Destination: Lexus Port Lincoln Regatta
Commodore's welcome
South Australia is a land of big skies and cascading peninsulas falling into azure blue gulfs, as typified by the beautiful Port Lincoln. For those who've just sailed from Adelaide or elsewhere to take part in the Lexus Port Lincoln Regatta, there is plenty to do for both the cruising sailor and the racer. Home to Australia’s biggest fishing fleet, deserted islands, secluded beaches and unbelievable fishing as well as notable Olympian gold medallist Dean Lukin, the peninsula town has plenty to offer the visitor.
But for a bit more fresh water, Port Lincoln might have become the capital of South Australia. So impressed was navigator Matthew Flinders with the massive natural harbour and surrounding countryside that he named the area in honour of his native Lincolnshire in England.
He was right to be overcome by this spot on the Eyre Peninsula coast ‘ with its green, wooded hills rolling down to the glistening blue waters of Boston Bay (at three times the size of Sydney Harbour, it’s one of the world’s largest protected natural harbours). Halfway between Point Boston at the northern tip of the bay and Lincoln National Park to the south, lies Port Lincoln, the fishing and aquaculture hub of SA.
Home to 15,000 people, Port Lincoln is a thriving regional community and a perfect base from which to explore the southern Eyre Peninsula ‘ from fishing and sailing on Boston Bay to diving with Great White sharks, visiting aquaculture industries to exploring the area’s sheltered bays and surf beaches ‘ there are plenty of leisure options for the visitor.
Shopping, accommodation and dining options range from budget to luxury ‘ seafood is always on the menu (seasonal specialties include southern rock lobster, western king prawns, oysters and King George whiting).
There’s plenty of palate pleasing local wines to wash down the world’s greatest seafood, so fresh it’s still twitching. For punters, there's interest to with Makybe Diva’s owners having a home here, with artwork right on the foreshore to celebrate the enormous achievements that wonderful mare accomplished. And we have sharks too, big ones, (it can’t all be good!). But most importantly for us yachty types, its home to the biggest natural harbour (Boston Bay) in Australia, hand-made for whatever type of sailing you enjoy: flat water, breezes, and a huge, deep, safe expanse of salty H2O. The 31st Lincoln Week Regatta is an absolute must-do for anyone with a boat in the area at the time
On behalf of the Port Lincoln Yacht Club, please let me extend an invitation to you to be part of the Lexus Blue Water Classic, Adelaide to Port Lincoln yacht race, and Lincoln Week Regatta. This year's Lincoln Week has expanded from keelboats to include the national titles for sports boats and trailable yachts. We are hoping that competitors from around Australia will travel to experience a truly wonderful place to sail these types of yachts. Port Lincoln offers flat water and uncrowded harbour racing on the beautiful Boston Bay and scenic day races along the coastline. Add to this the inclusion of a multi-hull division, J24s and a cruising division, and the Lexus Lincoln Week is sure to be one to remember.
South Australia’s premier ocean race will be held for the 58th time starting on Friday, February 23, 2007. This year, the event will be held in conjunction with the Cruising Yacht Club of SA helping to co-ordinate the Adelaide end of the race. This is a race of 156 nautical miles finishing in the
Port Lincoln, the home to Australia’s largest fishing fleet and some of Australia’s premier cruising grounds, is the jewel in South Australia’s crown. Please come and compete in the race and stay on for the 32nd Lincoln Week Regatta
For those of you thinking of competing for the first time you won’t be disappointed. What sets the Lincoln Week Regatta apart from the rest is a well-run regatta with a huge serve of country hospitality. Come and sample some of Australia’s finest seafood and wines, all grown and caught locally. Crayfish, prawns, oysters and mussels just to name a few. All washed down with beautiful Eyre Peninsula wines. Worth the trip in itself! The event is a significant event on the Port Lincoln calendar and it’s a great atmosphere with the whole town getting behind the event.
Port Lincoln Yacht Club members work extremely hard to stage this event and your support as competitors is greatly appreciated. We hope that by listening to the competitors we continue to improve the event each year. The Port Lincoln Yacht Club is excited by the partnership with Lexus of Adelaide. With this support, the Lexus Blue Water Classic will remain the state’s premier ocean racing event. I personally hope that you can make the trip to Port Lincoln and enjoy some great sailing and even better times.
Andy Dyer
Commodore
Port Lincoln Yacht Club
Program
The LEXUS Blue Water Classic Adelaide to Lincoln race starts off Outer Harbour in the Gulf St Vincent. The Cruising Division starts at 1000hrs and Racing Divisions start at 1500hrs.Course length is approximately 150 nautical miles to Port Lincoln.
Lincoln Week races
Monday, February 26 – two races.
