A Must Do Australian event just got even better!!

Bob Cowan's Stealthy - a regular winner and long time supporter of the iconic Heaven Can Wait regatta  Teri Dodds - copyright

The Heaven Can Wait Regatta, which is sailed on Lake Macquarie, just north of Sydney on the October Long Weekend started with a 24 hour race, for the larger keelboats then a One Lap Dash was added for sports boats, 505's 18 footers, Moths. Now race organisers have added a 12 hour race, particularly for trailer/sailors new to long race sailing.

The Heaven Can Wait Notice of Race is online now and entries will shortly open. But right now, call a meeting of crew and mark up the calendar for this iconic event.

Matt Allen's Farr 400 Ichi Ban amongst the top guns set for Sail Port Stephens  John Curnow

Entries are coming in fast for the Sail Port Stephens regatta for April 16th-22nd, with some very classy new boats set to be on the starting line Enter here at www.sailportstephens.com.au

Drama aplenty in the Volvo Ocean Race with four boats taking turns at the front of the fleet. Sanya is limping back to New Zealand after splintering her rudder and taking on four tonnes of water. Might this leg to the America's be the one for the US boat Puma, or for the Kiwi Camper?

Jono Swain on the helm in fast downwind conditions. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG during leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajai, Brazil. (Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)   Amory Ross/Puma Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race©

An amazing week ahead on the local and world sailing scene

Top fleet heading for Sail Port Stephens Sail Port Stephens Media, Sail Port Stephens will run from 16 to 22 April 2012. Commodore Dom Grundy from the Corlette Point Sailing Club, the organizing authority feels that the importance of the event is now being recognised. We think that we will the hottest new boats in the country having their first major out of home town regatta here before facing the more complex logistics or regattas another 1000 nautical miles or... [more] Share this story

International Rolex Regatta preview Barby MacGowan, Hundreds of sailors on 68 teams are preparing for the 39th International Rolex Regatta being hosted by St. Thomas Yacht Club in the USVI. Conditions today came with plenty of wind for practicing and did nothing to dampen the excitement building for the next three days of racing.... [more] Share this story

RS:X Worlds - Solid start for Crisp Craig Heydon, Jessica Crisp has made a solid start to the 2012 RS:X World Championships after the opening three races in Cadiz, Spain. Crisp, who has traditionally been strong in lighter conditions, was in the mix in all three races and her day could have been even better if not for a broken cleat late in the day.... [more] Share this story

America's Cup World Series Naples countdown America's Cup World Series, The first championship races in 2012 in the America's Cup World Series are scheduled to begin in just under three weeks. A revised format for the event has been issued which provides a balanced schedule of match racing, fleet racing and speed trials across the five days of competition that climaxes on Sunday April 15 when the winner of the Naples Fleet Race Championship is crowned.... [more] Share this story

Captain Cook's Endeavour nears the end of her Aussie circumnavigation Nancy Knudsen, HMB Endeavour, the marvelously accurate replica of Captain Cook's famous ship of discovery, is nearing the end of her latest circumnavigation of Australia. She has provided wonderful adventures for those who sail her and put inspiration and wonder into the history lessons of thousands of school children who visit her in ports around Australia. She's just reached Hobart.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race: Team Sanya returns to NZ for repairs Sail-World and Volvo Ocean Race, Team Sanya are heading towards New Zealand after suffering damage to their starboard rudder earlier today. The team expect to take between four and five days to reach New Zealand and they continue to assess their options in terms of how to get back in the race as quickly as possible.... [more] Share this story

Finn Junior and Senior European Championship - Race 5 + Video Robert Deaves, Another mixed up day at the 2012 Finn Europeans in Scarlino, Italy brought wins for Slovenia and Croatia, but Italy ended the day in pole position. A second race win for Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) and a first win for Ivan Klajkovic Gaspic (CRO) significantly improved their championship chances, but it is Filippo Baldassari (ITA) who holds a narrow overnight lead into Friday's final opening series races.... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race teams battle for third place Heather Ewing, Clipper Round the World Race - While Gold Coast Australia and Singapore are slogging it out at the head of the fleet there is an interesting battle ensuing for third place. With fewer than 30 miles separating Derry-Londonderry in third place and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital in sixth, with Qingdao and New York sandwiched in between, there is plenty more excitement to come... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race: Busted rudder costs Team Sanya in Southern Ocean Sail-World and Volvo Ocean Race, Team Sanya are working to repair damage to their Volvo Open 70 racing yacht after a broken windward rudder caused the aft compartment of the boat to take on water. Sanya, who were leading Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí in Brazil at the time, reported the damage to Race Control in Alicante at 0800 UTC.... [more] Share this story

