Chartering a bareboat in the Whitsundays, cruising Sydney Harbour on a hire boat, hiring a houseboat on Pittwater, diving the Great Barrier Reef, fishing off Cairns, adventure cruises in remote areas ... sound good? Do you want to find a sailing school to learn to sail or improve your skills or is it powerboating you enjoy. The latest sailing and boating news is below and follow the links above for your special interest.
Volvo Ocean Race: A thousand miles in and it’s still anyone’s game
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28 Jan VOR media
After more than 1,000 nautical miles of ocean racing on the second stage of Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race to Sanya in China, just five miles separated the top four boats as they entered the feared Malacca Strait on Friday.
The Next Challenge maintains Sydney 38 Nationals lead
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27 Jan Damian Devine, RPAYC/amended
Four races were completed on day two of the 2012 Sydney 38 Australian Championship off Pittwater, and Lou Abrahams’ The Next Challenge team, skippered by Mark Bulka, won the day and continue to lead going into the final day of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club hosted event.
Melges 24 Nationals: Accru turns the screws on Bandit
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27 Jan Tracey Walters, Melges 24
Day two of the Melges 24 Australian Championship at Festival of Sails in Geelong and crews were notified of a change of course area to D outside Corio Bay, an hour out through the shallow shipping channel.
Volvo Ocean Race: Fleet in hot pursuit of Telefonica
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27 Jan VOR media
Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) leads from Puma (Ken Read/USA), Camper (Chris Nicholson/AUS) and Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) in a fight that will last at least 25 nautical miles to Statue Point, situated on the northern tip of Pulau We, the island the fleet must leave to starboard before entering the Malacca Strait.
Festival of Sails: Georgia on everyone’s mind
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27 Jan Lisa Ratcliff, event media
The local lads haven’t yet been able to stave off a foreign raid of results in the Festival of Sails Audi Centre Geelong Premier Racing Division A, after Georgia’s triple handicap win on Corio Bay today.
Festival of Sails: Moody weather makes the going tough
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27 Jan Lisa Ratcliff, event media
While the Cruising and Classic yacht divisions and multihulls sailed in a favourable south-easterly breeze early today, it was a glass-out in the middle of the day, then finally, Geelong’s Corio Bay put its best foot forward for the afternoon session.
Aussie sailors celebrate Australia Day in style in Miami
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27 Jan Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia
Australian sailors have celebrated Australia Day in style in Miami with victories aplenty on day four of the ISAF Sailing World Cup’s American leg.
It’s show time at Miami OCR
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27 Jan Barby MacGowan
A final showdown awaits three Paralympic classes tomorrow and 10 Olympic classes on Saturday at US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR, which has, thus far, gifted sailors with four days of sublime sunshine and light but satisfying winds.
Corio Vertue brings Passage Race to a close27 Jan Lisa Ratcliff, event media Andy and Di Indrans’ 25ft classic timber yacht, Corio Vertue, last night returned to her home ground in Geelong, where she signalled the close of the Passage Race from Melbourne to Geelong just before 6pm last night. more... |
Volvo Ocean Race: Camper falls prey to Telefonica
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27 Jan VOR media
In contrast to the port tack beat for the first four days of this Volvo Ocean Race leg, the last 24 hours have been nothing short of dramatic; this afternoon at 1600 UTC, Team Telefónica, skippered by Iker Martínez was screaming through the fleet, sailing up to two knots faster than the rest and picking off places without remorse.
Lou Abrahams early leader at Sydney 38 Nationals
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26 Jan Damian Devine, RPAYC/amended
Veteran yachtsman Lou Abrahams’ The Next Challenge, from Sandringham Yacht Club in Victoria, leads with only two points separating the first three boats on the first day of the 2012 Sydney 38 National Championship, after a testing day on the water.
Rooklyn fires off two bullets to lead Melges 24 Nationals
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26 Jan Tracey Walters, Melges 24
The Festival of Sails and Corio Bay served up great conditions for day one of the 2012 Melges 24 Australian Championships; sunshine, up to 20 knots of wind and dolphins.
Sydney Hobart legends excel in 176th Australia Day Regatta
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26 Jan Peter Campbell
Two past line honours winners and an overall winner of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Brindabella, Fidelis and Quest, today excelled in their respective fleets of the 176th Australia Day Regatta as yachties celebrated the national day afloat on Sydney Harbour and on an historic strength of ocean between Sydney and Botany Bay.
18’s Australian Championship Race 3 goes to Smeg
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26 Jan Frank Quealey, 18 footers
The Smeg 18ft Skiff team of Nick Press, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings held on in a gripping finish to defeat defending champion and series leader Thurlow Fisher Lawyers in Race 2 of the Australian Championship on Sydney Harbour today.
