26 Apr
Hanses and Dehlers were right in the competitive mix in a light-air edition of Sail Port Stephens
Now in its 17th year, Sail Port Stephens has become a regular fixture on many sailors’ regatta diaries due to its unique combination of either scenic inshore courses in Port Stephens’ magnificent unspoilt bay or fast sailing between the islands lying just outside the entrance.
The major Australian keelboat regattas offer either all offshore courses such as Hamilton Island Race Week or sailing within the confines of an albeit huge bay, (Port Phillip Bay), in the case of Geelong Race Week.
Sail Port Stephens race officials however have the luxury of choosing each day which course to send the fleet around to ensure a banner sailing experience – and that along with the breathtaking natural beauty of the location, elevates Sail Port Stephens to a special place among regattas worldwide.
This year 115 boats from stripped-out racing machines, to sports boats, club racers and cruisers with all the gear, lined-up for five days of friendly on-water competition that comprised the Commodores Cup. The fleet ranged in size from the Reichel Pugh 52-footer Virago to Don’t Panic an 8.1 metre (26 foot) super-skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite, the creator of the 49er and 29er.
The intricacies of racing on a waterway two-and-half times the size of Sydney Harbour with strong tidal flows and shifting winds is one of the great levellers in this popular regatta and in Division 3 nobody handled it better than Ralf Moller and his crew aboard Kookaburra, a Hanse 400.
“We’ve been here (Sail Port Stephens) twice before, we did really rubbish last time round, the boat’s set up better now, we had a good crew and everything went our way,” he recounted.
Moller said he was “absolutely stoked” with Kookaburra’s win and its performance. “The boat goes exceptionally well upwind,” he continued. And how did he and the crew beat lighter and nominally faster boats, including crossing the start line five minutes after the gun in the final deciding race? “We were in the wrong place (on the line), the wind died but we stayed focused, picked the shifts – I guess that’s one advantage of having boats in front of you,” Ralf rationalised. “I’ve already booked my berth for next year we have to be back to defend our title don’t we?’’ he laughed.
To see Kookaburra in action click on Bruce Walter’s beautifully shot Day 3 race video:
In just his second big regatta as an owner/skipper Sean Gartner guided his Dehler 38SQ Seremisa to some pleasing results. “We had a really good week,” he said. “We did well on scratch, with two seconds and a third. On Day 1 in the really light stuff about five knots we were pointing higher than the Dehler 46es, we were getting it up around 28, 29 (degrees) apparent, ghosting along at four knots,” he recalled.
[ True wind and boat speed together create the apparent wind, find out more about upwind sail trim at www.northsails.com/blogs/north-sails-blog/upwind-sail-power-by-bill-gladstone].
Dehlers are recognised for their all-round sailing ability, and Sean agrees Seremisa is able to switch easily from cruising to racing mode and back again. “It’s a perfect combination,” he acknowledged. “We have fun cruising, most of the time we don’t put sails up. It’s really comfortable for cruising, we often head out to Refuge (Bay) or The Basin and in terms of racing I’m really pleased with the way it competes,” he detailed.
In Division 4 John Veale’s Dehler 32 Hasta la Vista notched a bullet (overall win) on Day 4.
Veale and his crew from the Greenwich Flying Squadron in Sydney secured the win thanks to some “good concentration” and the Dehler’s ability to perform in light to medium airs. He rates Sail Port Stephens as his favourite regatta.
“There’s nothing else like it,” John told me.“It has the feel of a dinghy regatta, the same sense of camaraderie and people talking to one another after the day’s sailing,” he added.
That sentiment was echoed by the owners and crews of all of the Hanses and Dehlers that came to Sail Port Stephens 2024. They agreed the dockside social events such as the Street Party on Wednesday night before lay day ideally complemented the daily racing.
Sail Port Stephens 2025 will take place from Monday March 31 to Saturday April 5. Organisers are anticipating another bumper fleet and have urged competitors to get in early and reserve a berth.
Find out more at:
