Sail Port Stephens - A taste of some spectacular coastline
by Lisa Ratcliff - OCC on 15 Apr 2014
IRC day one Team Beau Geste-1 - Sail Port Stephens 2014 Craig Greenhill/Saltwater
Racing crews undertaking the full six-day schedule at Sail Port Stephens have traversed most of Port Stephens’ world-class marine park rimmed by white sandy beaches and had a taste of some of the spectacular coastline and islands offshore.
For those wanting to explore beyond the bay, the regatta’s two halves conveniently means sailors can opt for either the Pantaenius Port Stephens Trophy or the laidback Commodore’s Cup, or do both then stay on with family for an extended holiday.
In between stage one of Sail Port Stephens and the Audi IRC Australian Championship starting this Thursday, April 17, 2014, some of Roger Hickman’s winning Wild Rose crew ventured beyond the radius to the Hunter Valley and the hatted Bistro Molines at Mount View to enjoy a very long lunch and stunning views of the valley and vineyards.
Hickman and his crew were thoroughly spoilt by Molines’ owners, who have sailing connections, as they celebrated their well-deserved IRC state championship win, including a complimentary bottle of champagne courtesy of their hosts.
'They really looked after us,' said Hickman just before docking out for the delivery south to the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club today, Tuesday April 15, 2014. 'We also travelled to Maitland and some of the great beaches around Port Stephens so the keen surfers among the crew, Scotty and his daughter Sam, could check out the break.
'We’ve had a terrific time at Port Stephens. When 14 people walk into a restaurant the staff get a bit of a shock, but the meals have been excellent,' Hickman added.
John Bradshaw, marina manager at d’Albora Marina, the headquarters for Sail Ports Stephens and foundation event partner, has the good problem of being full to overflowing at this time of year. In fact the marina has been fully booked since before Christmas with summer holidays, a huge game finishing competition, trailer boat regatta, Sail Port Stephens and the Easter school holidays bookmarking the end of the busy season.
'We had a waitlist for Sail Port Stephens this year however between the three marinas we managed to accommodate all but a couple,' said Bradshaw. 'The regatta is expanding so we are looking at future capacity and whether we set up a temporary marina facility like the Sydney Boat Show. Lots of local businesses look forward to the regatta.
Yachties travel in large groups and usually book multiple rooms and units, plus they tend to bring family with them.'
The international squad on Karl Kwok’s TP52 Team Beau Geste representing the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club needed beds for the racing crew of 15 plus shore support and the mostly 20 something crew tucked into a fair amount of tucker during their stay.
For the first time in the regatta’s history the MC38s class was offered one design racing in their own division and the convenience of berthing the fleet together at The Anchorage at Corlette, also an event partner.
'Owners who had raced Sail Port Stephens previously were very eager to see MC38 class racing and weren’t disappointed,' said Ellen Pragnell-Raasch, secretary of the MC38 association. 'Everyone was extremely accommodating, especially the staff at The Anchorage hotel and marina and it was great to have all the boats berthed together.
'The rental accommodation was ideal and Nelson Bay has some wonderful restaurants that were greatly appreciated, especially after Thursday afternoon’s crew weigh-in. The MC38s will definitely be back next year,' she added.
Tom Faire, crewman on Howard Spencer’s Kiwi MC38 Menace said, 'Marina staff at The Anchorage were extremely helpful and Vues in town put on some great functions. It is a very hospitable place and I highly recommend Sail Port Stephens as a fun event, though it’s worth having a depth sounder.'
Marina Manager at The Anchorage Alistair Bailey said, 'We are trying to promote area as a leading yachting destination. As well as the MC38s we’ve been working hard with Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club and Beneteau Vicsail in Sydney trying to get more regattas to the area.'
The dates for next year’s regatta will be announced tomorrow, the deciding day of the Pantaenius Commodore’s Cup and closing day of the seventh edition of Sail Port Stephens which is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination Sail Port Stephens
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