Strong entries for 50th Marlay Point Overnight Race
by Lake Wellington Yacht Club 13 Feb 2018 15:41 PST
10 March 2018
The Marlay Point Overnight Yacht Race is the only race of its kind to offer night racing for trailable yachts © Lake Wellington Yacht Club
The CH Robinson Marlay Point Overnight Race will celebrate its 50th race on 10 March and entries are rolling in.
With more than three times as many entries already received as the same time in recent years, organisers are confident this year will offer the strongest field since the 1990's.
A huge 101 trailable yachts and multi-hulls have entered to date. Twenty-two of these are new entrants with the Marlay Point featuring in most trailer sailor's bucket lists.
Entry Secretary John Shepard raced his first Overnighter in 1978 and has been involved in organising the event for 18 years. He well remembers the early years, when over 500 boats entered every year for almost a decade.
"The atmosphere at the start with a large fleet is very exciting and tense as crews find the best way to get clear of their competitors, but once things settle down there is time to appreciate the beauty and peace of sailing through the night and into the new dawn." he said, adding that McLennan Straits requires great concentration when navigating the narrow channel surrounded by such a large fleet.
For the first time in its 50-year history, there will be a classic division included, with a "classic boat" defined as a vessel over 30 years old and between 4.8m and 10.5m in overall length.
The idea of the Marlay Point Overnight Race came about in 1968. It was decided by the Lake Wellington Yacht Club that an overnight race for trailable yachts would provide a great challenge to sailors. It would be a marathon event for the smaller boats, with racing taking place from Marlay Point to Metung. Twenty nine boats, ranging in size from 16-39ft entered in the first race. One skipper from the first race has entered to sail in this year's race.
Throughout its 50-year history, over 10,000 boats and 45,000 sailors have entered the race, with the course shortening to finish in Paynesville. In its peak years in the 1980's, hundreds of boats would enter, with the highest number ever recorded as 680 in 1987, making the Marlay Point Overnight Race one of the most popular races in Australian history.
After lots of hard work from the organising committee, Gippsland Ports have begun dredging the waterways out the front of the Club and the boat ramp to facilitate the massive number of boats, and extra taxi boats will be available to ferry crews back and forth so they can enjoy the onshore activities too.
To celebrate the 50th race, there will be some extra events held both before and after the race, including a gala dinner on Friday night, a family fun day on Saturday before the race and a presentation at 5pm on Sunday at the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club.
To enter the race or for more information about the 50th celebrations, please visit mponr.com.au