Port Line Cup Regatta - Big Boat Sailing metres from the shore

by Bob Cother on 27 Jul 2012 It's not often you get to see large ocean racing yachts battling it out at close quarters. The Port Line Cup Regatta is one such opportunity.

Raced in the Port River since 1958, this major South Australian yachting event promises to be bigger and better than ever this year.

'We're keen to make this a great spectator event,'explains Commodore Bates of the Port Adelaide Sailing Club.

'Regattas have been a great tradition on the Port River and we're looking to recreate that atmosphere. Everyone's welcome.'

This year's Port Line Cup Regatta will run over two days. Saturday August 4 will feature the Ice Breaker Series comprising two races, while Sunday August 5 sees the main event - the Port Line Cup.

The action starts around 10.30 am on both days.

According to Commodore Bates, river racing presents unique challenges. Fickle winds, tricky tides, crowded channels and the ever present risk of running aground have been the undoing of many an experienced ocean racing skipper. The Port Line Cup provides spectators the rare opportunity to share this excitement at close quarters. The course has been planned so that all racing starts and finishes off Snowdens Beach.

Snowdens Beach is accessed via George Robertson Drive, Largs North.

There will be food vendors and ample public parking at this location. Admission is free. Veitch Road Osborne (next to ASC Ship Building) is also a good vantage point.

Established in 1897, the Port Adelaide Sailing Club is the proud custodian of the Port Line Cup.

For over fifty years top yachts from all of South Australia's major yacht clubs have battled it out for this coveted trophy. Fleets of fifty or more yachts are common.

It is a major event in the South Australian yachting calendar. The Port Line Cup was originally donated by the Port Line Shipping Company, a major shipping group at that time. Their distinctive flag has become the emblem for the event.

Port Adelaide Sailing Club website

Leading South Australian transport company, Rapid Haulage, are principal sponsors of the 2012 Port Line Cup Regatta. Other major sponsors are Nautilus Marine, Brecknock Insurance Brokers and the Heritage Family Trust.