The SailFest Newcastle Regatta was held from April 10 to 11, bringing 175 years of sailing history and a fleet of TP52s, skiffs, dinghies, and catamarans to Newcastle Harbour.
Sailing races were held across the two-day event, including the Sailing Champions League Asia Pacific and the Cock of the Harbour Race, but none more significant than the TP52 Gold Cup, which saw eight grand-prix TP52’s battle it out in a nail-biting race to the finish.
Many of Australia’s top sailors were on board the high-performance yachts taking on the 25 knot wild south-westerly winds and navigating the borders of the break wall rocks, shipping marks and the Queen’s Wharf pub.
Amongst the armada was the former Sydney-Hobart winner Ichi Ban, along with Patrice, Denali, Matador, Quest, and Smuggler joining Celestial and Koa from the 2019 TP52 Gold Cup.
Tony Kirkby’s Patrice claimed the overall IRC honours after advancing 150 metres ahead to the port’s entrance beating Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban by a significant margin.
“We got a great start and were just able to skim past the port marker,” Kirkby said.
“We hit the lead then extended it, downwind we were hitting the high 20s – they’re awesome boats in these conditions, just so fast.”
Allen was stoked with Ichi Ban’s performance even though the former Sydney-Hobart champion had a few lost chances.
“It was one of those days when you had to execute cleanly, and we didn’t quite manage to do that,” Allen said.
“We had a problem with a jammer at the start and got caught up in the pack, I guess we made too many mistakes overall, but we’re really pleased with how the boat’s going.
“Sailing out there in that sort of breeze is incredibly exciting.
“Also, everyone’s so welcoming and relaxed up here; we love coming.
The Gold Cup was awarded to Quest, with owner Craig Neil believing the race to be the most exciting one yet with shifting breezes making for a tough race.
“It’s such a great event to have so many TPs here and, as far as the start goes, I’m not sure about 175 years, but it was the most exciting I’ve been involved with,” Neil said.
“A strong breeze and a course that provided a mix of upwind, reaching and running, it had everything.
“Our boat was designed for offshore racing, so we were really in our element.”
Second place was awarded to Smuggler, with owner Sebastian Bohm ecstatic about the intense conditions.
“That was heart-in-the-mouth stuff; as soon as the gun went, a gust of 25 to 30 knots came through, and we were absolutely flying down the harbour,” Bohm said.
“We had Ichi Ban and Matador above us and Quest and Celestial below us, so it was fairly intense but great fun.”
Run in conjunction with the TP52 Gold Cup, PHS honours in the offshore division were awarded to Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club’s Summer Salt, helmed by Peter Sinclair.
The Sailing Champions League Asia Pacific winners went to the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and were crowned Asia Pacific Champions.
Over the past year, SailFest Newcastle Regatta is believed to be the biggest gathering of international standing globally, with the Europe Super Series cancelled due to COVID-19.
Results link: http://topyacht.net.au/results/ncyc/2021/sf2021/index.htm
Hayley McMahon
Information source: Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club
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