Please select your home edition
Edition
Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025

Sail Port Stephens Windward-Leeward Series Day 2

by Sail Port Stephens Media Team 6 May 2023 02:02 PDT 5-7 May 2023
Sail Port Stephens Windward-Leeward Series Day 2 - DK46 Khaleesi © Salty Dingo

Saturday sunshine and up to 22 degrees made for a perfect morning at Sail Port Stephens as crews prepared for the second day of the NSW Yachting Championships and Act 3 of the TP52 Gold Cup.

The wind forecast was for light and variable, and the race committee confirmed it as a passage race day taking into account the Sunday forecast for stronger winds and big seas in the closing hours of the three-day regatta.

A brand-new course was selected with Division 1 and 2 heading up to Broughton Island, before turning back south around another mark, then the Boondelbah, Little and Cabbage Tree Islands, and onto the finish line inside the bay. Division 3 had a slightly shorter course which didn't include the mark rounding off Broughton Island.

At the start line off Box beach, a popular surfing location between Fingal Bay and Shoal Bay in Tomaree National Park, competitors arrived in plenty of time. A breeze was blowing over the line at 8-10 knots which gave the sailors good opportunities to run the line, practice some kite hoists, and even produce some 'big boat noises' from the winches when sheets were eased.

The nine strong TP52 fleet were to be first off and, still dosed up from the German sausage BBQ festival put on by regatta sponsor Pantaenius Insurance the night before, the sailors were focused on results and getting a good start.

At 1055 the sequence start time of 1125 was confirmed, and concentration went up a notch. Then the start was upon us. All the 52s came in fast with a choice of the boat end with kite already set, taken by Quest, or the pin end with Matador, Gweilo, and Secret Mens Business flying down to tack on the pin with a quick hoist to accelerate through the line.

A moment of tension on the pin with three of these racing machines vying for the slot between the pin and pin boat but that quickly passed as the crews got into rhythm. A bright orange hull flashed as Secret Mens Business powered away, whilst at the other end of the line Quest was once again showing tight crew work with no hesitation in their maneuvers and leading the fleet in these initial stages.

Five minutes and Division 2 yachts were in the slot. Symmetrical kites were set, and the bulk of the fleet hammered towards the start line with perfect timing. A clear start was called as Joe de Kock's Farr 40 GoodForm out of Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club nailed it at the boat end, with the big RP52 Virago right on his stern and Nine Dragons steered by Robert Cox keeping them both honest.

The pin end for the Division 2 start was a lot quieter than for the Division 1, and Neal Farquharson on the DK46 Khaleesi (MHYC) made it his own with a clear water beeline for the next mark. They didn't have it all their way for long though as the always enthusiastic Keiran Mulcahy on his King 40 Soozal was quickly chasing his sparring partner down.

The horns soon started from the start boat again as Division 3 lined up to contest their slightly shorter course. No fuss and bother from this fleet with all seven competitors taking full advantage of a clear pre-start maneuvering paddock to ensure they got a good slot. Away they went with Neil Padden on Wailea showing the smarts for a good start at the pin end, and the hull of Dale Sharp's Farr 31 So Farr beaming red in pursuit.

So Farr started to pull away but NoCleks, the Farr 30, was not letting them go and took them as they passed the mouth of the bay. The Middle Harbour Yacht Club Sydney 36 Stormaway was also up amongst it... it was going to be a tight race.

Up to the top mark at Broughton Island for Division 1 and 2 on a nice VMG run and the fleets were in the groove. Secret Mens Business was the first to arrive with a good gap, enough to be able to do a clean, safe and early drop before the port rounding and powering off on a beat to the next mark. Gweilo was next and kept her nose clean, with the third arrival Smuggler leaving the drop a little bit late and losing some momentum.

Zen was next and was under pressure from Quest causing them to take a few more metres of runway to make the drop. The in came Matador, powering in from the port side of the course and coming up to the mark looking for a very quick drop and rounding inside Zen and Quest. All was going well until the drop went slightly array and the rounding caused the kite to gather around the bowsprit and down under the bow as she came up onto the new heading.

Division 2 were next around the top mark with the first arrival, RP52 Virago, stealing the thunder from a couple of back markers of the TP52 fleet. The DK46 Nine Dragons was next with Good Form rounding out the three.

All fleets then had to clear three islands before heading for the finish and a well-deserved Saturday night. Around the first of the islands, Boondelbah, Division 1 and 2 had a carbon copy of the top mark order with Division 2 suffering from the wind dying and shifting as they worked the gybes to keep some boat speed.

Division 3 had reached Boondelbah earlier due to the course layout with the Farr 30 Nocleks taking the honours of first around, Sydney 36 Stormaway second around, and another Sydney 36, King Tide from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in third.

