Huge fleet turns out for Opening Day on the Derwent

by Peter Campbell on 3 Oct 2009
A fleet of more than 200 boats, including sailing dinghies, ocean racing yachts and motor cruisers provided a spectacular display off Hobart's waterfront this afternoon for the Combined Clubs Opening Day, which also marked the start of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's 129th annual season of yachting on the River Derwent.

These days, as the Combined Clubs Opening Day, the traditional sail past includes yachts and motor cruisers from the RYCT, Derwent Sailing Squadron, Bellerive Yacht Club and the Cruising Yacht Club of Tasmania.

Weather conditions were perfect; with the yachts enjoying a beat to windward into a light, albeit cool, southerly breeze from the Hobart Regatta Ground to pass by the Flagship Masterpiece in Sullivans Cove, where the Lieutenant
Governor Chief Justice Ewan Crawford took the salute. A large seal frolicking in the Cove also added a salutary wave of its tail fin several times.

Among the fleet was the century old gaff yawl Gypsy skippered by Steve Knight, along with several former fishing and cray boats now converted to motor cruisers, with the Commodore Clive Simpson from the RYCT leading the
sail past aboard the motor cruiser Caia.

First yacht to pass the Flagship was Jibe Talking, skippered by John Mills, Rear Commodore of Bellerive Yacht Club, closely followed by Inca, owned by RYCT members M Peacock and C Cunningham.

Most of the fleet then sailed to an afternoon rendezvous off Nutgrove Beach, Lower Sandy Bay, before returning to their clubs.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's racing season gets under way tomorrow with the Channel Race, down the Derwent and the d'Entrecasteaux to a rounding mark off Kettering and back to Hobart.

The first Pennant Race for all divisions and one-design classes will be next Saturday, 10 October, conducted by the Derwent Sailing Squadron.