Huge fleet for yachting’s Opening Day in Hobart

Martela is again a Tasmanian entrant in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Peter Campbell

Classic yawl Gypsy will lead the Sail Past on Opening Day. © Peter Campbell

The Sail Past in Sullivans Cove, with the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Justice Alan Blow, taking the salute from aboard the classic motor launch Egeria, continues a tradition that goes back at least 134 years when yachts carried out ‘evolutions’ starting off Castray Esplanade.

Tomorrow’s event will start from off the Regatta Grounds, with the fleet sailing in line astern into Sullivans Cove, leaving Egeria to port, before heading to a designated anchoring area for an afternoon of festivities afloat.

On Sunday, a fleet of between 50 and 60 yachts is expected for first Combined Clubs pennant race of the summer, the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s Channel Race, down the Derwent from Hobart to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and return.

The race starts from Castray Esplanade at 9.30am with a course of between 20 and 30 nautical miles from the three groups. Group 1 includes four of the nine Tasmanian yachts entered for this year’s 70th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race – Natelle Two, Martela, Whistler and Magic Miles.

Opening Day marks the start of another big season on the Derwent and for the Port of Hobart, highlighted by the finish of the Rolex 50th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race which is expected to attract a fleet of about 120 yachts from throughout Australia and overseas.

With strong fleets competing in long ocean races from Launceston and Melbourne at the same time, more than 180 ocean racers could be berthed around Sullivans Cove and in Constitution Dock by New Year’s Eve.

Many of the visiting yachts are expected to contest the iconic King of the Derwent Race on 2 January 2015, including the Reichel/Pugh 66 Alive which will be Tasmania’s biggest entry, and one of the favourites, in the Sydney Hobart.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania will run the 180 nautical mile Maria Island Race, starting on Friday, 14 November, which is a qualifying race for the Sydney Hobart, Melbourne to Hobart and Launceston to Hobart offshore races.

Sunday’s Channel Race will be the first of seven events in the Combined Clubs Long Race Series for 2014-2015.

Next Saturday (11 October) the RYCT will conduct the first of nine race days in the Combined Club Harbour Series. Over the summer the RYCT, Derwent Sailing Squadron and Bellerive Yacht Club will take turns in running both the Long Race and Harbour Series pennant races through until late March 2015.

Entries for both the Combined Clubs Long Race and Harbour Race Series are expected to total between 50 and 60 yachts.

Unlike the Farr 40s and mixed divisions which continue to race on Saturdays in the Combined Clubs Series, the one design classes, SB20s, I550s, Dragons and J24s have chosen other days for racing.

The SB20s, with the fleet of 23 boats now the largest in Australia, and the I550s, will continue to run their pennant racing in conjunction with the RYCT and DSS Thursday evening twilights.

The Dragons and J24s have elected for monthly Spring Series run by the RYCT.

The Derwent will again host two major regattas, the RYCT’s Audi Showdown over the weekend of 1-2 November and BYC’s Crown Series – Bellerive Regatta over the weekend of 13-15 February. Other regattas over the summer will include Cygnet on 7-8 March, Port Esperance on 4-5 March and Barnes Bay on 11 March.

Yachting has returned to the Royal Hobart Regatta with a Combined Series Harbour Race being held on Monday, 9 February, for the Lipton Cup.

SB20 nationals will be sailed on Hobart's River Derwent in March 2015. © Peter Campbell

National championships in southern Tasmania will include the SB20 sportsboats from the Derwent Sailing Squadron, the Paper Tiger catamarans at Lauderdale Yacht Club and the Heron dinghies at Lindisfarne Sailing Club.