Get your clan together and give the 2025 Apollo Bay Ocean Race a go!

Peter McFarlane's Loch Sloidh 2 competing in the 2025 Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race & Regatta © Down Under Sail

Early bird entries for the 2025 Apollo Bay Race close on Sunday the 4th of May, yes that's the day after election day!

The 52 nautical mile race from Queenscliff to Apollo Bay is the last of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's (ORCV) summer ocean racing program and serves as a great exposure race for teams new to offshore racing.

Another strong fleet is expected on the start line for the race which takes place on Saturday the 24th of May.

The race is relatively short, starting in the wee hours of the morning, with boats emerging from the darkness to witness the stunning coastline of the Surf Coast, east of Cape Otway.

And while the race may be a scenic one, competition will be fierce as always, especially as this race can prove pivotal in deciding the ORCV 2024-25 Double Handed Offshore Championship and the ORCV 2024-25 Coastal Championship While the war cries of his McFarlane ancestors were more frequently heard across the lochs of Scotland, Peter McFarlane, from the Royal Yacht Club of (RYCV), has his clan ready to put Loch Sloidh (Sloy) 3 to the test in this year's race.

McFarlane purchased the current Loch Sloidh, a Northshore 38, on Australia Day and has been doing some basic upgrades to the boat including installing an autohelm and fitting her out with new sails, ready for a series of ocean races.

McFarlane's 'clan' for this year's race includes his partner Teresa Dowding, an experienced campaigner in the Australian Women's Keelboat Regatta, and several regular crew mostly from the RYCV and around Port Phillip.

As a young lad of just 14 years, McFarlane bought his first boat, a Fireball one-design, two-person sailing dinghy, with money earned from his paper round back in the day and has campaigned Loch Sloidh 1 and 2 in other regattas across Australia.

Loch Sloidh 2 enjoyed success most recently in the 2025 Adelaide to Port Lincoln Race taking out second on AMS overall and in Division 2.

McFarlane has the respect of local sailors, with 2024 Melbourne to Hobart Alan Collins "rookie skipper" prize winner, Kioni's Dennis Ward, attributing much of his success to the skills of the experienced sailor.

"Peter McFarlane was our rockstar super-experienced sailing master who slotted into our crew dynamic easily and was fantastic," said Ward.

History buffs might be interested to know that Loch Sloidh was the war cry of the McFarlane clan, a battle cry designed to strike fear into enemies from neighbouring clans on the shores of Loch Sloidh, a small loch to the west of Loch Lomond in Scotland, during battles over land and livestock.

In 2025, the war cry will serve as an inspiration to the crew of Loch Sloidh 3, and as a reminder that whether you are sailing for the first time or are in it to win it, each sailor's journey takes courage, tactics, focus and determination.

But be warned, just like the days of old, Loch Sloidh 3 and the McFarlane 'clan' may prove elusive or make their best moves under the cover of darkness!

McFarlane is encouraging those new to offshore racing to join the fleet on the 24th of May, and has his fingers crossed for a bit more wind than last year.

"We are looking for a moderate breeze for the race and if it's hard on the nose, that will suit us well on our first shake down on the new boat.

"I'd encourage anyone thinking about the race to give it a go, it's a short Category 3 which means less gear to take, less outlay overall, it's convenient, and can be a lot of fun," said McFarlane.

Jason Furnell skippered the Adams 10.9 Valiant to victory in the 2024 race alongside a small crew of mostly family members.

"Starting the race in the dark was interesting, as was avoiding the over-optimistic port tackers on the start line, but we did really well in the first half of the race to Lorne... it was truly glamour sailing," said Furnell.

"We had a very good run - we studied the course and the weather a lot beforehand but what made it a bit trickier was the breeze coming through in bands throughout the race, which meant the breeze didn't fully favour boats close to the shore or the boats further offshore," said Farnell.

Be sure to take advantage of the early bird entry fee to the 2025 Apollo Bay Race and get your entries in for one of the most popular races of the ORCV program.

Race documents and entry are available here.