Nocleks went on to win the passage race on IRC and earn third place on ORC. Skipper Joel Skelton was secure back at home with his family after doing the previous part of Sail Port Stephens when he heard the good news. "My father Mark is in charge for these three days, maybe that was a good idea." Mark Skelton was pleased with the result and was quick to praise his experienced crew. "They are a good bunch of sailors. We had seven on the boat today and I have sailed with all of them over the years. We got off the line very nicely, working the boat for speed, and keeping out of the parking lots around the islands."

Division 2 was won by Keiran Mulcahy on Soozal (IRC). After commenting yesterday that the racing was so tight in this division that "one little hiccup" could make a difference, it was obvious that his whole crew had held their breath as a preventative measure. Second place went to Bushranger and third to GoodForm. Gerry Hatton, Bushranger, living up to his predictions as they have "always done well in passage races at Sail Port Stephens."

The TP52 fleet showed once again the level of competition in this very healthy class. New boats are signing up and quickly getting up to speed, putting pressure on the crews that have been on the water for a few seasons.

"It is very competitive in the TP fleet. It was so close, which was great. They are hard to hang onto these new boats, but we know our boat well and we're sailing it really well at the moment." commented Craig Neil, skipper of Quest. Seb Bohm, skipper of Smuggler, agrees. "The competition is fierce, there are some top boats and sailors in Australia here, and to manage to keep up with them is no small feat."

Secret Mens Business, took first in IRC for today's passage race, followed by Gweilo and Matador. Under their class rating, TPR, Smuggler took the honours followed by Matador and Secret Mens Business.

Once again, we'll leave the last words to PRO Denis Thompson. "Initially the forecast was not looking positive, with light winds and glass outs predicted. We went for the passage race today to keep an eye on the predicted South West change coming up the coast tomorrow. This evening the models are showing a late arrival for that change, so we are good to get our six-race goal in with a couple of windward leeward races tomorrow."

For more information visit the event website, www.sailportstephens.com.au/windward-leeward-series.

Related Articles

World Foiling Congress 2025 concludes
Event attracted top industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders The second edition of the World Foiling Congress took place this week at Palazzo della Borsa in Genova (Italy), attracting top industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders from across the global Foiling Community. Posted today at 9:52 pm
J/70 UK Grand Slam 2 at Royal Southern Yacht Club
7 races for the North Sails May Regatta Having suffered through some tough conditions in Grand Slam 1, the forecasts were looking hopeful for the second event of the UK J/70 Season. As we got closer to the event it was anyone's guess as to how the racing would pan out. Posted today at 9:28 pm
6mR Worlds return to Seawanhaka Corinthian YC
Oyster Bay and Long Island Sound are renowned as some of the best sailing waters in the world Founded in 1871 and located on Oyster Bay, New York, SCYC is America's oldest yacht club and its association with the Sixes goes right back to the class's foundation in 1907. Posted today at 8:41 pm
Steering the Course kicks off to #AccelerateAction
World Sailing's global women's sailing festival gets under way soon The 2025 edition of Steering the Course, World Sailing's global women's sailing festival, gets under way on 23 May with a week-long focus on #AccelerateAction in support of this year's International Women's Day theme. Posted today at 8:12 pm
IMA Maxi Europeans Inshore Series overall
Bella Mente by Hap Fauth crowned the Champion 2025 in Sorrento With the overall victory of Bella Mente, owned by American Hap Fauth and skippered by Terry Hutchinson, the curtain falls on the Tre Golfi Sailing Week 2025. Posted today at 6:24 pm
Solo McIntyre Mini Globe Race - 18,000 miles to go
Pirates, squalls, and paradise found The McIntyre Mini Globe Race fleet has officially fallen under the spell of the South Pacific—a place where dreams of palm-fringed beaches collide with the reality of torrential rain, viscous squalls, Loud lightening, questionable dinghy landings. Posted today at 3:10 pm
Hyde Sails Flying Fifteen Video Tuning Guide
Ben McGrane explains how to get the most out of your B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs Hyde Sails release new detailed video guide for tuning the Flying 15 for use with the B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs. Posted today at 1:30 pm
NYYC American Magic team statement
Concerns over transparency and cooperation necessary to secure a fair Protocol Over the past seven years, we've competed with pride, purpose, and perseverance in two editions of the America's Cup. It has been an honor to represent the New York Yacht Club and the United States on the global stage. Posted today at 1:29 pm
Athena Racing concerned over 38th AC transparency
Around the recent announcement of a Host City for the Cup in 2027 Athena Racing, representing Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd. as Challenger of Record for the 38th America's Cup, is concerned by the ongoing lack of transparency around the recent announcement of a Host City for the Cup in 2027. Posted today at 12:42 pm
IMA Maxi Europeans day 3
Maxi Grand Prix class turns up the pressure as courses go to windward-leeward Following an overnight offshore race and two days of coastal courses, the IMA Maxi Europeans, run by IMA and Naples' Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia out of Sorrento, for its penultimate day staged two windward-leeward races on the Gulf of Naples. Posted today at 12:22 pm
Switch One DesignAllen Dynamic 40 FooterMySail 2025