Heaven Can Wait Charity Sailing Regatta - Overall report

by Melvyn (Mel) Steiner on 5 Mar 2015 The 2015 Heaven Can Wait Charity Sailing Regatta - organised and run by the Royal Motor Yacht Club Toronto, is done and dusted, but the memories live on. Final tallies are still being worked on, but it is now expected that the event will raise $30,000 in support of the charities – mostly the Hunter Branch of the NSW Cancer Council with a smaller amount going to Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue. Over 60 boats from Newcastle, Sydney and many lake clubs, were registered to start in the 2015 event.

The regatta is run as three concurrent races on a course that covers the length and breadth of the lake. The first race - a One Lap Dash, is - as the name implies, is a race around the lake – a distance of about 30 Nautical Miles. Participants in the One Lap Dash may go on to do a 12 and / or 24 Hour race which are distance over time events – the winners being those boats that cover the greatest distance in the time limits. Boats racing overnight are supported by some six vessels anchored around the lake - owned and crewed by club members, along with Lake Macquarie Marine Rescue.

Mel Steiner – Vice Commodore and Sailing Master, said ‘contestants had to put up with showers throughout the night, along with very light winds, but at least they did not have to put up with strong winds, thunder, lightening and heavy rain, which has been a hallmark of previous regattas’.

The Heaven Can Wait Regatta is the brainchild of Shaun Lewicki - a keen sailor and cancer survivor, who some nine years ago - after surviving cancer, came up with the idea of a challenging yacht race that would raise funds for cancer research (more particularly cancers in men), promote sailing on Lake Macquarie and promoting the Hunter region in general. Steiner said ’cancer survival rates have improved dramatically in recent times and in line with that, so has the need to provide domestic assistance to recovering – and terminal, cancer patients. The Heaven Can Wait Charity Sailing Regatta, is now very much focused on raising funds to do just that.'

Winners of the 2015 event are:

One Lap Dash

Division 1:

• Line Honours - Toy Story - Thomas Woods
• Handicap - Spirit Bird - Drew Garnett

Division 2

• Line Honours - Watch Me - Matt Bonser
• Handicap - More Magic - Bob Fussel

12 Hour:

Division 1

• Longest distance travelled – Stealthy - Bob Cowen
• Handicap - Current Affair - Iain Miller

Division 2

• Longest distance travelled - Young & Old - Glen Piccasso
• Handicap - Kite - Ian White

24 Hour

Division 1

• Longest distance travelled – Stealthy - Bob Cowen
• Handicap – Stealthy - Bob Cowan

Division 2

• Longest distance travelled - Young & Old - Glen Piccasso
• Handicap – Calysta - Chris Laughlan

Biggest Fund Raiser......Yes Dear - Michael Paul.

Heaven Can Wait 2015 was part of an inaugural aquatic event on Lake Macquarie called Lakefest which bought together a number of events starting with The Variety Splash, then The Heaven Can Wait Regatta, Belmont 16’s Kids Pirate Fun Day, Paddlefest, the RTC regatta out of the Lake Macquarie Club and finishing with the Open Friday Twilight Race out of the Wangi Amateur Sailing. The Charity fund raising aspects of Lakefest were down on the individual events of previous years, but given the current economic climate, that could be expected. The Lakefest committee are already working on a bigger and refined event for 2016. Keep your ear to the ground for the dates of Lakefest (and Heaven Can Wait) 2016.