Breeze builds as Festival of Sails hits stride
by Nic Douglass 25 Jan 01:08 PST
24-26 January 2026
Festival of Sails continued on Sunday 25 January with racing filling Corio Bay with action and colour. Several divisions completed their series' today, with tight results reflecting the staunch competition on the water.
In the J24 Division Hugo Ottoway's Bruschetta VI won their four-race series by three points from Daniel Gallagher's Dutch Tilt, who held the same margin over Simon Grain's Convicts Revenge.
The Passage Mini Series saw Reverie with a win in race two today to secure a dominant overall win. Second place was taken out by Stuart Dickson's Patternmaker on a tie break from Lynda Christophersen's All Or Nothing.
In the Mornington Peninsula Passage Series Trevor Neate's Morning Mist backed up their win in the Passage Race with a second place to take out the division. Phil Coghill's Lyndal II was only two points behind in second place overall, with Stuart Gooley's YT2 in third place.
The Classic Boat Series was won by local Royal Geelong Yacht Club boat Marie Louis III, owned by Scott Taylor.
Race 2 of the series got under way across two start lines, with the fleet heading directly towards Royal Geelong Yacht Club to their respective turning marks before heading downwind across the inner harbour. The two races saw battling at marks and interspersed divisions across the course.
Race 3 took competitors to the outer harbour for a longer course. Starting towards the south-eastern Stingaree Bay with a turning mark set off Limeburners Point.
The Australian Multihull Championships 2026, being sailed as part of Festival of Sails, are poised for a huge final day. In Division 1 Ian Holten's Triballistic leading Dave Ruffin's Kavala and Tim Pepperell's Running Bare after seven races.
In Division 2 there are just two points separating each of Craig Humphries' Ritalin in first place, Craig Unthank's SKnot in second, and Gerald Valk's Crosshair. With only four points covering the top four boats and a drop in play, all places are very much alive in the final race of the series.
Racing will continue on 26 January on Corio Bay, with Festival of Sails activities running across the weekend. For more information, visit www.festivalofsails.com.au.
Full results available here.