Sail Port Stephens 2013

A record fleet sailed in the Auto Advantage Newcastle Port Stephens Race yesterday, the important short ocean feeder race for the 2013 Sail Port Stephens regatta. Today after an early morning registrations are completed, the Sail Port Stephens Commodores Cup Cruising Series will get under way.

As it did last year the feeder race attracted entries from Sydney, Lake Macquarie and Newcastle. The fleet started in light 6-8 westerly and in the tactically challenging race John McNamara's IRC modified Farr 40 IOTA from Lake Macquarie Yacht Club hit the beach first and she broke away from her larger rivals. The gradient breeze gradually softened and an 8-10 knot north easterly sea breeze established and the fleet bounced up the shoreline to the finish line off Point Stephens.

First on line honors was IOTA then came two Middle Harbor Yacht Club Steven Proud´s Kernan 44 Swish and Bob Cox´s DK46 Nine Dragons.

Round the rocks. Commodores Cup day 1
Sail Port Stephens 2012 Sail Port Stephens Event Media

Principal Race Office Denis Thompson expect similar weather today, with a light sea breezes ahead of a southerly change.

'In this first race in the three day cruising series will sail the Three Islands course starting off the d'Albora Marina rock wall at Nelsons Bay at 11am heading around Cabbage Tree Island, Little Island, Boondelbah Islands. The faster division one boats will sail a 16.5 nautical mile course while the division two boats will sail a 12.5 nautical mile course.

'This is a very picturesque course, one of the reasons sailors enjoy this regatta so much.'

This morning Point Corlette Sailing Club Commodore Dom Grundy commented ´An exciting start to our sixth series. This first part of this regatta is all about family sailing, many of the boats will have three generations of family sailors on board and there are lots of social events too. Lots of the boats will back up for the Port Stephens Trophy series from Friday through Sunday.

TOP