“If you’d told me a month ago that we’d place fourth overall at the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta racing FAIR WINDS I’d have said you were dreaming. Perhaps I still am.”

Representing the CYCA alongside Jules Hall’s two-handed entry J/99 and Paddy Broughton’s KIALOA II, the small but mighty yacht is now firmly ensconced next to the Royal Cork Yacht Club pontoon.

So perhaps almost 40 years after AUSTRALIA II’s victory and with only 18 months to the 37th iteration of the event in Barcelona , readers might be interested in this fascinating program, which covers DAME PATTIE’s predecessor’s campaign in 1962.

What followed was some exciting downwind sailing. With wind speeds of up to 45 knots from behind, simple manoeuvres became all 18 hands on deck and up to 45 minutes of planning and execution just to safely gybe the 45-ton bucking bronco.

The obvious goal being to equitably rate a full range of boat sizes and types over a variety of conditions, and while this is a tall order given the diversity of the diverse Classic fleet, during the 2022 season the racing was good and the ratings seemed reasonably fair.

It was Martyr who suggested the present-day course to the Fastnet, of a similar distance to the Bermuda Race – 615 miles. This established a trend in offshore races of that length, spawning the Sydney-Hobart (1945), China Sea Race (1962) Middle Sea Race (1968) and more recently the RORC Caribbean 600 (2009).

The top end of the course near Port Melbourne means tricky twisting shifts off the beach and apartment infill but flat water. The southern end exposed beyond Altona produced difficult rolling slop for the downhill legs. Thrown in on both days on the western side of the course was a huge tidal outflow from the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers with recent rain and floods.

A tricky day on Port Phillip, with torrents of brown water gushing out of the Yarra and wind from 14-28 knots with rain squalls. Big congratulations to the boats that completed the two races.

After two years of planning thirteen Couta Boats travelled from Melbourne along with two crews from Perth for the 2022 Sydney Harbour Gaffers Regatta.

Here at SWS we are big believers in safety. But we wonder how sailors are meant to learn to handle bad weather if they are never given the opportunity to experience it while racing. Whatever your feelings about the pros and cons of abandoning an ocean race, the admiration for the first crews in this historic race can only be enhanced by such a decision.

The boats themselves are the sculptures…. but sometimes too much “trickery” shouts “look at me, the clever photographer” rather than look at this image and understand a little of what it is like to witness this awe-inspiring sight.

Given the development of user friendly measurement handicap systems over the last few years I think the time has come for one of the Australian or New Zealand Classic Yacht fleets to trial a system based on actual data rather than performance.

Les Voiles de Saint Tropez marks the last event on the Mediterranean racing calendar and is heralded as one of the most prestigious regattas in the world. In its 24th year, the regatta will take place across two weeks from September 24 to October 8

The race for both vessels was fraught . TE RAPUNGA had to beach their yacht in the Bay of Islands, due to extensive leaks. They recaulked as necessary, floated off and continued the race. They won the race from NGATAKI , who arrived nearly two days later, after weathering a horrendous storm passing through Bass Strait.

The adventure was beginning and it was nothing like what I anticipated. Years, months, and days of prep work were forgotten. We just wanted to make it through the evening of squalls and then the Gulf Stream safely reminding ourselves that this trip was our vacation time.

Ed is tough but considered, practical but romantic, exacting but inclusive. If more people were like him, sailing would be a better sport.

While these timber yachts sail majestically on, most of the hot new fibreglass boats in the class of ‘72 have disappeared off the radar.

There was plenty of gambling action on Bradley’s Head with bookmakers mingling among the crowd.  Unlike the bookies on the ferries, the Bradley’s Head bookies also had plenty of warning if the police were seen by one of the punters.  

In many ways it was like a traditional four-day Sydney Hobart Yacht Race squeezed into just three hours.

Rob, a talented and successful Mullet boat sailor had a chat with us about how and why he ended up as the new custodian and what his (exciting) plans are for the future.