RS:X World Championships - Aussie Jessica Crisp ready to race Craig Heydon, RS:X World Championships 2012 kick off on Thursday 22 March in Cadiz, Spain when Australian Sailing Team member Jessica Crisp will line up against the best windsurfers in the world. Crisp will race in a capacity fleet of 80 in the final World Championship for the class before the London 2012 Olympic Games begin at the end of July.... [more] Share this story

Heaven Can Wait - One Lap Dash,24 hour and now 12 hour race Mark Cherrington, Heaven Can Wait Charity Yacht Race organisers have announced an additional event - a 12 hour race around Lake Macquarie, designed to appeal to sports boats, trailerables, trailer-sailers, and anyone who doesn't feel up to a full 24 hour race, or wants more of a challenge than the daylight-only One Lap Dash.... [more] Share this story

Arctic Steel water strainers fitted to new 24m Fast Ferry Catamaran Marine OEM Supply, ‘Riverside Avalon' is the latest vessel to be built by Marine Engineering Consultants. The 24 metre Fast Ferry Catamaran was built in a record time of just 7 months. She was designed by Incat Crowther for Gladstone Ferry Company (Riverside Marine) to ferry workers from Gladstone Marina to the LNG plant on Curtis Island.... [more] Share this story

2012 Tasmanian Mirror Championships – 'The Girls' make it six in a row Grant Atherton, healthy fleet of 16 Mirror dinghies from across Tasmania competed in the Tasmanian Championships. 'The Girls' created a bit of Tasmanian Mirror history by claiming the Tasmanian Championship for the sixth consecutive time, a feat not previously achieved in almost five decades of the championships.... [more] Share this story

Blue Eco Range from Henri Lloyd Colin Burgess, Henri Lloyd have built upon its expertise and produced a wider choice of performance sailing wear using the same ‘infinite loop' system including the Blue Eco Bomber Jacket, Fleece Jacket, Fleece Hat, Fleece Scarf, Neck Gaiter and Fleece Gloves.... [more] Share this story

Sail Paradise Performance Handicap Division victory to Rumba Bronwen Ince, Gold Coast fisherman, and now sailor Brian Aitchison hooked his first trophy at Sail Paradise out of Southport YC. Until two years ago Brian Aitchison had virtually never set foot on a sailboat in his 57 years. He was a fanatical fisherman who spent most of his time going after the big ones, either on the Gold Coast Broadwater or offshore.... [more] Share this story

Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race: NOR and online entry available Alaine Neilson, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron invites owners and charterers of all eligible monohull yachts to enter the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race starting at noon on Friday 3 August 2012.... [more] Share this story

Targeting 30 boats for 30 years of Young 88 Nationals Mike Leyland, The highly anticipated national gathering of the Young 88 Fleet will again see the class regulars battle it out against some of the world's best on the race course to claim one of New Zealand's biggest keel boat prizes and to celebrate 30 successful years. The owners association have set themselves an ambitious goal to get 30 boats on the start line on April 14/15 2012 to mark t... [more] Share this story

Clipper Round the World Race fleet crosses International Date Line Heather Ewing, Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet crossed the International Date Line into the western hemisphere. In a 40,000-mile circumnavigation in which the crews are people like you – from all walks of life and representing more than 40 nationalities – such milestones are to be celebrated, as much from a reflective viewpoint as a spur to overcome the challenges ahead.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race; Auckland Stopover all but a Hazy and Fond Memory Crosbie Lorimer, As the Volvo Ocean Race fleet finally reach their natural environment in the Southern Ocean, the hammering that the crews have taken in the three days since the Leg 5 start last Sunday must have rendered their recollections of that short but popular stopover in Auckland a distant and hazy memory.... [more] Share this story

Volvo Ocean Race Auckland stopover images by Howard Wright Howard Wright images, One of Australia's leading yachting photographers, Howard Wright, IMAGE Professional Photography, presents this gallery of images captured at the Auckland Stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race 2012.... [more] Share this story

PredictWind launch new wind forecast App for iPhone and Android Zoe Hawkins, PredictWind have launched a new wind forecast application for iPhone and Android that offers accurate and detailed wind forecasts, enabling convenient planning for anyone on the water in any location around the world. The marine wind forecast tool is the most advanced available on an App and allows users to set up and receive forecasts for specific locations and check the latest wind observations... [more] Share this story

Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 Accommodation options Kristie Kaighin, Have you booked your accommodation for Hamilton Island Race Week 2012? All the best properties book out early, so make sure you book soon to secure your preferred option.... [more] Share this story

London 2012 Olympic Games - 60,000 a day predicted for Sailing Kirsty Hillier, London 2012 - It is anticipated that Weymouth and Portland will be a major attraction during the Games, with in excess of 500,000 people expected to visit during the Sailing events. Part of the nationwide ‘Get Ahead of the Games' campaign, the new adverts will highlight the fact that roads in Dorset, particularly routes into Weymouth and Portland, will be much busier while the Games are on.... [more] Share this story

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