Slam Thermals for the Alegria crew in Port Stephens this weekend

9:53 PM Fri 12 Jun 2009 GMT

'Alegria in action at the Yachting NSW IRC Championships' Anthony Kelly Click Here to view large photo

A week ago it was shorts and t-shirts in a few SB3's off Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, but the Alegria boys will start the days in their SLAM thermals this weekend as they get together for some crew training in the Port Stephens Marine Park.

Beautiful blue skies and sunshine await, but just a few degrees cooler than most of the Queensland based crew are used to...

The Archambault 40 is currently leading the Audi IRC National Championship, and this weekend is all about acclimatising for the looming Audi Sydney to Gold Coast offshore race at the end of July, as well as sharpening up their teamwork and tidying up some basic fundamentals that they felt was missing in their racing when they competed in the Yachting NSW IRC Championship at Sail Port Stephens in late April.

Owner and skipper Rod Jones has sailed in the area over the years in various classes, including the Tornadoes, and is delighted to see a regatta of the standard of Sail Port Stephens on the rise in the region.

'It's a truly great place to come for a family holiday that can involve some very competitive sailing - my wife loves Port Stephens, simply because there are so many family friendly things to do during the day while we're out on the water ' he said.

Alegria will be out on the water again at Port Stephens this weekend - Anthony Kelly Click Here to view large photo

For Rod, leaving Alegria at d'Albora Marina at Nelson Bay for the winter made perfect sense.

Apart from one Lake Macquarie yachtie, all the crew are from Queensland, and instead of trekking the boat back and forth from the warmer state for the rest of the season, Rod tucked her up in a pen at d'Albora for a very economical price, and flew the crew in for the weekend for an equally economical $39 one way Jetstar fare - direct into Newcastle Airport - an easy 40 min drive to the marina.

And it would appear that the conditions and expected wind and weather will work perfectly for the Alegria crew over the next 2 days, with 18 degrees the expected top accompanied by north/north westerly winds between 10 and 20 knots.

The Alegria boys return to Port Stephens...probably with a long sleeve t-shirt this weekend ! - Anthony Kelly Click Here to view large photo

It was the options of inshore and offshore that sold Rod on basing the boat in Port Stephens for the winter - as well as the fact that it is genuinely a beautiful place to sail.

'Being able to choose from a wide expanse of protected water inside the Bay, or to head out around the islands and offshore surrounds of Port Stephens means you get the most from your crew and give the boat a good run - I just find it's a really positive place to sail and we're all looking forward to coming back for Sail Port Stephens again in April next year !' he said.

Save the date for Sail Port Stephens 2010 - 12th to 18th of April.
Sail and Play at the Bay in 2010 - the best is yet to come.

by Jody O'Brien