Tuesday, February 27 – Long race
Wednesday, February 28 – Short race followed by Spalding Cove BBQ
Thursday, March 1 ‘ two races
The Lexus Lincoln Week Presentation Night Dinner will be held at the Port Lincoln Yacht Club on Thursday evening.
Handicap system
Racing yachts will be allocated into two divisions of Arbitrary TCF Handicap at the discretion of the handicapping committee. Cruising and multi-hull yachts as per handicap sheets available at briefing.
Shoreside fun
Sunday event ‘ Adelaide-Lincoln Presentation Day and Quiet Little Drink. Where the yachties revel in grand style, dancing, drinking and eating heaps of fresh local seafood or for some the old favourite, a Greek Yiros.
Port Lincoln is the seafood capital of Australia so fish connoisseurs can partake in the gourmet lunch held in the upstairs dining room of the Port Lincoln Yacht Club ‘ catered for by local chef Tony Ford.
Music and dancing go well into the night ‘ a great way to start the week.
Wednesday ‘ Megga’s BBQ ‘ hosted by local maritime legend Geoff ‘Megga’ Bascombe. Boats race out to magnificent Spalding Cove in the morning and find the pristine Whitehaven Beach dotted with marquees, tables and chairs. There’s plenty of cold beer on ice and a hearty BBQ awaits the hungry sailors eager for a bit of R&R.
Thursday night ‘ Lincoln Week Presentation Night at the PLYC offering a cocktail party with gourmet seafood and fabulous local wine. The last official event that gives all the yachties the opportunity to revisit the week's events and say their farewells.
Navigation
Finding the fastest track to Port Lincoln will keep navigators busy, reports Steve Kemp.
The 156-mile Lexus Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race is one of Australia’s oldest yacht races. Each year up to 80 ocean racers compete for the Mathew Flinders Trophy.
Starting on the last Friday of February each year, the race takes the fleet across two gulfs and Investigator Straight. Traditionally, the summer weather sees a south to south-easterly wind pattern for the race.
The race starts off at Adelaide’s Outer Harbour at 1500 hours. The first leg is a short sprint to the seaside resort Semaphore then 40 miles across St Vincent’s Gulf to Marion Reef on the South Eastern tip of Yorke Peninsula. The course is 230’ and more often that not the race will start in a 15-20 knot south-westerly sea breeze. The key to this leg is not to overlay Marion Reef buoy. The wind generally backs to the south as the fleet get away from the Adelaide coast and it is important to know your tide calculations as current of up to two knots can be found in this gulf. Navigators need to monitor their cross track to ensure they don’t finish up in an overlay position on Marion Reef.
The next leg is from Marion Reef to Cape Spencer which is a leg along the foot of Yorke Peninsula. This leg is usually always sailed in darkness. The wind is usually trying to back to the E/SE (summer gradient wind) and often fades.
If there is a sign of wind dropping and no cloud cover then definitely stay away from the coast, especially Marion and Stenhouse Bays. The course for this leg is 255’ at 47 miles.
The majority of the fleet arrive at Cape Spencer between midnight and 0600 hours and often in light winds. Cape Spencer is a high headland and does have a wind shadow. From Cape Spencer, it’s a 45-mile leg on a course of 307’ to Dangerous Reef (famous for its White Pointer sharks). Navigators need to know the tidal flow for this leg. Often it is early morning with light winds across the course to Dangerous Reef. Rule of thumb is not to get caught too far east of the rhumbline as it can be very difficult getting back. Be aware of North East Rocks which are just west of the rhumbline and should be approached with caution. Once around Dangerous Reef, it’s a 12-mile leg on a course of 290’ into Cape Donnington at the southern entrance to Boston Bay. This leg is usually off the wind and yachts need to keep an eye to the south for the first signs of a sea breeze as they are often in this area of the race in the late morning to early afternoon.
From Cape Donnington, it is a six-mile leg across stunning Boston Bay to the finish off the end of the main wharf. This race is the perfect length as the majority of the fleet usually finish from midday to early evening on Saturday after about 20-26 hours at sea.
From the finish line, yachts proceed to the main recreational jetty for a cold beer and warm Port Lincoln welcome. Although often a downwind race, conditions can be testing and navigators need to be on their toes when rounding the rocky headlands and offshore reefs, especially near Cape Spencer.
Fleet at Port Lincoln
Lincoln Week Regatta starts on Monday, February 26, 2007, the day after the Q.L.D. (quiet little drink) at the Port Lincoln Yacht Club organised to celebrate and award the competitors of the Adelaide to Port Lincoln Yacht Race.
A flourishing fleet of keel boats, including six highly competitive and state-of-the-art Sydney 32s, are berthed at the Lincoln Cove Marina, 10 minutes drive from the club.
During the Lincoln Week Regatta, activities such as pre-race briefings and the presentation of the day’s winners are run on the boardwalk of the Marina Hotel, less than a stone’s throw from the keel boat berths.
There will be several new classes competing in the event this year with a major drawcard being the national sports boats and trailerables titles to be run in conjunction with the regatta.
There will be the uncompromising win-at-all-costs Racing Division with Adelaide-based Lincoln Week Regatta stalwart yacht Secret Men’s Business (Geoff Beottcher) heading the list of big boats competing in the regatta. Super maxi Skandia Wild Thing will have another crack at the Adelaide-Lincoln race record but it’s hard to pin her down for Lincoln Week participation. This year’s sponsor, Lexus, will be there again for the week with their Sydney 38 – keen starters after a taste of Port Lincoln hospitality and superb racing on flat water last year.
The six (so far) Sydney 32s will as usual be conducting their race within a race routine providing both entertainment and spectacle for all involved. These boats race each other all season in their own One design division and will represent serious competition to all participants in the Racing division.
The Adelaide-based J24 sailing class will be assembling to do battle out on the fabulously flat waters of Boston Bay too in yet another first for Lincoln Week, adding even more spark and colour to an already buzzing event.
In its second year, the cruising fleet will once again be part of the competition participating in less arduous ‘round the cans’ racing. In the case of Lincoln Week, that will also mean around the islands, coves and beaches in the bay ensuring that newcomers get a good look at the stunning coastline and natural beauty of the area during the course of the race. Weather-permitting; the fleet will be witness to as many local treasures as possible during the races. The cruising division is ideal for trailer-sailors or fixed-keel boats not into the rigors of windward-leeward racing. It’s still competitive with an arbitrary handicap system and some kite work but nothing too strenuous with an emphasis on fun!
The entries list on the PLYC website at this moment also shows three multi-hulls are registered for Lincoln Week. This will again be another first for the regatta and shows the interest visitors have in sailing on this magnificent expansive harbour.
The whole week is designed to cater for the specific needs of yachties – whether competitive, cruising or somewhere in between. This regatta has the reputation of being one of the friendliest in Australia so why not toss off those mooring lines, get a bunch of mates together and come on down South in the last week of February and see what all the noise is about’
Club profiles
Port Lincoln Yacht Club
Situated on the Boston Bay foreshore, the PLYC is a hive of activity throughout the year, particularly in summer. Established in 1931, the PLYC is recognised as one of the best regional sailing facilities in Australia.
The clubrooms are ideally situated on the foreshore of the main beach. The PLYC is within walking distance of local cafes, restaurants, banking, the town’s post office and the major shopping precinct.
Its enthusiastic group of sailors compete in a variety of classes. Holdfast Trainers, 420s, Sharpies, Lasers, Mosquitoes and a healthy Sailability fleet adorn the beach and adjoining lawn area on most weekends during the sailing season. The administration and general running of the club including on-water coaching, support vessels and staff, start boats and race officials is all voluntary. The only paid staff being the ever patient bar manager,
The PLYC has around 300 members and a busy calendar of events, from a comprehensive junior sailing program to Sailability class competitions and regular weekend racing for dinghies, multi-hulls and keelboats. The PLYC also hosts a couple of national championships a year, including the popular Blue Water Classic, an annual ocean race from Adelaide to Port Lincoln.
Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia
The CYCSA has around 1200 members and is located 22 kilometres from the Adelaide CBD at North Haven, near Outer Harbour. Established in 1973 by life members Arthur Carolan, Richard ‘Dick ‘Fidock AO and Malcolm Kinnaird AO. The club covers about 36 hectares, which includes water and land, and has berthing for 240 craft up to 22 metres and 150 hard-standing berths up to 12 metres.
During the year, the club holds many events such as the Premier’s Cup Regatta, which is the States’ most sought after IRC Trophy, the South Australian AUDI IRC Championship, The Great Southern Regatta, as well as our Musto Offshore series. The CYCSA’s extensive 2006-2007 racing program offers competitors some 80 races and six series to choose from. There is also a selection of five regattas, plus twilight racing twice a week throughout the summer months and short-handed racing throughout the entire year.
The club has recently begun a major rejuvenation of its facilities. An expansion program is also under way which will see 74 new berths created, some of which will be up to 35m.
With a long, proud history and association with the PLYC, the CYCSA is looking forward to again hosting the start of this year’s Lexus Blue Water Classic, which will also make up race four of the CYCSA Musto Offshore Series, as well as race eight of the South Australian Audi IRC Championship.
As always, all visiting competitors are invited to take part in the traditional pre-race twilight race and dinner which will be held at the CYCSA on Wednesday, February 21. The official pre-race briefing will be held at the club on Thursday, February 22, with the race beginning on Friday, February 23.
