Please select your home edition
Edition
Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025

Sail Port Stephens Windward-Leeward Series Day 2

by Sail Port Stephens Media 27 Apr 2024 05:08 PDT 26-28 April 2024
Hooligan at 2024 Sail Port Stephens Act II - Windward/Leeward © Promocean Media

Light-air specialists have their day in the sun

The Sail Port Stephens Windward-Leeward Series transitioned to Passage Race mode today, and with the change of pace came a change of pace, literally, as both the wind and seas calmed considerably.

Racing began in the shadows of Mount Tomaree, at the entrance to Port Stephens, in near drifting conditions as the morning nor'westerly yielded to the arrival of a light sou'easter. Friday's lumbering swells had also become more languid.

In the ensuing vacuum a number of the TP52s sat stationary, even lagging behind the Division 2 fleet despite a 5-minute head start. Former Sydney Hobart winner Celestial set a chute, seized a small puff, and was the first to escape, heading directly east.

"It felt like a punishment but our navigator Alex Nolan was confident it was the right way to go, and our tactician David Chapman agreed," skipper Sam Haynes said. "We were in 4 to 5 knots of breeze, occasionally 6, and it remained quite fluffy most of the way."

Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan followed suit and took the lead shortly before the turning mark positioned near Broughton Island. Celestial stayed in touch on the reach back to Hawks Nest beach, running a Code Zero, and crossed the line second on scratch, second on IRC and second on TPR.

"It has never really been known as a light-air boat, but we're running a bigger main for the inshore regatta, we've got some newer jibs, and we changed the keel slightly last year to gain more grip upwind," Haynes added. "We're actually going better in the 5-knot range than previously."

Michael Martin, a former Wallaby, pulled a Kiwi-sourced light-air kite out of Frantic's bag of tricks and finished a creditable 8th across the line, 7th on IRC and 4th on TPR -- an excellent result for the heavyweight among TP52s. The sail bore Emirates Team NZ livery as Martin has several New Zealanders aboard.

"We wanted to get them excited," he said. "We're sailing for fun against a lot of really good sailors, and if a few boats finish behind us we're pretty happy."

Looking at the results for the TP52 fleet, also competing in Act 3 of the Pallas Capital Gold Cup, Hooligan (6pts) leads Matador (12pts) and Zen (14pts) with three races to follow. Matador and Quest are tied on 10pts under TPR.

Division 2 honours went to Bullwinkle, Peter Farrugia's Bull 9000 from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, following a hasty repair job on a holed transom. The damage resulting from a collision with Saltwater Wine had the crew initially fearing the yacht could potentially sink but they were able to limp home.

"As soon as we got back to the dock yesterday we ran to Bunnings [hardware] and a boat supply place to grab all the necessary materials, and we finished just before it began raining," Farrugia said. "While that was under way, we had a protest hearing and successfully received redress for the two races we missed yesterday, so we were pretty happy with that too.

"The crew of Saltwater Wine felt terrible and there's absolutely no hard feelings there... it was just a racing incident and we've all moved on."

Today, the Bull took a perfect gybe angle to the northern mark, arriving along with the bigger and faster yachts in its division. The IRC/ORC double was warmly applauded by Bullwinkle's fellow competitors, including Let's Get it On skipper Garry Holt who came second under both handicap systems.

Overall, Bullwinkle now lies second on IRC, trailing Team Hollywood. On ORC, Let's Get it On leads Bullwinkle and Daguet 2 after four races. The final day's racing is set to feature up to three more windward-leewards, with more light airs predicted.

Event website: www.sailportstephens.com.au/windward-leeward-series

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

Marine Auctions: June online auctions
Bidding to open on Friday 20th June The Bidding for the June Online Auction will commence on Thursday 20th June and will end on Thursday 26th June at 2pm AEST. Posted today at 5:19 am
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA Day 3
Nicole Breault and Allie Blecher to meet in the final USA's Nicole Breault / Vela Racing and Allie Blecher / Team Baam have both advanced to the final of the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, the second stage of the 2025 Women's World Match Racing Tour championship. Posted today at 4:48 am
Scandinavian Gold Cup at Sopot, Poland Day 2
Three boats are now through to the final stage Three boats are now through to the final stage of the Scandinavian Gold Cup in Sopot, Poland. Aspire, Marie-Françoise XXII and Artemis (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne Trond, Solli-Sæther) have each won one race each. Posted today at 1:48 am
49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Europeans Day 4
Bergmann with Wille keep their nerve to move into FX lead Olympic veterans in the 49erFX Marla Bergmann with Hanna Wille (GER) kept their nerve and used their speed to move into the lead, scoring the fewest points on day 4. Posted on 6 Jun
Windies Multihull Trophy winners announced
Thirty multihulls competed across eighteen events from Barbados to the British Virgin Islands. With the conclusion of the 2025 season, the Caribbean Sailing Association's Budget Marine Windies Multihull Trophy results are in! Posted on 6 Jun
Galicia 52 Super Series Royal Cup Day 4
Hutchinson adding the missing element as American Magic Quantum Racing close in on title Now holding a 13-points lead after today's two races contested at the Galicia 52 Super Series Royal Cup, American Magic Quantum Racing crew are on the cusp of completing their first 52 SUPER SERIES regatta win since victory in Barcelona in September 2022. Posted on 6 Jun
Emirates GBR looking to bounce back
At the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix this weekend Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said the team was "looking to bounce back" at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix this weekend, following a "tough time" at the back-to-back US events in LA and San Francisco in March. Posted on 6 Jun
BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival 2026 dates
The event has moved forward a week from previously published dates For 2026, the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival has moved the event forward a week from previously published dates to March 23-29. Posted on 6 Jun
Rooster Sailing's 2025 Collection Just Dropped
From the redesigned Technical Shorts to the all-new SB2 Deck Trainers From the redesigned Technical Shorts to the all-new SB2 Deck Trainers, the 2025 collection has been developed with real sailors, for real conditions. Posted on 6 Jun
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA Day 2
Final four skippers emerge from a competitive qualifying double-round robin stage A thrilling second day of racing at the 2025 Santa Maria Cup saw the final four skippers emerge from a competitive qualifying double-round robin stage. Posted on 6 Jun
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeRooster 2025Sea Sure 2025