The News, Culture and Practice of Sailing woodenboats
in Australia, New Zealand & The South Pacific.

REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

2024 Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta Wrap

The Regatta courses took participants to Manly for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday races. Each day, with a lot of east in the breeze and big tides, decisions taken on which side of the harbour to work shaped the results and helped a lot of others decide what they will do next time.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta 2025

What I really like is the inclusion of an IOR Division that is open to any yacht that has a launch date after 1975 and prior to 1991 and has competed in a Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. This brings new purpose to a whole style of racer that has been left floundering in the wake of rule changes over the last three decades.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

The Triple “I”

And we had to find the “right” people. They had to have experience of competitive yacht racing, but also an appreciation for timber craft, and above all an understanding that the wellbeing of the crews and craft must be placed well ahead of a desire to win. And without wanting to sound boastful…. we nailed it!

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Imagine This.

Imagine This. You are standing amongst some of Australia’ most important wooden vessels, smelling the huon pine, admiring the gracious curves and soaking up the history. You have a glass of Tahbilk Ambassador Shiraz 2020 in one hand and a bespoke snag from Lygon Street’s greatest butcher in the other.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Joe White Continues his Work

Joe paid his dues at the malthouse. Like all new employees he would sweep the floors, feed the hoppers, operate the revolving screens, filled, sewed up, and carried the four and a half bushel bags. Only 4 years into training in 1892, at just 23 years old, Joe had to step up and take the reins of the business.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Olympic Opinions

“…Of all the many anachronisms at the modern Olympics, sailing is perhaps the most conspicuous of all: a continuing sop to super-rich men who founded the Games and still just really love yachts, basically inaccessible to most of the countries in the world, even the ones with a viable coastline.”

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Remember Crew Work?

The line-up was exceptional with the presence of legendary sailors. The races were intense, with difficult weather conditions for everyone. We are very lucky to have an extraordinary team of volunteers at the club, nothing would be possible without them!

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

23° air temperature, 23° water temperature.

At the start line for Saturday's first race there were twenty Gaff or similarly rigged yachts. They ranged from a fifty plus year old 10ft timber gaff rigged skiff replica MERLE, with a crew of three and a healthy spread of sail, to a recently impeccably refurbished Couta Boat CRYSTAL.  

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Getting the Formula Right- Bahamian Regattas.

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.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Programming Antigua

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.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

Kettering Number Eight!

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.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

The Wet Kiss

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.

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REGATTAS Mark Chew REGATTAS Mark Chew

2023 Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta

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

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