Festival of Sails 2026 concludes
by Nic Douglass 26 Jan 02:14 PST
24-26 January 2026
Festival of Sails 2026 has drawn to a close following the Victory Bash Presentation Party at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, where champions were celebrated, trophies awarded, and the sailing community came together to mark the end of an outstanding edition.
More than 260 boats took part across the regatta, with the iconic Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong Passage Race once again setting the tone. The 183rd running of the historic race saw more than 200 yachts start in Melbourne at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria before racing down the bay to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club in near-perfect conditions, including a rare spinnaker start and finishes that came down to the wire.
Racing across the following days showcased the depth of talent in the fleet, with competitive battles across divisions and consistent breezes providing excellent racing on Corio Bay. Crowds were treated to close finishes, tactical racing, and a festival atmosphere along the Geelong waterfront throughout the event.
The W. L. Curtis Memorial Trophy Cadet Sprint Series joined the action on the final day with sailors from as young as 8 years of age, up to 14 joining the action right off Eastern Beach.
"We have 23 boats racing today, and 10 races, and we are going to win all of them," said 11 year old Louis Davis.
He was close to being correct; five wins, two seconds, a third out of nine races with a drop, to take the series win with his skipper, Jack Benyan on Ringo.
In the Passage Rating Series Division 1 Ikon, skippered by Bruce McCraken, took first place across all three ratings, IRC, AMS and ORC in the final race to secure the series. Festival of Sails stalwarts Ray Robets' Team Hollywood pushed Ikon, taking second place in IRC and AMS, and third place in ORC. Alan Woodward's Reverie took second place in ORC and third on IRC. Shaw Thing, Royal Geelong Yacht Club entry skippered by Cam Rae with his team of locals, came third on AMS.
"We've had a very good weekend haven't we," said Bruce McCraken post racing. "We've had a ball, we've had a few close calls, but we got through them all, and we are really excited to win all three... A fantastic weekend, with all credit to the boys, and the team, they really put in. We had multiple, multiple sail changes, just continuously... I couldn't tell you how many sail changes we have today, but it paid off, because we kept the boat rolling," he revealed.
"We love it here," he continued. "Many many years ago we used to sleep on the boats when we came down, we have upgraded now. But it's a regatta that we come to every year, I think my wife has already booked our hotel for next year".
In Passage Rating Division 4 saw ORC and AMS won by Watermark II, skippered by David Suda and Herschel Landes, from Ryan Walker's The Kraken, with Paul Neilson's De Ja Blue in third place.
"We absolutely love coming to Geelong," commented David Suda. "It really is the ultimate keelboat regatta if you sail on Port Phillip Bay. Flat water, close racing, warm weather and a great party atmosphere back on the dock has kept our same crew of six coming back for four years in a row. Massive credit to everyone at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club."
In the Australian Multihull Championships, the eight race series contested over the week as part of Festival of Sails, results across both divisions saw places decided in the final race. In Division 1 Ian Holten's Triballistic took first place in both EHC and OMR.
In Division 2 Craig Humphries' Ritalin won EHS by eight points from Gerald Valk's Crosshair, Terry O'Brien's The Stig and Craig Unthank's Sknot, all on 21 points. Crosshair and The Stig took second and third places respectively on countback. In Division 2 OMR, Ritalin, Sknot and The Stig were all tied on 17 points, finishing in that order on countback.
"Once we hit that ten knot point we are up and going," Ritalin Tactician, Max Yoshi. "It's a 29 foot catamaran that Craig Humphries the owner and skipper has built, back in 2019-2020".
"It's been one hell of a regatta, really good conditions for us, a lot of flat water, and other than today's first hour, it's been really enjoyable," he concluded.
The Geelong Advertiser Teams Trophy was secured by Sandringham Yacht Club, with Fargo, Watermark II, and Wicked defeating Reverie, BKT Jahmu and Moana from Royal Brighton Yacht Club and IKON, Merlion and Encore from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.
Event organisers thanked competitors, volunteers, officials, sponsors, and supporters for contributing to another successful edition of Australia's largest keelboat regatta. Festival of Sails is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria. Their continued funding helps ensure the event remains a major drawcard for the sport of sailing, tourism, and community engagement in Geelong. The festival is also proudly supported by the City of Greater Geelong, whose commitment to events such as Festival of Sails brings the waterfront to life while supporting local businesses, tourism, and strong community connections. Presenting Partner, TLC Healthcare's ongoing support of the Geelong community and their contribution both locally and beyond is also appreciated.
The Festival of Sails will return next year with on water action, including the 184th Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race, and festival fun in Geelong.
For more information, visit festivalofsails.com.au.
Full results available here.