Jervis Bay Classic 2026 at Vincentia Sailing Club
by Paddy Butler 6 May 23:10 PDT
2-4 May 2026
Vincentia Sailing Club's Jervis Bay Classic 2026 © John Quinn
A week out from the third edition of the Vincentia Sailing Club's Jervis Bay Classic, we couldn't have anticipated the weather, numbers, and absolute energy that was on the Moona Moona over the ANZAC long weekend, marking the conclusion of the regular sailing season.
A grand total of 71 boats of all shapes and sizes hit the water over the weekend, racing in pure champagne sailing conditions. A huge shout-out and thank you to the amazing volunteers from the VSC, who once again put on a show like no other. We cannot wait for the Nationals. There was plenty on over the weekend. It was the Australian Championships for the F16s, with 11 boats competing in the series. Additionally, the NSW Hobie Cat Association was concluding its 25/26 Traveller Series after nine events throughout the season, of which the opening event was the WaveGP Championships at the VSC back in September.
Saturday
As always, the regatta commenced on ANZAC Day with the Round the Bay Rally — a long-distance, passage-style race around the cardinal marks within the Moona Moona. And with a blissful nor'east sea breeze forecast, the "Callala Run" was the only suitable option. With two-thirds of the fleet having completed the course at last year's event, the likelihood of the lead boats sailing off course was at an all-time low.
The 14s started off strong, with the not-so-young-gun Bryn Robinson-Mills rounding the windward turning mark first after a solid start, with the new young gun, Emma Webb, rounding just behind. The pair were soon followed by Bridget Bolewski, Andrew Spinelli, and Darren Schmidt, who all powered up for the reach down to Husky.
As the lead boat, Cozican, headed north with the 14s, the rest of the fleet continued with the rolling start. Scott & Elena led the charge on the Hobie 18, closely followed by Jake & Clare, whilst the F18 crewed by the Abbotts sent it ahead of the locals Egbert & Helen. However, it was Jarrod Spencer on the foiling A-Class who soon began to lead the charge, smoking his way across the Moona Moona and reaching the Callala mark well ahead of his opponents. As the rest of the fleet made their way up to the cardinal mark off Callala, the breeze had filled in for the screaming reach across to Long Beach.
All while the big cats were hooning around the north end of the bay, the monos and small cats were battling it out on the short course right in front of Huskisson, providing a full-on spectator experience to the masses enjoying the summer-like conditions in the midst of autumn. The Sharpies led from the get-go; however, it was Edward Alexander on the ILCA who cleaned up on yardstick, setting the tone for the racing throughout the weekend. Leading the charge in the small cats over the line was River & Syd on the Dragoon, but it was Jocelyn Hood on the Wave who managed to get the Green duo on yardstick in the overall results. As the fleet began their descent to Plantation Point with the nor'easter well and truly filled in, it wasn't long before sailors headed to Husky, converging at the Jervis Bay Brewing Co. to catch up on all the action from the first race of the series.
Sunday
It was a slow start to the first day of short course racing, with the north-westerly blowing moderately as the sun rose over Point Perpendicular. The RO in chief, the VSC's very own Mick Butler, made the call for the first heat to start as close to 10am as possible in the light northerly. Bridgy took the bullet in the first heat in the 14s, slipping past the author of this yarn on the final downwind stretch. Jake & Clare took a win back from Scott & Elena in the H16/H18 fleet, whilst Steve Swinburg on the Hobie 17 took a bullet in the mixed fleet ahead of Egbert & Helen and Zoe Kershaw on the Classic A. The legendary Jimmy "Six Guns" Butler took out the Vipers ahead of Emma & Beau, as Ed on the ILCA finished ahead of Sam & Harry on the 505.
The third race of the series saw the seabreeze finally fill in and gradually build throughout the race. With a pearler of a start, if I do say so myself, I took the bullet ahead of Bryn, Bridgy, and Spinelli. Scotty & Elena on the H18 took out the next race ahead of their rivals Jake & Clare, with Emily & Lily finishing in third. Sam Bylett took the bullet in the mixed fl eet ahead of the two F18s of the Makins in second and the Abbotts in third. Emma & Beau took out the Vipers ahead of Niall & Anthony, whilst Ed on the ILCA took out Ed on the Finn, with the Kebab Run Sharpie (Flyn on the helm) in third.
