When yachtsman Robert Alpe decided to move into bluewater racing with the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club he looked Australia-wide for the right boat and eventually chose a Fremantle based 32-footer he then sailed 2,500 nautical miles home to Pittwater with a small delivery crew. 

Stealth is a Kim Swarbrick designed 9.9m aluminium sloop built in 1998 by Australia 2 boat builder Steve Ward and named due to its unpainted aluminium finish resembling the bomber aircraft of the same name.

The boat is one of a growing list of entries for next January’s Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta opening event, an offshore race starting just north of Palm Beach headland on January 2.

For 2018 the RPAYC’s flagship ocean race has been combined into a new regatta format and combined pointscore with the Bartercard Sail Paradise Series, conducted by Southport Yacht Club on the Queensland Gold Coast January 6-9. This joint venture between two prominent, forward-thinking and friendly yacht clubs has created a perfect opportunity for sailors to stay on the Gold Coast with their families or friends and enjoy some great racing off Southport’s golden beaches.

Download the Notice of Race hereand enter here. Owners can choose to enter the monohull, multihull or short-handed categories and be scored under all of the popular handicap systems - IRC, ORCi and PHS.

Entries are open for the two exciting new curtain raisers for the 2018 east coast offshore sailing season – the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta and the Bartercard Sail Paradise series. 

The two events are presented jointly by Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast.

The 380 nautical mile Pittwater to Paradise race will start off the entrance to Pittwater, in Sydney, on January 2 and finish off Main Beach on the Gold Coast while Sail Paradise will be decided over four days of racing from January 6 to 8. The courses for Sail Paradise will be set just off the surfline of the Gold Coast’s famous sandy beaches.

Both events are open to the full spectrum of offshore racing yachts – from the upper echelon of racing monohulls and multihulls through to cruiser/racers.

Southport Yacht Club will host a series of special on-shore social events at the conclusion of the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise regatta and during Bartercard Sail Paradise. And, with it being high summer, a relaxing and festive holiday atmosphere will prevail at the club and across the Gold Coast.

For further information, or to lodge entries (not boats that enter the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta will be entered into the Sail Paradise Regatta and eligible for the Pittwater to Paradise Regatta Trophy), go to:
Bartercard Sail Paradise, Southport Yacht Club: www.sailparadise.com.au
Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club: www.pittwatertoparadise.com.au

Additional information can also be obtained from Southport Yacht Club Marketing Manager, Bronwen Hemmings via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 07 5591 3500
(Ends)

Kind Regards,
Bronwen Hemmings
Marketing Manager
Southport Yacht Club
1 Macarthur Parade
Main Beach QLD 4217
P: (07) 5591 3500
F: (07) 5532 7507
 

Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta: oldies and YD combine on Le Billet

Mark Tinworth and Mark Waterhouse, owners of the Pittwater based yacht Le Billet, intend to repeat their successful crew program and give youth sailors the run of their boat for a six- part offshore series that includes the Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise ocean race in early January 2018.

From a pool of 10 current and recent Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Youth Development graduates, the two Marks and YD coordinator Rachel Bower will pull together enough young sailors for a third crack at the club’s East Coast Bluewater Pointscore Series which runs annually between July and April.

YD sailor Clare Costanzo has raced the Beneteau 44.7 Le Billet to Southport three times, twice in the winter and once in January this year in what was a trial race from Pittwater to Southport in south-east Queensland.

“The fact the two Marks put together a crew that is half young and half experienced makes us all want to be part of it; we know we are going with friends but we have people to learn from at the same time,” Costanzo said.

“Skills are being passed on and you never stop learning when you are at sea. Last year in the Southport, YD sailor and rigger Rachel Bower was able to put her knowledge into practice and set up a jury rig. We all learned from this, and how to think on the spot.”

Costanzo’s offshore highlight came in the same race, “Two days of sending the boat down the waves with the kite up the whole way.”

Bower chimes in: “It’s a pretty amazing opportunity for us; there aren’t many owners who say ‘here’s a boat, bring six of your mates and go sailing’. Everyone on board is hard-working, we’ve proven we are serious and have competed with credible results.

“The two Marks are instrumental in teaching us, plus we have Steve McConaghy and whether it’s a lesson on sea-state or trim, he coaches us from the start line to the finish line. Once Clare and I were on watch with Steve in the middle of the night and asked him questions for three hours – and he was happy to answer all of them. Steve is a huge part of the magic on the boat,” Bower added.

The Club Marine East Coast Blue Water Pointscore Series (BWPS) is the The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s premier offshore Series, conducted along the east coast of Australia between September and April, which now includes the new Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta.

The 2017-18 Series begins with a Pittwater to Bird Island return race, which is situated north of Norah Head off the Budgewoi Peninsula and raced under Australian Sailing Category 3 requirements.

The Series format sees a wide range of Bluewater offshore conditions with distances ranging from 18 to 370 nautical miles and a mixture of Category 2 overnight races and Category 3 daylight races.  This diversity means it is a fantastic learning and training tool for any skipper or crew new to offshore racing and enjoyable for seasoned veterans who seek variety in their racing.  Many crews have used the Series to prepare themselves for taking on the diverse conditions of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

“Those who enter this series have the flexibility to do one or all the races and the Club will ensure that each team will have the best support possible to get the most from their racing.” said Brendan Rourke RPAYC Sailing Manager. 

The preparation and training involved with ocean racing is a massive undertaking and skippers are sometimes left scratching their heads in how to go about preparing their team.  Neil Driscoll who runs Above and Beyond Boating can’t speak highly enough of the RPAYC Blue Water Series.

“No one wants to go out go into a big race and sail for four days to come last.  The Blue Water Point Score Series prepares teams to work together to achieve better results.  July is a perfect time to start setting up for Southport.  It allows your team to acquire the certified training for the category upgrades and also prepares the boat and team for the start of the sailing season.” said Driscoll.

The Notice of Race for the new Club Marine Pittwater to Paradise Regatta is now online at http://www.pittwatertoparadise.com.au/race-documents.html and boat owners have until December 1, 2017 to register for Australia’s newest summer series at the best entry fee rate.

Announced back in April, the Pittwater to Paradise Regatta comprises two stages. The opening event is the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s 370 nautical mile ocean race starting from Pittwater to the north of Sydney on January 2, 2018 and finishing just off the Queensland Gold Coast at Southport.