Sail Peninsula 2026 is shaping up to be one cracking weekend — but here’s the truth of it: none of it happens without boats on the water.

This regatta is for sailors, friends and all – something for everyone - come and join in the fun.

The racing, the camaraderie, the stories at the bar afterwards — it all starts with you entering and turning up on the start line. So, if you’ve been sitting on the fence… this is your nudge. Rally the crew, dust off the sails and get your entry in. The more boats we have, the better the racing, the better the buzz, and the better the weekend for everyone.

And once you’re back on shore? That’s where Sail Peninsula really comes into its own.

 

For the first time, OTB classes are joining SP26, which means the boat yard will be very much in use throughout the weekend. As a result, all evening dining and entertainment will be held upstairs in the clubhouse — creating a lively, social hub where everyone comes together post-racing.

Please don’t leave ticket bookings to the last minute — once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Ease into the weekend with relaxed dining and good company — the perfect chance to catch up with mates, talk racing and get in the groove for the days ahead. Enjoy the chilled vibe from local Duo “Kevin and Dee” better known as “The Calmer Miles” with their acoustic favourite's, easy-listening classics and laid-back crowd pleasers.

Saturday has had a glow-up. This year it’s a cocktail-style event, designed for sailors who don’t want to be pinned to a chair all night and will feature “DJ Matthew - live saxophonist” - a DJ with a difference. Mixing all your favourite classic hits as he also steps out from behind the decks weaving his smooth, soulful sax lines to a table near you.

Food will be served progressively from 7:00pm – 8.30/9pm, so to ensure you enjoy all the offerings, please make sure you arrive before this time. Late arrivals risk missing some of the good stuff — and no one wants that.

Our trusty SP26 bus will also be available to ferry those who need it back and forth on Friday & Saturday nights so you can all have a good time.

Add live entertainment, a packed room of sailors and that unmistakable Sail Peninsula energy, and you’ve got a night that promises to be one of the highlights of the weekend.

Sail Peninsula 2026 is about great racing, great people and great nights ashore. Whether you’re chasing silverware, chasing laughs, or chasing the dance floor — this weekend delivers.4

So:

• Enter your boat HERE
• Book your tickets early 
• Commit to the full Sail Peninsula experience

We can’t wait to see the fleet on the water — and everyone upstairs afterwards, glass in hand, swapping stories well into the night. 

 

Howdy Gang. Well, we finally got to sail on a Sunday. And for once the BOM got it completely wrong in our favor -Yay! Our pessimistic pals at the Bureau forecast rain, thunderstorms and even hail! Luckily, we got none of that.

   

A brilliant morning saw upwards of 13 juniors and their families filling up the yard, with Nick, James, Fiona and the rest of their band of merry helpers running a tight show. And to reward them all for their patience and perseverance re; the crap weather canceling so many of their on water sessions, a mirror like bay built to a nice gentle breeze, just perfect to get a whole bunch of eager kids on the water. Then finished off with a sausage sizzle run by the parents.

 

This group; trainers, kids and parents are doing an amazing job and are to be commended. This stuff doesn't happen by just showing up on Sunday morning either, a lot of background work goes in beforehand. They have the full support of the committee, but a little extra support from the rest of us would go a long way. Helping to pack up when you get there, or even just some words of appreciation and encouragement is not too much to ask. Do it.....please.

 

Back to the afternoon. That gentle breeze (from the North of all things) steadily built to around 15 knots then did the expected swing to the South and kept building to 20-ish with some ripper gusts coming over the hill. I, like a few others hit the water early in case that was all we got! Geoff and the gang laid a nice short course beach side of the mussel farm and eventually enough boats ventured out into those strange waves left by the Northerly. 'A' Class Anthony and Taipan Nick (doesn't have quite the same ring, does it?) wisely stayed put on the sand and Luke M swapped out his Moth for a Laser, as did Hamish Mc. After selling his Impulse, Doc T teamed up with new member, Christina C in a one of the new Pacers. Through an oversight, the Pacers came without auto bailers, so that became Doc's job as the waves put in more water than was comfortable. With Unca Dunc Mc back for his first sail for a while, it gave us five 420s, four Lasers, three Impulses, three Sabres (I got my podium finish!), two Tasars, two Quests, a Pacer and a partridge in a pear tree! 

 

Race one was very edgy, with the wind over 15 knots but with lots of gusts it felt higher (to me anyway) but everyone got around ok. Doc looked like he had ruptured the femoral artery of the Pacer going by the amount of fluid he was bailing out! 

 

Race two and a wind shift had the rhib boys racing as well to get us away smartly in slightly less breeze, much more comfortable. The shorter courses helped keep the fleet bunched up for better turnaround times too. After the second race a few boats headed in, but the die hards hung in there and as the sun came out, were rewarded with a third start in much lighter conditions, almost boring after the first two, but we'll take it any day.  A nice sail back to the beach rounded out the day perfectly. And all that rain we were supposed to get? Two drops as we were packing up, noice! 

