The Royal Geelong Yacht Club is thrilled to welcome a bumper fleet of more than 300 boats for the 175th anniversary Festival of Sails, presented by Rex Gorell Land Rover.
RGYC can lay claim to hosting the largest keelboat regatta in the southern hemisphere with more than 250 keelboat entries representing all Australian states. In addition, overseas entrants in the Rating Series include Brian Peterson’s Elliott 50 Ran Tan (New Zealand) and John Hatch’s Sydney 36cr M (Norway). Overall regatta participation increases to more than 300 once the Optimists and Cadets are added to the mix.
High Calibre Entrants
With the Australian Yachting Championship reaching its conclusion off Sandringham Yacht Club last weekend, the Festival of Sails can boast three newly crowned winners among its starters.
Matt Allen’s Rolex Sydney Hobart overall winner Ichi Ban continued their relentless advance, this time on Port Phillip, the Sydney based TP52 taking out division 1 IRC and ORCi honours. Bruce McCracken’s Beneteau First 45 Ikon was victorious in IRC division 2 and now both crews are taking a short break before tackling the Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race beginning Friday January 26, 2018 at 9.30am off Williamstown at the top of the bay.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Geelong where I’ve done the regatta so many times, from the early 2000s with Lou Abrahams on Challenge though to my gold-coloured Ichi Ban and now my latest TP52,” said Allen, president of Australian Sailing. “The flatwater of Corio Bay and finding the shifts makes for very exciting sailing. Hopefully we get some reasonable winds.”
Also competing in the Rating Series (IRC & AMS) is Ray Roberts with Team Hollywood, a Botin 40. Roberts’ delivery crew struck trouble aboard his Farr 55 Hollywood Boulevard during the Sydney Hobart Race return, the crew were airlifted well off the coast. That boat was subsequently emptied of water and towed to port.
Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36cr called Philosopher out of Tasmania, winner of IRC division 3 at the AYC, will star in the Cruising AMS division.
The timeless Sydney 38 one design fleet is preparing for their Morris Finance Sydney 38 OD Australian Championship and the sports boat fleet for the 2018 Victorian Championship.
A bumper 13 S80s have signed up while 10 one designs, including eight local boats, will tussle in the new Etchells division, a figure beyond expectation in the year Queensland will host the class’ world championship.
Regatta Inclusions
On-water initiatives for the milestone festival extend to a combined trophy for Rating Series plus Australian Yachting Championship results and a trailer boat division which allows those crews the chance to be part of Friday’s enormous passage race start, the single biggest start in the
southern hemisphere.
For trailer sailers that don’t meet the Passage Race requirements the RGYC has introduced a new local derby passage race through the north channel and back through the Hopetoun channel, something the sailing office will look to expand in future years to other keeled yachts that might not meet the safety requirements.
Sailing Instructions
RGYC has published the Sailing Instructions and the board, Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson, staff and volunteers look forward to welcoming all guests.
Festival Of Sails Waterfront Schedule
The busy on-water schedule is complemented by a shoreside summer festival for all ages, sponsored by Geelong Connected Communities. The program onshore includes the RAAF Roulettes and fireworks on Australia Day.
See the full shoreside program here.