Please select your home edition
Edition
X-Yachts Leaderboard 2024 3

Sail Port Stephens attracts biggest and best ever fleet

by Mark Rothfield 9 Apr 2024 21:21 PDT April-May 2024
Sail Port Stephens Antipodes © Promocean Media

Just when it looked like the Sail Port Stephens Passage Series couldn't grow any further, the iconic regatta has once again surpassed trends and expectations with a record fleet of 115 entries gathering ahead of the Monday April 15 start.

The timing coincides with the NSW school holidays for the first time since 2017, placing added demand on accommodation and berthing in the popular tourism region, but crews have been welcomed by local businesses and the community. Among the entries are a large number of first-time competitors who didn't have the advantage of rebooking from 2023.

And along with quantity, there's quality and diversity - from Division 1 line honours favourite Virago, a RP52, to the trailable Elliott 780 Blacksheep and Melges 24 Wubaray.

Interesting interstaters include the Cnb 60 Bordeaux Journey from Sandringham Yacht Club and Queenslander Garry Holt's reigning Australian IRC Division 3 champion Let's Get it On contesting both the Passage Series and NSW Yachting Championships - the latter running April 26-28 as a stand-alone Windward-Leeward series.

No SPS would be complete without CYCA member Greg Newton competing in a Beneteau called Antipodes. He has done so without fail for the past 16 regattas, aboard a 42s7, a First 47.7, an Oceanis 523 and most recently an Oceanis 45, all bearing the same moniker. Newton is also a long-term sponsor through his company, Rolly Tasker Sails.

"I believe I'm one of only two owners who's done every regatta, the other being Jeanneau sailor Peter Lewis from Middle Harbour Yacht Club," Newton says. "The initial attraction was that it's so close to Sydney, and once you're there you can set the boat up and enjoy five or six days of sailing - that's the beauty of it.

"The blend of inshore and offshore sailing is also fantastic for cruising sailors because some days you think 'geeze it's going to be rough out there' and then they run an inshore course.

"In terms of the social activities, 16 years ago we were rampant, we'd go to everything, but these days, with our average crew age being 70, we tend to have quieter nights."

Port Stephens Council is capitalising on the regatta's holiday timing by staging a midweek (April 17) street party in the heart of Nelson Bay's CBD. This will give Sail Port Stephens participants a brand-new event with live music, a public street bar, late night dining and shopping with special offers, and giveaway competitions. Already, more than 1000 people have expressed interest in attending.

"Our regatta dates change each year to avoid clashing with Easter and other calendar events, so falling inside the school holidays this year caused some initial trepidation," Regatta Director Paul O'Rourke says. "But in our 17th year it's going to be the biggest and hopefully best ever, both on and off the water."

Key event sponsor Pantaenius is again offering an Australian Club Championship trophy to foster friendly inter-club rivalry during the series, along with generous prizes for two-boat teams that nominate for the Pantaenius Cup.

Pittwater's Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club has 18 starters, ahead of regatta custodians Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club (12) and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (11). Nine locals from Port Stephens Yacht Club are added to the mix.

The five-race Passage Series, wrapping up on April 20 with a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, merges the 'cruisy' Commodores Cup (PHS) and Port Stephens Trophy (ORC) series, sailing scenic courses that utilise the spectacular inshore and offshore islands. Sailing Instructions and the Notice of Race can be found at www.sailportstephens.com.au.

Sail Port Stephens is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism agency Destination NSW, Port Stephens Council, Pantaenius Australia and subsidiary sponsors.

Related Articles

2025 29er Europeans at Lake Garda Day 1
Five teams tied at the top Ikke Huber / Liam Berger (Switzerland) lead the charge after sweeping all 3 races in the Green fleet — an impressive perfect score of 2 points. Lucas & Moritz Hamm, the dynamic twin duo from Germany, matched their Swiss rivals with consistency and pace. Posted on 3 Jul
Onboard reporters in the Course des Caps
Enjoying the challenge of bringing the race to life In the Course des Caps - Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, the Onboard Reporters, or OBRs, are back doing a wonderful job of bringing IMOCA racing to life with pictures, videos, interviews and reports from the boats. Posted on 3 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 2
Consistent American Magic Quantum Racing move clear ahead American Magic Quantum Racing stepped three points clear at the top of the 2025 Rolex TP52 World Championship leaderboard today in Cascais, Portugal on the strength of a first and third from two breezy races. Posted on 3 Jul
505 UK Nationals at Weymouth
Michael Sims and Carl Gibbon hold back Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn Apart from one 'stumble' in Race 7, the two leading boats were almost invisibly tied together to the point that after 8 races, they were tied on points. Posted on 3 Jul
Robert H. Tiedemann Classics Regatta concludes
A triumphant start to the Classic Yacht Challenge Series The 2025 Robert H. Tiedemann Classics Regatta, hosted by the New York Yacht Club, delivered a spectacular start to this year's Classic Yacht Challenge Series. Posted on 3 Jul
Unforgettable Transatlantic Race 2025 finish
First to arrive was Ocean Fifty Calamity, co-skippered by Timo Tavio and Kimo Nordström. It was rush hour in Cowes on Day 15 of the west-to-east Transatlantic Race 2025, as boats crossed the finish line in Cowes within minutes of each other after an epic 3,000-mile battle for top honors in IRC 1. Posted on 3 Jul
iQFOiL World Championships set to open in Aarhus
Olympic medalists and world-class riders gather in Denmark for the biggest iQFOiL event of the year. The stage is set in Aarhus for a spectacular week of high-speed sailing as the iQFOiL World Championships 2025 kick off on 4 July, bringing together over 200 of the world's best windsurfers from more than 40 nations. Posted on 3 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe to showcase new race tracker
Developed with PredictWind to revolutionise race coverage The Ocean Race, often described as the toughest test of a team in sport and widely recognised as a leader in impactful ocean health initiatives, and PredictWind, a global leader in marine weather forecasting, are collaborating on a new race tracker. Posted on 3 Jul
Oliver Heer confirms 2028 Vendée Globe ambition
The Swiss skipper aims to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race with a newer boat After completing the Vendée Globe 2024 on his first attempt, Oliver Heer, the Swiss-German skipper of Tut gut Sailing, has confirmed his intention to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race. Posted on 3 Jul
SailingFast to provide unrivalled event support
During the WASZP Games at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy SailingFast UK is set to land in Weymouth on the 8th of July and will be on-site until the 26th of July to provide the GOLD STANDARD in event support. Posted on 3 Jul
V-DRY-XSelden 2020 - FOOTERNorth Sails Loft 57 Podcast