New Shogun blitzes the field at Festival of Sails26 Jan Lisa Ratcliff, event media Rob Hanna’s new TP52 Shogun V has taken double of line and handicap honours in its maiden Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race, the 34 nautical mile course which traditionally marks the start of the Festival of Sails. more... |
Sanctuary Cove Boat Show shows early promise
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26 Jan Jeni Bone, SCBS
The 24th annual Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, 24-27 May 2012, has been supercharged and amped to the max with a myriad of attractions to deliver outstanding value for money for visitors to the Show.
Upbeat day for Australia at Miami OCR
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26 Jan Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia
Australian sailors have enjoyed another upbeat day on the water at round two of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Miami, Florida.
Light airs smile on competitors at Miami OCR
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 and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) go head-to-head in the match racing - Daniel Forster, Rolex pic.jpg)
26 Jan Barby MacGowan
The weather has been “stuck on beautiful” at the Rolex Miami OCR, but more importantly to the competing 529 sailors from 41 countries, has been the wind on Biscayne Bay, which today strengthened in knots to reach low double digits and help re-ignite several key performances of sailors turning the corner to enter the regatta’s home stretch.
Passage Race opens Festival of Sails
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26 Jan Lisa Ratcliff, event media
The annual Festival of Sails got started on Australia Day with a bang – literally – as the Mayor of the city of Greater Geelong, John Mitchell, fired the starting cannon for the traditional Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race.
Volvo Ocean Race: Fleet needs to watch out for Telefonica
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26 Jan VOR media
There’s no holding back the overall race leader, Team Telefónica, with Spaniard Iker Martínez in charge, as she pulled back almost 10 miles on the Leg 3 leaders today, jumping two places up the rankings in the process.
Clipper Race: Whole fleet in Batam and partying
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26 Jan Clipper media
The final three entries of the Clipper 11-12 Race fleet have arrived in Batam after completing Race 7 of the 40,000-mile marathon and are now celebrating with the other seven teams ashore.
Bids invited to host ISAF Nations Cup
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25 Jan ISAF
ISAF is seeking bids from organisers around the world to host ISAF Nations Cup Regional Finals during 2012-13 and the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final in 2013.
Festival of Sails to celebrate Australia Day with Passage Race
25 Jan Lisa Ratcliff, event media
Organisers are running around making final preparations, competitors are checking their rides are shipshape, the bar at Royal Geelong Yacht Club is being stocked to the brim and the trophies are being polished until gleaming for the Festival of Sails’ main act. |
Aussies up the ante in Miami
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25 Jan Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia
Australian sailors Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page have taken the lead in the 470 Men’s on the second day of the ISAF Sailing World Cup round in Miami, Florida after the reigning world champs and world number ones started the day third overall.
Tess Lloyd takes major step forward25 Jan Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia Injured 29er skipper Tess Lloyd has taken a major step forward as she continues to recover from an accident on the final day of the 2012 Australian Youth Championships in Brisbane. more... |
Sydney 38 Nationals underway tomorrow
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25 Jan Damian Devine, RPAYC/amended
There should be very little separating the 15 Sydney 38s contesting the Nationals being hosted by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, commencing on Australia Day, but Mark Griffith’s Old School has to start favourite having won the last four regattas on the trot.
Weather plays ball so races run to schedule at Miami OCR
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25 Jan Barby MacGowan
Today’s 8-11 knot breeze on Biscayne Bay allowed three of the Rolex Miami OCR’s 10 Olympic classes to catch up on the races they lost due to dying winds yesterday afternoon, and 529 sailors from 41 countries now have two days behind them in this important ISAF Sailing World Cup event.
Brisbane Gladstone brings back memories for Harburg
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25 Jan Ian Grant
Peter Harburg, owner of the Queensland ocean racing yacht Black Jack, is preparing to spend the early part of Easter paying another personal tribute to his late father Clive Harburg.
Volvo Ocean Race: Nicholson uses every weapon in the book
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25 Jan VOR media
Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand is in a strong position as the fleet heads out across the Bay of Bengal, after Chris Nicholson (AUS) took the opportunity of a cloud line that produced a 60-degree favourable wind shift, to tack north.
Melges raring to go at Nationals in Geelong
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24 Jan Tracey Walters, Melges 24 media
The Melges 24 fleet are descending on Geelong from all over Australia to compete in the Australian Championship from the 26–29 January at the Festival of Sails.
Melges 24 Australian Championships
Colin Mullins International Youth Regatta
2012 International Intercity Match Race Regatta
Australian Blazer 23 Championship Series 2012
Festival of Sails Team Racing Resort Management Cup
The Warrent Jones International Youth Regatta
