"Let me tell you, what is good for Queensland is good for Australia."
So said Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen!
I can’t think of any events in Australia apart from the Noosa Gaff Rig Regatta that are exclusively for four sided main sails. Our regular Queensland correspondent Phil Atkins writes to tell us about the upcoming 2024 event.
The 4th annual Noosa Gaff Rig Regatta is set to be held on 8 & 9 June this year from noon, on the Noosa River. The Regatta is held each year to raise funds for the Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club’s Sailability program.
Sailability is all about giving people with disability the opportunity to have the same enjoyment of sailing that many people experience on a regular basis throughout Australia. Sailability offers a fun, safe and welcoming environment where people with disability are accepted and encouraged to participate in, and enjoy the sport of sailing.
Sailability is an international program, first introduced to Australia in the 1990’s, and offered at Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club since 2010. Sailability organisations are “not for profit” and volunteer-based. Each sailor is accompanied by a qualified sailing instructor using a 12-foot Vagabond sailing dinghy that is widely used for sailing training throughout Queensland. The sailing activity is supported by a safety boat that is on the water at all times.
An average of 20 sailors attended the 23 week Sailability programme last year which requires an established network of instructors, volunteers, and equipment to assist people of all abilities to get into sailing. A new transfer device has recently been acquired by the Club which assists in transferring participants from one position to another with relative ease and with fewer staff.
The Noosa Gaff Rig Regatta is an event held each year by Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club to raise funds for NYRC Sailability.
Entrants come from all over the Eastern states of Australia to participate in this fun filled fundraising event and to compete for the various NYRC Gaff Rig Trophies
A gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the gaff.
Perhaps the most famous gaff rig of all time was King George V’s Brittania. Britannia was launched on 20 April 1893 with a 51 foot (16 m) long gaff. In a highly competitive fleet, Britannia soon set about achieving race results which would eventually establish her as the most successful racing yacht of all time.
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!
No previous Regatta experience is required as the Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club will provide a full briefing and instructions.
Registration is only $55 and can be made by contacting the NYRC office on 5449 8602 during business hours or clicking HERE to place your entry view the Regatta Notice of Race and view the 2024 Regatta entrants. NYRC Sailability commences 9.30am every Thursday morning from 7 March 2024. The cost is only $10 per session and NDIS support is available, participants need to contact their provider.
And if you are thinking of heading up/down to Noosa why not make a fortnight of it and include the Bribie Classic Boat Regatta, which is less than 50 miles away.
