6:08 AM Mon 30 Mar 2009 GMT
There'll be a race within a race every day, and the antics of the crews worth watching as two character filled Melges 32's meet at Sail Port Stephens 2009.
Flyblown, owned by a Port Stephens local Mick Hinchey and Rock'n'Roll owned by Sydney's Kim Williams, will go head to head in the PHS fleet vying for the Port Stephens Trophy.
The pair raced each other in Geelong, and Mick dared Kim to come to Sail Port Stephens to keep him and the Flyblown crew honest...and clearly the Rock'n'Roll crew have risen to the challenge, and will be lining up beside the local lads in a few weeks time.
While the locals might think they have the edge on their southern visitors for inside knowledge of the area - the Sydney crew are quite familiar with the Bay and its surrounds, having sailed in Port Stephens in various regattas over the years.
Rock n' Roll was purchased in the USA last year and Kim shipped the boat to Australia in August.
The boat was in the water pretty much straight away - doing the 24 hour Heaven Can Wait Race on Lake Macquarie, followed by several super 30 races and regattas on Sydney Harbour before heading south to Skandia Geelong Week in January.
Kim loves racing the boat, and says the Melges 32 is perfect for regattas around Australia.
'It can be trailed everywhere behind a standard 4WD, making delivery trips obsolete, and therefore reducing the time away you need to take to do regattas' he said.
'The trailing package for the M32 means the boat is fully cocooned in covers that keep the boat clean and in perfect condition, even after a long road trip'said Kim.
Kim and the Rock'n'Roll crew are keen to race at Port Stephens, rating it as a great place to sail with plenty of open water and generally fair breeze, and believe it's a perfect spot for a highly strung boat like a Melges 32.
So, if the boat is highly strung, what about the crew...
They've all sailed together over the last 15 years on both lightweight ocean racers and sportsboats. With an age range from 62 to 24, they are a hybrid mix of skiff, sportsboat and Farr 40 sailors, whose occupations and businesses range from marine importing, building and engineering, to a systems analyst, a stock market client advisor and a happily retired millionaire.
Rock'n'Roll will make its way to Sail Port Stephens by road.....unless ( in Kim's own words...)....
'There is a filthy southerly blowing a few days earlier and we can send it down some waves from Sydney and do some yahooing on the way, and then of course, we will only bring the trailer by road' he said.
Kim added that this idea was raised by the foredeck hand and trimmers last week when it was agreed that the boat would compete at Sail Port Stephens..
'With a bit of luck we would get there pretty quickly under those circumstances...' he said smiling mischievously.
Sail Port Stephens racing:
20-22 April - Commodores Cup (PHS)
23 April - Lay Day - Lunching Mischief - Long Lazy Lunch at Peppers Anchorage
24-26 April - Yachting NSW IRC Championship
- Port Stephens Trophy ( PHS)
From little things, big things grow, and Sail Port Stephens would not be possible without the support of the foundation partner group of Nelson Bay Diggers, Shoal Bay Resort and Spa, Peppers Anchorage and All Seasons Salamander Shores -as well as the resource contributions of the supporting partner group in SLAM, d'Albora Marina, Yachting NSW and Business Port Stephens, an initiative of Port Stephens Council.
Wild Oats Wines also joins as a supporting partner this year, and their wonderful range of reds and whites, as well as a stunning rose, will be the wine in everyone's glass at the regatta.
For more info and to enter, go to www.sailportstephens.com.au
by Jody O'Brien
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