Sail Port Stephens’ cruisy Commodores Cup regatta is set for its largest ever fleet when the starter’s flag drops on April 9. With entries still open until 5pm on Thursday March 29, almost 60 yachts are already registered. They range from a local Elliott 780 trailer sailer to Graham Buckeridge’s Frers 61 Margaret Rintoul V,…
It will be all beer and skittles at Sail Port Stephens in April if you happen to be a 16-Foot skiff sailor, as a fun ‘Keg Run’ has been added to the regatta calendar for the first time. Six kegs, or the equivalent in cartons, will be laid on for crews to slake their hard-earned…
ENTRIES and the Notice of Race for the 2018 Sail Port Stephens race week have now gone online as another ripper regatta is predicted for April 9-15. The success of last year’s 10th anniversary regatta is projected to provide a significant springboard for entries, with close to 1000 competitors expected aboard a plethora of sailing…
With the snap of a stay during the closing scenes of the Seabreeze Super 12 NSW Championship fleet at Sail Port Stephens 2017 yesterday, the fortunes of the two frontrunners changed dramatically. The Melges 32 Breezin, owned by Brad Sewell from southern Lake Macquarie, had begun the final day with a one-point advantage over local Port…
The wind and weather gods continued to smile over the 10th anniversary Sail Port Stephens for a magic final day, with gentle east- to nor-east winds belying an approaching cold front soon to deliver rain and strong winds. The record 112 boats and crews made the journey to Port Stephens from South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and…
As part of the 10th anniversary Sail Port Stephens regatta, 21 sports boat crews are in town contesting their national title. Four more races into the Australian championship and Andrew York’s Reo Speedwagon easily scored boat of the day, thanks to four bullets, and is the new series leader. The combined fleet enjoyed the most…
Whether refreshed or broken from Thursday’s layday, crews racing a record Sail Port Stephens fleet of 112 boats lined up for the second half of the 10th anniversary regatta in sunny benign conditions. A whole lot more sailors joined those who opted for the extended week-long experience of the three-day Commodores Cup then rolling into…
Mark Hillis’s trailable Fareast 28 Chicken Lips hails from the NSW Riverina region where a lack of wide deep-water lakes means the crew has to travel from Wagga Wagga for their racing fix. “If we tipped that boat over in Wagga’s Lake Albert the mast would go through someone’s front window,” Hillis grins. “The lake…
By Jack O’Rourke Keeping NSW’s fastest-growing and most festive sailing regatta on course each year requires a special effort from a dedicated and passionate band of over 40 volunteers, who work in day in day out over the entire week. That passion is paying dividends, with Sail Port Stephens injecting an estimated $1.6 million into…
The lengths that some skippers go to for a few days racing at Sail Port Stephens has just been stretched by the Victorian 52-footer Prime Example. The yacht’s gearbox failed off Wilson’s Promontory during the delivery trip, forcing the crew to sail all the way to Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney. The engine was…