Please select your home edition
Edition
Vaikobi 2021 Boots - LEADERBOARD

Festival of Sails 2021 cancelled

by Sarah Pettiford 15 Oct 2020 01:26 PDT
Festival of Sails in 2021 has been cancelled © Craig Greenhill / Salty Dingo

The Festival of Sails Executive Committee and the Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) Board have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Festival of Sails, which was scheduled for Saturday 23 - Tuesday 26 January, 2021.

Festival of Sails Chairman, Roger Bennett said the cancellation of this iconic event was a difficult but necessary decision, owing to the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Committee has worked closely with our event stakeholders, including the City of Greater Geelong and the Victorian State Government, to carefully evaluate the risks presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to our event," Bennett said.

"Due to the ongoing nature of the health crisis and restrictions in Victoria, we are unable to deliver the Festival of Sails safely and responsibly in 2021.

"While we understand this will be disappointing for those who support our event each year, the health and safety of our sailing and local communities are our first and most important priority," he said.

2020 has been a year of highs and lows for the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club delivered a historic line-up of major sailing events in their 2019/20 Summer of Sailing, while also installing the first stage of the Geelong Waterfront Safe Harbour Precinct Project - Wangim Walk (a 440m publicly accessible Wave Attenuator).

The efforts across the last year have resulted in the Club being announced as a finalist in the Australian Sailing Yacht Club of the Year and Sport Promotion Award categories. The winner of these awards will be announced in the coming week.

Chairman Roger Bennett said whilst RGYC is disappointed the 2021 event won't go ahead, the Club is focused on re-starting its Club activity and getting sailors back on the water - COVID-19 restrictions permitting.

"We look forward to welcoming Sailors back to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club and the waters of Corio Bay for a huge Festival of Sails in 2022," Bennett said.

The Festival of Sails, run by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, attracts over 300 keelboats to Geelong annually and is the largest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. Sailors and visitors from around the country flock to the Geelong Waterfront for an action-packed weekend of world class sailing and entertainment for the whole family.

The traditional Festival of Sails Waterfront Festival, presented by Geelong Connected Communities, further activates the Geelong waterfront, attracting over 100,000 patrons with free entertainment and activities.

Related Articles

Festival of Sails' back bigger and better in 2023
Celebrating 180 years of the iconic passage race and ready to party! Geelong's Festival of Sails will be celebrating a major milestone and is ready to party when it returns in January 2023, as it salutes the 180th anniversary of its iconic Passage Race between Melbourne and Geelong. Posted on 19 Dec 2022
Shutters come down on MacGlide Festival of Sails
The TP52 division offered spectacularly close racing Some of the thousands of MacGlide Festival of Sails sailors weary from three days of racing and partying over the Australia Day long weekend are fortunate to be heading home with a trophy for their efforts. Posted on 27 Jan 2020
MacGlide Festival of Sails wraps up
RGYC sets its sights on 2022 Youth Worlds As the MacGlide Festival of Sails wraps up for 2020, the Geelong Yacht Club has its sights on winning the rights to host the 2022 Youth World Sailing Championships - the world's ultimate youth sailing regatta. Posted on 27 Jan 2020
MacGlide Festival of Sails Super Sunday
A chance to blow away the cobwebs from a long opening day passage race For thousands of sailors gathered at Geelong, Australia Day was also 'Super Sunday' at the MacGlide Festival of Sails and a chance to blow away the cobwebs from a long opening day passage race down from Melbourne. Posted on 26 Jan 2020
RGYC announces FOS naming rights partnership
RGYC is proud to announce the 2020 Festival of Sails naming rights partnership Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) is proud to announce the 2020 Festival of Sails naming rights partnership between the club and MacGlide, by Mactac, a world leading biocide-free fouling release film manufacturer. Posted on 2 Dec 2019
Aussie rock performers set for Festival of Sails
Free, live entertainment from Richard Clapton and more Australia's biggest celebration of sailing Festival of Sails will have a distinctive rock 'n' roll flavour in 2020 with renowned Aussie singer/songwriter Richard Clapton headlining the line-up for the Australia Day long-weekend event. Posted on 16 Nov 2019
Separate TP52 division at the Festival of Sails
TP52s will be granted their own start line and scored under IRC and TPR handicap systems The TP52s will be granted their own start line and scored under IRC and TPR handicap systems, the latter a class rule developed by the Australia owner's group that takes into account different generations of the popular design. Posted on 8 Nov 2019
Festival of Sails long-range forecast Extreme
Two Queensland based Extreme 40s will head to the event in January 2020 Two Queensland based Extreme 40s will head to Geelong's 2020 Festival of Sails in January to unleash on idyllic flat-water, powered by the local and very reliable afternoon summer sea breeze. Posted on 1 Oct 2019
Festival of Sails signs partnership with Musto
Three-year partnership with premier sailing brand The Royal Geelong Yacht Club is delighted to announce the Festival of Sails has appointed Musto as technical apparel and merchandise partner for the next three years. Posted on 26 Sep 2019
Dates just announced for 2020 Festival of Sails
Set to kick off Geelong's massive summer of sailing The 2020 dates for Australia's oldest annual sporting event, the Festival of Sails in Geelong have just been finalised with tens of thousands of people expected to enjoy Australia Day festivities along the Geelong Waterfront from January 25 to 27, 2020. Posted on 4 Jul 2019
Coast Guard Foundation FOOTER 3Henri-Lloyd 2022 December - SW FOOTERBlokart SW 728 x 90 BOTTOM