 

So, all up, twenty boats on a day when our A Class guys were away doing nationals and 4 of our regular Sabres were out, James on duty and Di and Fi at Somers YC at a Sabre Ladies training day (Fi took 1st, Di 3rd) was a pretty good turnout. We even had Matt, one of the junior dads (quite an accomplished sailor) who took 5-year-old son Parker out in a Quest and did the first two races, as did James A with another junior, 8-year-old Henry. This bodes very well and is a credit to them all.

 

Next up on the agenda is the OTB part of Sail Peninsula. This is two Sundays away and as yet hardly any entries. Come on team, this is our inaugural try of OTBs at SP and we want to make it something worth extending. Two days of racing- and a hat! - for 50 bucks, good value. Entries close Monday 16th, so go to the Sail Peninsula web page, or open your Sailor App, go to 'regattas', find Sail Peninsula 26 (it's the third one down) and enter. You will need your insurance details and Aus Sailing number. If you don't know your AS number, Google 'AS number finder', type in your name and Bam! there it is in 2 seconds, finally a web site that works! So don't delay, enter now - please. You won't be able to rock up and enter on the day.

 

That's enough whining from me, sorry, so lastly a big thanks to the race team of Geoff, Super D, Simon H, James T, Mark L, Greg W and Nathan A. Legends all.

Cheers for now, Pete Chippy

 

 

 

We cracked the twenty mark! Twenty boats raced for the Mustang Sally on Friday evening, and a spirited Rick Rogers of L’esprit proudly received the trophy from the hands of Di Jackson herself. Second and Third home were Perception and Balance. Little Ninjo thought she was doing OK for a while, but it wasn’t to be. Nineteenth.

 

Thanks to Elaine, Amanda and Jude for managing our fun.

 

I think as a club, we’re doing OK to get that number of keelboats out for a Twilight. I remember over the period the Nicholas family were at our old club, the Darwin Sailing Club, the keelboat fleet dwindled from a healthy trailer sailor and keelboat fleet, with five S80’s fighting it out on Sundays, to virtually nothing. OTB continued to thrive with Tasars and Minnows taking over from a mainly catamaran fleet, hosting Tasar and Minnow Nationals, sending Tasars and Minnows to Nationals interstate, even a 420 representing Australia at a Worlds in Sweden. A container load of Darwin Minnows has even arrived for this weekend’s 50^th Victorian Minnow Championships at Blairgowrie! So cheers to us at SBSC for the Mustang Sally turnout. And let’s have such fun over the sail Peninsula weekend too!

 

Perception won the AMS from Patriot and Shimmer.  Patriot??? Congratulations to Peter Russell as Patriot’s new owner. Lovely boats, the J/133s. Over two decades old and still a great design. I remember our days racing with the Royal Ocean Racing Club on the Solent in the family First 40.7 the hardest boat to beat in our class was a J/122 sailed by a bunch of Galois-smoking Frenchmen. The skipper was the only one who understood English. The year we won 4^th in IRC1 in the Fastnet (2007) the RORC season overall was won by a J/133, with the Frenchmen in their J/122 second.

 

The usual stalwarts turned out for Sunday’s Summer Sunday race. We sailed Course 21, chosen and managed by Graeme Hopgood assisted by La Mer and Jude. SB1, then down to SB2, then Yellow Pile and Green followed by a jaunt out to SB1 again then home. Very pleasant conditions. We couldn’t seem to get Little Ninjo going while Mr Bojangles decided adventurously to seek the shore breeze under the mountain and found none. The race was won by Perception from Shimmer (line honours) and Empara. AMS went to Shimmer followed by the two Sydney 32s Perception and Empara, ORC to Shimmer, Perception and Ninjo.

Ninjo is leading the series under PHS, AMS and ORC. Better get the bottom scrubbed.

Oh, and the Ghost Mark has been exorcised. R1 is back!

1st	L’Esprit	Rick Rogers
2nd	Perception	Fiona Jones
3rd	Balance	Mark Bulka

 

1st	Perception	Fiona Jones
2nd	Patriot	Peter Russell
3rd	Shimmer	Jac & Steve Twentyman

 

1st	Perception	Fiona Jones
2nd	Shimmer	Jac & Steve Twentyman
3rd	Empara	Peter Jones

 

1st	Shimmer	Jac & Steve Twentyman
2nd	Perception	Fiona Jones
3rd	Empara	Peter Jones

 

This Week’s Racing 

 

Race Start Time	12.55H Boat Start
Race Officer	Amanda Malin
Duty Boat	L'Esprit
Set Up/Results	Amanda

 

 

The Port Fairy Yacht Race on Friday 13 February is a much-loved offshore event sailed in favourable summer conditions. The 135 NM course delivers a mix of coastal scenery and classic offshore racing, finishing with warm hospitality, all-weather berthing, and great camaraderie at the Port Fairy Yacht Club. 

 

For those focused on preparedness and safety, our Safety & Sea Survival Course returns on Sunday 1 March. Delivered by highly experienced offshore sailors and aligned with Australian Sailing standards, this course is ideal for sailors planning offshore races or coastal passages. 

 

ORCV’s very popular annual Port Phillip Heads and Rip Tour will be held on Sunday 22 March, departing Queenscliff at 12 noon. During the tour, a highly experienced navigator provides expert commentary on navigating this gateway, where underwater reefs limit the navigable entrance to just 0.6 nautical miles.