SB20 Australia Class announces new partnership for 2021 State Titles
by Jane Austin 4 Oct 2020 17:33 NZDT
The SB20 fleet on the River Derwent in Hobart © Jane Austin
The SB20 Association of Australia has announced a new partnership with the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club for the 2021 SB20 State Titles.
Coming off the back of the successful 2020 Australian Championship, held in Triabunna in March, the SB20 Class will team up with the PDYC to host the two-day regatta on the Tamar River, from 30-31 January 2021.
The PDYC, awarded the Tasmanian Sailing Club of the Year in 2018, is thrilled that the SB20 Executive has taken the decision to join forces for the regatta which will bring some of the best SB20 sailors in the world to the north of the state.
PDYC Commodore Greg Rowsell, is confident that the regatta will be in good hands.
"Our Club is delighted to be allocated the SB20 State Titles for January 2021 and we look forward to welcoming all SB20 sailors to the Tamar. PDYC has a strong record in regatta management and we will be working hard to make this a memorable event for the competitors," said Roswell.
"We expect the large tidal flows of the Tamar and the westerly conditions associated with the Beauty Point escarpment could provide us with a few headaches, but as a fleet, we are looking forward to building our relationship with other clubs and challenging ourselves on the water," said Scott Glanville, SB20 Australia Class President.
The SB20 will be the first non-dinghy class that the PDYC has hosted since completion of a $300,000 upgrade and extension of the Club's on-water facilities in 2019, with 120 metres of perimeter berthing space now available which will be ideal for the SB20 wet regatta format.
Re-locating the SB20 State Titles from Hobart to the north for 2021 aligns with the Association's strategy to broaden interest and engagement with the SB20 Class across Tasmania and interstate. Hobart is home to one of the largest SB20 fleets in the world, but the interest is brewing in the north with six boats now based on the Tamar, some privately owned and others belonging to the Tamar Yacht Club.
Championship Race Officer Peter Sluce expects interest in the regatta to come from across the north and north west of the State and hopes the event will draw upwards of 20 boats.
"The SB20 States will be a great opportunity for northern sailors to see firsthand the close racing that the Class is renowned for and should provide good leverage for more northern growth in the exciting one design fleet. The compact race area of Bell Bay and the elevated lounge and deck area of the PDYC Clubrooms will provide a perfect vantage point to take in this exciting one-design sports boat racing," said Sluce.
The SB20 Australia fleet will begin the weekly 2020/21 Twilight Pennant Series on Thursday 8 October and has a busy year ahead with major regattas including:
- Showdown Regatta, hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, 31 Oct-Nov 2020
- Crown Series Bellerive Regatta, 13-14 February 2021
- Australian Championship, hosted by the Derwent Sailing Squadron, 6-8 Mar 2021 (subject to COVID travel restrictions)
For more information visit pdyc.yachting.org.au/home