Profile: Yacht Lexus and owner James Mayo
With Lexus Australia back as the sponsor for the Blue Water Classic 2007, the Lexus Australia yacht is once more taking part in the event with owner James Mayo at the helm. James has an impressive background, having competed in the 1995 Americas Cup. He is a former world champion (Etchell Class) in 2000, and the line honours and handicap winner in the 1987 Sydney to Hobart.
Team Lexus consists of experienced sailors, with more than 100 Sydney-Hobart races between them. The crew includes Sean Kirkjian (skipper and principal helmsman), Matthew Shillington (Americas Cup sailor and Sydney-Hobart winner) and Marcus Burke (Sydney-Hobart winner and Australian and NSW Yachting Champion).
Team Lexus is currently preparing for the 2006 Sydney-Hobart and will compete in the Sydney 38 division, one of the most competitive divisions in the race. In the past three Sydney to Hobart races, Team Lexus has finished in the top three places in their division in two of the races.
‘The Team Lexus partnership has been going now for three years,’ James Mayo says. ‘We wanted a sponsor that matched our focus and image. The Lexus motto is ‘the pursuit of excellence’ and suits our vision perfectly.
‘As an owner of a Lexus RX 330, I am proud to say the sponsorship has been just as fantastic as the great experience of owning a car. We wanted a sponsor that had the same philosophy and attitude as ourselves and Lexus as a company have given us 100 per cent commitment and support to help us achieve the best results we can, on and off the water.
‘During the year, customers or partners of Lexus have the opportunity to drive the Team Lexus boat on Sydney Harbour with the guidance of professionals and some of the best yachtsman in the country.’
Team Lexus has participated in the Blue Water Classic many times and looks forward to the event every year. ‘Port Lincoln is such a fantastic place to visit,’ Mayo says. ‘The atmosphere during the regatta is vibrant and festive ‘ it is fun for everyone, sailor or not.
‘Last year, we finished in the medal placings during Lincoln Week and regarded it as one of the best regattas in the country. The conditions were just perfect with beautiful surroundings and flat water. The local people were so hospitable with BBQs and invitations to many functions.
‘This year, we are booking a trip to dive with the Great White sharks in a cage dive and we’re also booking a fishing trip. Port Lincoln boasts some of the best fishing in the world. This regatta is very much about having fun at the highest level with great racing on the bay of Port Lincoln.’
Guide
Restaurants
– The Moorings – A la carte specialising in fresh local seafood (overlooks Boston Bay)
– Sails Restaurant – A la carte (at the marina with views of the Marina)
– Boardwalk Bar & Bistro (at the marina with views of the marina)
– Del Giorno's Cafe Restaurant ‘ Italian-based cuisine with local seafood used extensively throughout the menu, also a great venue for breakfast (overlooks Boston Bay)
– Pier Hotel – quality pub meals (overlooks Boston Bay)
Accommodation
– Lincoln Cove Villas
– Lincoln Executive Apartments, Port Lincoln Marina Townhouses, Sandy Point Apartments (operated under Port Lincoln accommodation)
– The Marina Hotel and Apartments
– Sea Eyre Accommodation
– The Hilton
Attractions
Lincoln Cove
Aptly described as South Australia’s most exciting residential and marina developments, it offers:
– Waterfront real estate where boats are literally tied up at the door.
– A marina for yachts and pleasure craft.
– Berthing for Australia’s largest tonnage commercial fishing fleet, as well as servicing facilities and commercial areas, including workshop and storage facilities, fuel depot and chandlery.
Shark diving
Experience the thrill of getting up close to the amazing Great White. A number of companies operate from Port Lincoln, including Calypso Star Charter and Eco Cage Diving Experience.
Boston Bay wines
Where in Australia could you stand in a vineyard, look out to the sparkling blue water and watch dolphins at play’ Boston Bay Wines is a nine-hectare vineyard located six kilometres north of Port Lincoln on the Lincoln Highway.
Seafood and aquaculture trail
The seafood industry is a key economic factor for Eyre Peninsula as it produces over 65% of the state’s seafood. In Port Lincoln, you can experience this industry first hand by visiting the Fresh Fish Place where you can see how the local seafood is processed, or you can take a cruise with Triple Bay Charters where you will learn about the tuna industry. Within Lincoln Cove Marina, you can also take a cruise aboard the electrically powered Telsa and discover Australia’s largest fishing fleet, ‘Millionaires Playground’, and hear about the history of Port Lincolns’ various fishing industries.
Constantia Designer Craftsmen
Tour this Port Lincoln furniture design company and see why it’s one of only six in the world to receive full membership to the International Guild of Master Craftsmen.
Tours
Take a day or extended tour to the many attractions of the Eyre Peninsula, including Port Lincoln National Park, Coffin Bay National Park and the Gawler Ranges.
For further information, contact Tourism Eyre Peninsula
08 8682 4688; info@tep.com.au; www.tep.com.au
