Tourism Authority of Thailand's new strategy to attract high-end tourists to the island.

TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni believes the infrastructure already in place in Phuket means the island has the potential to become a world-class center for marine tourism.

Phuket already has a number of marinas suitable for attracting high-end tourists, including Royal Phuket Marina, the Boat Lagoon, Ao Por and Yacht Haven.

With the continuing development of the island's facilities, Mr Suraphon believes the island can compete with the best yachting destinations in the world.

“You can see that the TAT has already placed rather a lot of emphasis on the marine tourism market,” he said. “We've done public relations and taken part in tourism promotion events related to marinas in order to present information to tourists, investors and owners of leisure boats.”

The yachting market is growing rapidly, Mr Suraphon said.

“It's increasingly popular with new groups of tourists. Previously it was popular with European and American tourists, but now it's more and more popular with Asians,” he said.

Suthinee Poopaka, director of the Office of Industrial Economics in the Ministry of Industry, said the office was exploring the possibility of establishing an information center to support the yachting and yacht repair industry.

The new emphasis comes shortly after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva gave a speech urging the country's tourism industry to target “quality” tourists, rather than simply aiming for numbers.

Abhisit said that although numbers of tourists were heading upwards, average "spend" per head was decreasing.

The PM described the tourism industry as “key” to Thailand's economy, adding that it accounted for 7% of GDP last year.

TOP OF THE GULF REGATTA 2011

INCORPORATING

Platu Coronation Cup
Thailand Optimist Nationals


Friday 29th April to Tuesday 3rd May 2011.

After a successful 2010 Regatta, the 2011 event planning is well underway. Again supported by Ocean Marina Yacht Club as the Hosting Sponsor we are expecting a further increase in competitors after 2010 saw an increase of 25%.

Racing will be divided into 12 classes covering keelboats, Platus for the Coronation Cup and Ocean Catamarans as well as dinghy and beach catamaran classes. Also the Optimist National Championship will be held over three days with an expected 130 boats.

Read more here...

For overseas owners interested in bringing their yacht to Thailand to compete please contact Rainer Rossler email: [email protected] at BDP Logistics to find out more about their specialist transport services for yacht transport.

Entrants should also consider the Sawadee.com Regatta Samui 2011: May 30th - June 4th as a follow on event.