The Bahamian wooden racing sloops begin to arrive. Sloops from distant islands are transported as deck cargo on inter island barges; sloops from closer islands arrive under tow. Along with the sloops come their accessories — extra booms, masts, sails, and lead ingots used for ballast so the sailors can tweak their boats during the regatta as wind conditions change.

There’s lots of advertising, and a terrible design! But it’s good to be aware of the scale of what can be achieved given the right environment in the world of Classic Yacht Regattas.

The Noosa Gaff Rig Regatta boats can be constructed of traditional or modern materials. This year we are expecting over 20 traditional Gaff rigged yachts of all shapes and sizes sailing on the beautiful Noosa river, which will created spectacular events to watch!

The maritime gods smiled upon us, with lots of sunshine and winds tailor-made for the wooden boat vessels. A gentle breeze fluttering between 10 -12 knots filled the sails throughout the weekend.

The annual Mahurangi Regatta is back to its former glory after a few years of setbacks. Enjoy the imagery here!

At days end my retreat is a cool wine bar overlooking the fleet. Young cosmopolitans mixed with grandmothers and priests, not a sailor in sight, endless delicious anti-pasta free with the excellent local wine. I have realised that pretty well every boat here except ours is professionally crewed. A youthful full-of-it-ness camaraderie characterises their beery off-duty hours.

With constant evolving sailing technology and boat designs, it is becoming increasingly more important to remind ourselves of the heritage of yacht racing. A nod to the enduring legacy of classic yachts and their pivotal role in shaping the RSHYR has given rise to a dedicated two-day regatta

Whether you are custodian of a much loved family dinghy, have just finished building your first kayak, are restoring a traditional Tassie cray boat, or are mad for sailing among other timber boats, this is your weekend to head down to the beautiful D'Entrecasteaux Channel on, or with, your wooden boat.

The Blue Peter comes down… a minute to go… the Div One boats are jostling for the final run to the line…. It’s all about max. boat speed at the gun… winding these things up takes minutes not seconds… Five 40+ footers all get it right… as the gun goes 60 tonnes of timber elegance come up onto the breeze on starboard tack, waterlines fizzing, gunnels just yards apart.

This is going to be special! Drinks and food and friends amongst some remarkable restorations. There will be a welcome to the Regatta and brief description of the vessels being worked on in the shed.

The Notice of Race has now been published for this years Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta.

It’s an eclectic mix of craft, from out and out racing boats from every decade from the 1920’s to the 1970’s, to 90 year old fishing boats, to world girdling cruisers.

The CYCA has confirmed that the Classic Yacht Regatta will be held on 8th 9th and 10th December this year. An invitation is extended to all Classic Yachts that have competed in a Sydney to Hobart Race.

The class always had devotees but the fleet slowly depleted in the 1990’s as keen sailors were attracted to newer designs. Over the last 20 years the boats have been patiently restored. Soon there will be some 10 yachts regularly sailing in Victorian waters

The forces at play once the five working sails all fill are huge and mistakes can be very costly. Since her first Gaffers Day back in the early 1980s the yacht has always sailed under the command of her owner, Sir James Hardy OBE. But, regrettably, ‘Gilbert’ was unable to take the helm this year and nominated me to skipper the boat in his place.

How fortunate can you be? This year’s fleet of 26 yachts has, over this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, enjoyed three days of the very best of Sydney Harbour racing.