The 10th anniversary Sail Port Stephens regatta is expanding and moving to a new timeslot in April 2017, avoiding a clash with the peak Easter period. The revised dates for the fast-growing event are 3-9 April 2017, preceding the NSW school break, with the iconic Commodores Cup scheduled for the first three days and the…
A morning drifter delaying the race starts both inshore and offshore graduated to a gloriously warm light air afternoon for the first-ever Sail Port Stephens’ Broughton Island Passage Race. IRC division 1 contested the full 31 nautical mile course and the other divisions a shorter version in 10 knot average nor’easterlies. Once again Matt Allen’s…
Port Stephens turned on a stunning autumn day and better than expected winds for the opening races of Sail Port Seasons’ second stage, called the Port Stephens Trophy, for near to 100 boats. Fleets fanned out under separate race management teams for the spectacular passage race in building afternoon nor’easters around the three islands off…
Matt Allen’s NSW IRC Championship title quest is in full swing with three straight wins and an early IRC division 1 series lead for his TP52 Ichi Ban on the opening day at Sail Port Stephens. Three IRC fleets ran through three windward/leeward races offshore in building NE winds north of Cabbage Tree Island, at…
Two junior off the beach classes completed their two-day series on Thursday April 14 as part of Sail Port Stephens, the final event of a long summer season that has taken many young sailors interstate and some overseas to compete. Jack Ferguson, 13, won the Optimist division from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s Oliver…
Six of the seven known original skippers from the inaugural Sail Port Stephens in 2008 gathered today at the regatta headquarters at d’Albora Marina Nelson Bay, along with members of the original management team, to reminisce. The skippers group was presented with a special jug of ‘Sail Ale’, brewed in Newcastle as a one-off for…
Close to 1000 sailors are resting on the layday and tinkering on boats ticking off the last of the job list in preparation for a light and tricky Port Stephens Trophy, the top gear second half of the annual week-long regatta. The light weather boats and sailors are expected to fare well, the forecast indicating…
Two Sail Port Stephens Commodore’s Cup fleets raced inshore at Nelson Bay on the NSW mid north coast in 12-15 knot sou’easters as the warm and dry autumn regatta continues. A commendable race two win means Mark Skelton’s Newcastle based Beneteau 40.7 Jab leads the division 1 pointscore by the narrowest of margins, ahead of…
SPONSOR PROFILE: 222 Offshore/Hunter Parking and Storage Superboat syndicate 222 Offshore has joined the sponsorship ranks for the Sail Port Stephens regatta … the exemplar of powerboating muscle marrying his gentle sailing mistress, where once ne’er the twain would meet. Think Hatfield son kissing a McCoy daughter … But, of course, 222 pilot Darren Nicholson…
Day one of the Commodore’s Cup at Sail Port Stephens proved an idyllic shakedown for the record fleet of 52 yachts varying in size and design, 13 – 16 knots of SSE breeze and loads of warm autumn sunshine to break the regatta seal for the ninth time. Two divisions lined up for the islands…