Don't miss out on the Milang-Goolwa Freshwater Classic

by Louise Edwards on 12 Jan 2013 Entries are closing midnight on January 17th for The Marina Hindmarsh Island Milang to Goolwa Race to be held in the Lower Murray Lakes and River Murray on Sunday January 27th.

Several thousand spectators will again line the banks of the River Murray and Lake Alexandrina to watch the 2013 Marina Hindmarsh Island Milang Goolwa Freshwater Classic on Sunday 27th January 2013.

The tradition of the Milang-Goolwa is one of Australia’s few yacht races where you don’t have to own or be on a boat to get up close to the action – but it certainly helps! From the race’s start in Milang, across Lake Alexandrina to Point Sturt and downstream along the River Murray past Clayton to the finish in front of the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club in Goolwa, there is unique viewing for spectators.

'Whether you are afloat or on land, there is a vantage point where you can watch the race up-close, giving you a real sense of the excitement of the race' said Event Director Locky McLaren. 'Shore based spectators also have the opportunity to visit local towns of the lower Fleurieu, sampling their hospitality - such as breakfast in Milang followed by lunch in Clayton or a nearby winery - as they make their way to Goolwa for the finish.

There are eight divisions of yachts, each with their own start 10 minutes apart for the 2013 The Marina Hindmarsh Island Milang Goolwa Freshwater Classic, with the first start at 9am. With a good wind the fastest boats will arrive in Goolwa just a few hours later, so spectators should make a day of it and take up their viewing positions early.

After the start in Milang, yachts will sail across to Point Sturt where they turn around a buoy and head to Goolwa. The headland at Point Sturt is accessible by sealed and gravel roads and offers excellent viewing for land based spectators, as do the cliffs of Clayton where yachts pass through a narrow section of the River Murray. The foreshore of Goolwa (from Goolwa North all the way round to the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club) and Hindmarsh Island also provide up-close land based viewing opportunities.

For water based spectators the boating possibilities are numerous – anchored over the riverbanks (but not in the channel) or in the reeds anywhere between Clayton and Goolwa - where many will make a day of it. For those wishing to go a bit further afield, try near Rat Island and the reeds to the East.

If you are keen on watching the finish, then the Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club is the place to be – out on the marina boardwalk - and spectators and supporters alike are invited to join locals at their celebrations at Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club to join in the post-race party.

The 2013 The Marina Hindmarsh Island Milang-Goolwa Freshwater Classic is the culminating event of the Dominant Goolwa Regatta Week, which kicks off on Saturday the 19th of January with the Marina Challenge and includes the Doser Freight Dash for Cash on Friday the 25thfor performance trailerable yachts with a CBH of .740 and higher and on Saturday the 26th a cruise to Clayton for lunch at the Clayton Bay Boat Club followed by the inaugural Clayton to Milang race.

Information is available from Goolwa Regatta Week; www.gryc.com.au; or by email, gryc@gryc.com.au

Further media enquiries to Locky McLaren, Event Director, 0401 122 090.