Fluctuating tides & fortunes for Performance Series opener
Day 1 of the 2025 Sail Port Stephens Performance Series yesterday had a bit of everything – highly competitive racing on- and offshore, tropical islands, fluctuating tides, fluctuating fortunes and a hint of controversy.
The inaugural Super RC Division start off Nelson Bay breakwall created an impressive sight for spectators who’d earlier attended Anzac Day services. The nine-yacht fleet made slow progress through the Port Stephens headlands as the seabreeze mustered strength.
They eventually rounded a mark within 500m of beautiful Broughton Island, 14km to the north-east and reached home to a shortened course mark off Box Beach. Wild Oats X took line honours with an elapsed time of 2h45m, Triton finishing second in 3h9m.
Leading this impressive fleet on PHS is the Beneteau First 50 51st Project from the MDB62 Bumblebee V and Triton (Lyons 60). Wild Oats X took the IRC double from Bumblebee V and the Santa Cruz 72 Antipodes, owned by Geoff Hill.
The NSW Yachting Championship and Pallas Capital TP52 Gold Cup were brought inshore for the first time, with a trio of windward-leewards being completed in a easterly breeze that built to 12 knots.
In the TPs, the day belonged to Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan, which revelled in the flat waters to claim three bullets on IRC, leading home Seb Bohm’s Smuggler (9pts) and pre-series favourite Matador (11pts). It’s currently the same order for the class-based TPR handicap.
Controversy came in Race 2 when Matador unluckily snagged the windward mark tackle while sitting second. It slipped to last place and was later unsuccessful in gaining redress.
A similar fate befell the Cape 31 Kukukerchu at the gate mark, possibly indicating a quirk of the Port Stephens tide. The Farr 40 Zen was boat of the day, winning the first race then posting two seconds after an enthralling battle with KD1, another Farr 40.
Garry Holt’s Let’s Get It On, representing Southport Yacht Club, is lying third on 10pts, just ahead of the Bull 9000 Bullwinkle (11.5pts).
Today being the traditional Sailebration Saturday, all’s set for the most spectacular start ever seen off Nelson Bay from 11.30am, with the TP52s, NSW Yachting C’ship fleet and Super RCs all heading off from the breakwall.
Race management have chosen three different courses to suit the performance variances. The long legs of the passage races could see some moving and shaking in the results, with three more windward-leewards set to complete the inshore series tomorrow and one more passage race for the Super RCs.
Sail Port Stephens is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism agency Destination NSW, Port Stephens Council, Pantaenius Australia and subsidiary sponsors.
Event website: https://www.sailportstephens.com.au/
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