The second-last race of the day was dominated by Hot Rod Waterhouse, who felt right at home in the breeze. Bryn and I were neck and neck as we raced around the track trying to catch Warty. The battle between Scott & Elena and Jake & Clare continued, with the former claiming another bullet, whilst Courtney & Soph on the Hobie 16 could finally loosen things up as the breeze built, finishing in third. Jarrod was able to fly full-time on the A-Class, snagging himself a bullet ahead of Sam and Egbert & Helen. Meanwhile, Beau & Emma extended their lead in the Vipers with another bullet in the blow. Likewise, Ed on the ILCA extended his lead in Division Five, with the boys on the Sharpie finishing second, whilst the highlight of the fleet went to River & Jackson for completing their first cartwheel capsize on the Dragoon. The final race of the day saw capsizes to the left, right, and through the centre of the race track, with a few solo warriors coming untethered from their Vipers.
A huge shout-out to the rescue crews from the VSC, along with the two RIBs from Canberra Yacht Club, for staying vigilant on the race track at all times. In borderline cowboy sailing conditions, the battle between the Hobie 14s was tighter than ever, but after a clean start at the boat end of the line, I was able to extend on Bryn and Warty to take the final race of the day. Claiming their first bullet of the series with pure boat speed, Henry & Jess were on fire on the Yellow Submarine Hobie 16, smashing the two Hobie 18s at the top of the table on yardstick. Sam took a bullet on the Classic A, as Jarrod went down the mine shaft one too many times. However, it was Lewis & James who were the happiest at the end of the day, stealing a bullet off Emma & Beau in the F16s. Finally, Ed on the ILCA finished his day with a picket fence ahead of Ed on the Finn and Dan and the boys on the Sharpie.
Monday
It was a slow start to the final day of racing. With a lighter nor'easter forecast compared to the first two days, it was no surprise when it eventually filled in around midday. MB, Hooper, and the rest of the intrepid team of volunteers at the VSC were able to lock in two high-quality races to finish the series — the first in around 5 knots, and the final heat in around 10 knots. With racing tight across all divisions throughout the series, the final races provided ample opportunity for gains and losses from the top of the pack all the way to the back. The final results in Division One were solidified after the author of this article snagged two bullets on Monday. Bryn Robinson-Mills finished second, nine points behind, with Hot Rod Waterhouse two points further back in third. Bridget Bolewski was the first placed female helm and finished fourth overall, whilst Emma Webb claimed the title as highest placed youth, only one point ahead of fellow young gun Sam Dalton. Division Two saw Scott & Elena clean up on the Hobie 18, claiming their first overall win in the class. Jake & Clare were four points behind in second, with Emily & Lily sitting in third as the top placed female and youth team. Courtney & Sophie were the top placed Hobie 16 and were just two points behind in fourth place on yardstick overall.
The mixed cat fleet in Division Three was incredibly tight at the top, with Jarrod Spencer on the foiling A-Class taking the win two points ahead of Samy Bylett on the Classic A-Class. The Abbotts on the F18 finished third overall, getting Egbert & Helen on countback on 20 points.
In Division Four, and for the F16 Australian Championships, Emma & Beau solidified their place at the top of the table as one of the best double-handed catamaran teams in the country. On 10 points, they finished five points ahead of the young whipper-snappers Lewis & James, while Niall & Anthony finished on 18 points, with the standings coming right down to the final day. Jimmy "Six Guns" Butler finished fourth overall and first in the single-handed fl eet. Finally, in Division Five, Edward Alexander ripped into the JB Classic with a near picket fence, finishing first overall ahead of Edward Louis on the Finn. In third, just three points behind, was Daniel and the boys from Canberra on the Sharpie. Joel Hodder topped the table for the locals on the Hobie Wave, finishing sixth overall, whilst the Dragoons finished just a point apart.
On behalf of the VSC and the NSWHCA, I'd like to thank everyone for coming down south and ripping in for the JB Classic, closing the sailing season out in style. The 26/27 NSW Hobie Cat Association Traveller Series will kick off again at the VSC on September 12-13 with the Hobie Wave Grand Prix Championships, followed by the 54th Hobie Cat Nationals from December 31 through to January 10, 2027. We look forward to seeing you all back in Jervis Bay at the Vincentia Sailing Club soon!
Full Results can be found here.