2026 Sail Port Stephens Commodores Cup Passage Series - Day 3
by Mark Rothfield 15 Apr 19:28 PDT
13-18 April 2026
Offshore Course - 2026 Sail Port Stephens Commodores Cup Passage Series © Mark Rothfield
After two days of spectacular racing on the bay of Port Stephens, crews in the record fleet participating in the 2026 Commodores Cup Passage Series were eager to tackle the longer and equally scenic racecourses around the magnificent offshore islands.
So there was near unanimous approval when Principal Race Officer Dennis Thompson nominated Course 1, stretching 16.5 nautical miles, for Wednesday's Race 3. Many hoped for an opportunity to claw back some distance on the divisional pointscore leaders.
The first leg from Nelson Bay out between the two imposing headlands of Yacaaba and Tomaree to Cabbage Tree Island was a glorious spinnaker run straight out of the Sail Port Stephens playbook.
Some of those who tried to shave the corner close to the island paid the price and found themselves on the slow side of the escalator. But eventually the seabreeze filled in and the fleet enjoyed several scenic laps around Cabbage Tree, Little and Boondelbah Islands before a fast reach back into Port Stephens and a big lift to the finish off the Nelson Bay breakwall.
In Division 1, Scott Robertson's Beneteau 45 Banter clinched PHS first place thanks to some savvy spinnaker decisions.
"We went round Boondelbah Island and changed from an assy [asymmetric] to a symmetric [spinnaker] and basically gained about 15 places," Robertson revealed. "The fast racing boats overtook us again but we were close enough to them at the end.
"This my second Sail Port Stephens," Robertson added. "My co-owner Steve and I bought the boat three years ago and we've done Airlie and Hamo. We are really enjoying the sailing here, the setting is beautiful and the wildlife out there, seals and dolphins. It's terrific."
Banter's win lifts them to equal fifth overall in Division 1 behind Jambo, Shape and Two Truck, with Jambo (Summit King 40) eight points clear of its nearest rival.
In Division 2, Stuart Muirhead's Beneteau First 35 Silver Lining capitalised on picking good lines in rounding the islands and selecting the right sail at the right time.
"The boat goes best when we can fly the big spinnaker we have and the lighter breezes tend to suit us," Muirhead acknowledged.
"This is our third Sail Port Stephens in a row," he continued. "It's a brilliant waterway, great racing, every time you look around there's somebody on your stern or you're trying to catch someone.
"I've changed the set-up of the boat a bit - it's got a retractable bowsprit so we can fly the assys on the tight legs."
Silver Lining now lies in third in Division 2, just one point behind Jenny Danks and Greg O'Neill's Sydney 36 King Tide, while Concealed Weapon, Barry Kelly's Archambault M34 from the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, is leading the Division.
Midnight Promise's win on the day in Division 3 elevated them up the standings but it's an extremely tight battle at the top with the locals and at least one ring-in - Wubaray (Melges 24) is equal first with Kelsea Blue, Adrian Williams's C&C 115 from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.
In Division 4, John Veale's Dehler 32 Hasta La Vista took the gun and PHS honours, lifting them into fourth place in the series, with Sweet Chariot, Sarah Brennan's Dufour 365 Grand Large, enjoying a four-point buffer at the top of the table.
With two bullets from three outings, including one yesterday, Sandy Hume and his crew aboard Windfalls, a Catalina 320, are proving the boat to beat in the Non-Spinnaker Division.
Sandy, from Pittwater, admits his 320 sports a "go-fast" appendage in the form of its shoal-draft wing keel and he and his three-strong crew are enjoying a change in the pecking order.
"We're normally last in Sydney but it seems to be working a bit better here," he observed wryly.
"We decided to come to Sail Port Stephens because my last attempt to go to Hamo (Hamilton Island Race Week), ended in chaos. I had to pull the pin off Stradbroke Island," he recounted. "We are really enjoying the regatta, especially sailing past bigger boats under spinnaker," he laughed.
Sailors broke out the Hawaiian party shirts on Wednesday night for the big event on the Sail Port Stephens social calendar - the Street Party that rocks the main street of Nelson Bay, courtesy of tunes by Newcastle outfit Love That Hat.
After a lay day today, racing will resume on Friday, with the final day Saturday shaping as a testing outing with the forecast for a strong south-westerly gusting to 20 knots.