Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard brokerage

SailFest Newcastle - Day 1: Favourite toppled in TP52 opener

by Mark Rothfield 29 Mar 2019 09:53 GMT 29-31 March 2019
Hooligan at Sailfest Newcastle © Mark Rothfield

Anyone who thought the inaugural TP52 Gold Cup would be one-way traffic for Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan didn't factor in a two-way breeze off the Newcastle NSW coastline today, which handed Sam Hayne's Celestial and Peter Wrigley's Koa the major results.

As the opening shot of the first SailFest Newcastle Regatta, the 30-mile passage race started spectacularly inside Newcastle Harbour in a 10-knot nor'wester, the six-boat fleet all jumping cleanly and being neatly dissected by an incoming tugboat.

Blackmore's highly-fancied Botin design, with Tom Slingsby aboard, showed its boat speed advantage on the first work into Stockton Bight and stretched its lead on the run south to Redhead. Gweilo, Celestial and Koa all rounded the bottom mark tightly packed, with Zen and Frantic in their wake.

There, the script changed dramatically as four yachts went left into a shore breeze while Celestial and Koa headed seawards in search of the nor-easter.

"We were doing well until those two started to head towards New Zealand," Blackmore said after the race. "It turned out to be the right place to be, as they got well in front of us and we were never going to catch them after that."

Slingsby said it was a big call, tactically, that worked in spades for his rivals.

"We'd started to head right but then tacked back towards shore to cut our losses and cover Gwielo and Zen," he said. "The shore had more breeze, and it was game over for the boats out wide until they picked up a 110-degree shift."

Celestial owner Sam Haynes was confident with the strategy suggested by Newcastle local Richard Howard. "It was painful getting out there, but it paid off as we got about eight knots of nor'easter and laid the top mark easily in the end," he said.

They crossed the line five minutes clear of Hooligan, which caught Koa inside the harbour to nab second place by 17 seconds after four hours of racing. It was the first time Celestial had beaten Hooligan over the line.

"I'd say we sailed well at the end, and well at the start, but the middle needs a lot of work," Slingsby said of the result.

Koa won both IRC and TPR handicap for the day, Celestial finishing second.

"It was a great race for us," Koa's Peter Wrigley added. "We'd have liked a bit more breeze, but we went out looking for that nor'easter as well and found it."

Weather conditions for tomorrow's racing are another tipster's nightmare, with some models predicting 30-knot northerlies accompanied by rain and the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a gale warning. Others suggested lighter breezes.

On the SailFest calendar for Saturday are windward-leewards for the TP5s, a passage race for the IRC/PHS offshore yachts, a Cock-of-the-Harbour race for performance off-the-beach craft, match-racing in Force 24 keelboats and TrySailing sessions.

Find full results here

More info at ncyc.net.au/sailfest-newcastle

Related Articles

Sail Port Stephens Performance Series Preview
Four major trophies are up for grabs Having been on cruise control earlier this month for the Commodores Cup Passage Series, Sail Port Stephens 2025 now goes up a gear for the Performance Series starting tomorrow (April 25) and running through to Sunday. Posted on 24 Apr
Sail Port Stephens Passage Series overall
Cream rises in phenomenal finale at Port Stephens It was a fitting finale to the 2025 Sail Port Stephens Passage Series (Commodores Cup), with crews aboard the 105 yachts enjoying the kind of premium sailing conditions that attracts boats from as far as the Gold Coast and Melbourne to the event. Posted on 6 Apr
Sail Port Stephens Passage Series day 4
All sweetness and light airs With the switch flicked to signature Sail Port Stephens conditions, sunshine and a light south-westerly, the stage was set for a banner edition of the 2025 Passage Series on Thursday. Posted on 4 Apr
Sail Port Stephens Passage Series day 3
It's not what you know but where you know Everything else being equal, it's hard to beat local knowledge as demonstrated on Day 3 of the Sail Port Stephens Commodores Cup Passage Series. Posted on 2 Apr
Sail Port Stephens Passage Series day 2
Fresh and fun racing as skies clear With the remnants of an East Coast Low still generating 4.5m monster swells off the twin sentinel headlands marking the entrance to Port Stephens, the Race Committee wisely opted for a course within the huge and spectacular waterway. Posted on 1 Apr
Sail Port Stephens 2025 Passage Series Day 1
Commodores Cup full of water doesn't dampen sailing spirits Wet we got, wind not so much, as Race 1 of the Commodores Cup Passage series kicked off Sail Port Stephens for its 17th year, with the five divisions enjoying an action-packed race instead of retiring to the local cafes and pubs Posted on 1 Apr
Rain likely for Sail Port Stephens opening parade
The sailing paradise may be somewhat bleak and blustery The sailing paradise that is Port Stephens may be somewhat bleak and blustery for the opening day of the 2025 Commodores Cup Passage Series on Monday, so much so that organisers are busy hatching Plan B and possibly C for the racing and social schedules. Posted on 29 Mar
TP52 Pallas Capital Gold Cup Act 2
Zen Returns and Matador Win at SailFest The second Act of the Pallas Capital Gold Cup for the TP52 Australia class took part alongside SailFest from the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club on 22-23 March. Posted on 23 Mar
SailFest Newcastle Regatta 2025 overall
Placings decided by mere seconds Light airs, heavy airs, harbour starts and choppy windward-leewards... nothing phased the TP52 Matador as it took both IRC and TPR honours at the 6th annual SailFest Newcastle Regatta over the weekend. Posted on 23 Mar
SailFest Newcastle Regatta 2025 Day 1
Off to a flying in-harbour start SailFest Newcastle Regatta 2025 got off to a flying start yesterday, with the TP52 and offshore fleets summing spinnakers inside the harbour and charging out the entrance for a passage race and two windward-leeward heats. Posted on 22 Mar