Crown Series Bellerive Regatta attracts hundreds of sailors

by Peter Campbell on 19 Feb 2010
Next weekend's Crown Series Bellerive Regatta on the River Derwent has attracted a fleet of more than 160 keel and trailable yachts and off-the-beach dinghies and skiffs, involving some 650 sailors from around the State.

Classes will range from Sabot dinghies through to ocean racing yachts, with a strong participation of trailable yachts and dinghies from northern Tasmanian clubs where there is a long weekend.

Racing for keel yachts and trailable yachts will start on the Friday evening, 26 February, with a non-spinnaker but pointscoring twilight race, with full-on spinnaker racing on Saturday and Sunday, 27-28 February, when the off-the-beach classes will join in the action. While the yachts will sail mid-river courses, the off-the-beach classes will race in an area off Kangaroo Bluff.

The Friday evening twilight race will include a Celebrity Race for the Farr 40 class yachts, with each yacht carrying a guest crew member, who will include Deputy Premier Lara Giddings, Greens Leader Nick McKimm, Doug Chapman, the Deputy Mayor of the City of Clarence, and radio personalities Dave Noonan and Kim Napier from Heart 107.3FM.

The Division 1 fleet includes Sydney Hobart Race competitors Auch, Archie and Valheru and defending champions Invincible and Host Plus Executive from Bellerive Yacht Club while former champion boat Intrigue is among a strong
contingent from The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and Derwent Sailing Squadron across the river. All major Hobart yacht clubs are represented, along with boats from the Austins Ferry, Huon, Cygnet and Kettering Yacht Clubs.

The Crown Series Bellerive Regatta includes the State Championship for Trailable Yachts with a strong line-up of high-performance sports boats from Wynyard, Tamar and Port Dalrymple Yacht Clubs coming down to take on the locals.

The off-the-beach class entries include several current Australian champions including Alec Bailey (International Cadets) George Jones (Laser 4.7s) and Lucy Shepherd (420s) and Jessie Atherton (Mirrors). However Alec Bailey, who also placed third in this year's World championship for the International Cadets, will be helming an International 420 in the Crown Series Bellerive Regatta, teaming up with Henry Goodfellow.

Racing will be based at the Bellerive Yacht Club, with the Clarence Jazz Festival on the nearby Bellerive Boardwalk.