With rainbows, sunshine and a breeze built to please, the 2026 Sail Port Stephens Performance Series opened in memorable style yesterday on a picture-perfect Port Stephens backdrop.
Racing was initially paused for an hour while a pesky westerly gradually relented to an incoming south-easterly that filled in at 10–12 knots, delivering three enthralling races across the key performance divisions.
An 18-knot squall accompanied a brilliant rainbow that the planing boats relished, much to the delight of onlookers.
Consistency proved critical as crews sought clear wind lanes to establish momentum for the weekend ahead. Among the standout performers of the day was Matador, owned and skippered by David Doherty, dominating the TP52 fleet with three bullets on scratch and IRC, along with two 1sts and a 2nd on TPR. It won most of the starts, displaying a settled performance throughout.
Seb Bohm’s Smuggler was next best, sitting on 8pts overall on TPR and 10 on IRC. The RP52 Virago, though not strictly a TP, led the fleet briefly at the final top mark but narrowly lost out to Matador on the final run. The blue-hulled CYCA entry currently sits 3rd on IRC, tied for 3rd with Gordon Ketelby’s Zen in TPR.
Equally commanding in Division 2 was Beau Ideal (Karl Kwok), posting three firsts across line honours, IRC, and ORC. The Botin-designed flyer from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club thrived in the conditions, remaining unbeaten on scratch even while pressed by John Bacon’s sleek Dunning 44 Edge.
A surprise of the day was Don’t Panic, the trailable Bethwaite 89er from Fremantle WA, which sits in 2nd overall. Skipper David Davenport competes against larger yachts but consistently leveraged the leeward end of the start line to find fresh air.
In Division 3, featuring the Cape 31 Nationals, Sam Haynes on Celestial C31 upheld the trend with three wins, positioning the CYCA entry well ahead of today’s passage race. Following are Trex (Robert Engwirda), Game On (Julian Newton), and Dirty Deeds (Alan Stein).
Sadly, the C31 Kukukerchu is a scratching after trouble during delivery; two crew members were safely winched to safety, but the yacht remains stranded on rocks off Fingal Bay.
Lighter winds are predicted for the Passage Race on Day 2.
Second on IRC and ORC is the Farr 40 Bluetack, representing Brent Lawson’s Middle Harbour Yacht Club.
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Sail Port Stephens is supported by the NSW Government tourism agency Destination NSW and Port Stephens Council.
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