Key Dates
- 1844 – First Australia Day Regatta is held
- 1859 – Royal Geelong Yacht Club is officially founded
- 1897 – His Excellency wins the Regatta
- 1901 – Fireworks to celebrate the inauguration of the Commonwealth
- 1909 – The Jubilee Regatta
- 1925 – Regatta is hosted by RGYC for the first time
- 1946 – The Geelong Advertiser Trophy is introduced
- 1986 – With 361 yachts, the regatta is now the largest keelboat regatta in the Southern Hemisphere
- 1997 – Event name officially changes from the Australia Day Regatta to the Festival of Sail
- 1998 – The event receives International television exposure
- 2001 – Tallships and Classics add to the festivities
- 2007 – Expansion in to Melbourne, with part of the event held at Docklands
Background
The love of sport in Australia is undeniable and Victoria has long been held as the ‘Sporting Capital’ of this country. Before the America’s Cup in 1851, before Australia won The Ashes in 1891-92, before the first Davis Cup in 1900 and before the first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861 and later won by Phar Lap in 1930, there was the Festival of Sails.
Imagine being part of an event on water that combines history with tradition; heritage with technology; tactics with teamwork; while music and fine food waft across the ocean from a festival of shore based entertainment. First held in 1844, the Festival of Sails has consistently attracted the highest calibre of sailing craft and crew, family and friends, attracting over 100,000 visitors, over an eight day period.
In 1997, after the successful merger of the Geelong Waterfront Festival and the Royal Geelong Yacht Club’s historic Australia Day Regatta, a new Victorian Major Event was born, the Festival of Sail.
Despite numerous name changes over the years, thanks to generous corporate support, the essence of the event has remained true, as the largest annual yachting regatta in the Southern Hemisphere (first held in 1844) and Geelong’s Waterfront Australia Day Festival.
The Festival of Sails has evolved over many years culminating in its’ current position as the foremost competitive keelboat regatta in Australia. The event has consistently attracted both brilliant yachts and a public keen to soak up the essence of the event and Royal Geelong Yacht Club takes great pride in its role as host of a regatta whose reputation as a global player expands each year.
We invite you to share in our 168 years of history.
