AUSTRALIAN SAILING (WORLD SAILING/RYA SYLLABUS)

To be held at the Royal Motor Yacht Club Clubrooms, 2-3 December, 46 Prince Alfred Parade, Newport, NSW 2106. 

Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise continues to grow and now competitors’ will be chasing a World Speed Sailing record.

The entry list for January’s Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta continues to grow with a quality fleet of boats coming from Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand for the 2 January race start.

In addition to IRC, ORCi and Performance handicap categories and Line Honours trophies which includes a newly commissioned Perpetual Trophy for Overall IRC winner, this year’s Fleet will also be aiming to establish a World Sailing Speed Record for the course from Pittwater to Southport which has been recognised by the World Speed Sailing Records Council. www.sailspeedrecords.com

The RPAYC's Rear Commodore Sal Ridulfo is one of the latest entries in his Beneteau First 44.7 Racer/Cruiser Galileo who is looking forward to restarting his east coast bluewater racing after a few years gap from his previous forays north to Southport and Mooloolaba in his previous boat Plus 16 a Farr11.16.

Entries close on December 1 for the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta and so far a healthy international fleet of 25 yachtsranging in size and concentrated in the 40-50ft zone are starters for the race north and chance to compete in subsequent Queensland state championships as part of the annual Bartercard Sail Paradise Series.

There is still time to enter the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta here.

The 370 nautical mile coastal race, between Broken Bay and Southport on the Queensland Gold Coast starting at 1pm on January 2, 2018, is both an endurance and tactical test. Crews will dedicate every hour to covering the distance in the quickest time for the chance to be named the overall winner and highly contested IRC category winner, who will take home a striking new custom-made perpetual trophy.

Host club, The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, is delighted to announce that the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Race has been officially recognised by the World Sailing Speed Record Council and the 2018 line honours result will be recorded, and then be open to subsequent challenges.

Sailing manager Brendan Rourke says, “We encourage the likes of the TP52s and others of that size range not doing the Rolex Sydney Hobart to seriously consider such a rare opportunity in Australian waters, to be included in the WSSRC’s record books.”

Mick Martin’s TP52 Frantic and Bob Cox’s DK46 Nine Dragons out of Middle Harbour are both likely starters and in that case would be the leading contenders for a WSSRC listing, unless a bigger boat comes in over the top.

This year’s Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta will now crown a new Queensland state champion. At the conclusion of the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise (Pittwater to Gold Coast) race, a four-day regatta off the Gold Coast beaches, the Bartercard Sail Paradise Regatta, will now host the Queensland IRC Yachting Championships. 

The title will be open to all competitors, Nationwide. 

The host club for the regatta, the Southport Yacht Club, are excited about adding the state title to their annual premier regatta.

Southport Yacht Club Vice Commodore Ray McMahon said yesterday "we are ecstatic about adding the official state title to our regatta. It’s an exciting regatta that will now crown an official state champion".

The Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta will attract yachts from Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand. It is the largest sailing regatta annual held on the Gold Coast.

Ray McMahon went on to say, "it will have a real 'State of Origin' feel with the traditional New South Wales v Queensland rivalry. The NSW teams are very formidable but once they cross into our waters we won't be giving them any favour. Plus add in the New Zealand contingent and its 'game on'. We WON'T be letting a visiting boat take our state title home”.