Manly Cove is set for a huge day this Saturday 17th October 2026 as the Port Jackson Championship contested by 16ft & 13ft Skiffs returns.
85 skiffs, 200 sailors and $35,000 in prizemoney are on the line as Manly 16ft Skiff Club hosts one of the sport’s most historic events. The Port Jackson Championship carries a rich history dating back to 1949/50, when it was run by the Port Jackson Club, which sailed on the main harbour near the Sydney Harbour Bridge and was the first club to sail 16ft skiffs. After the Port Jackson Club folded in 1954/55, the NSW 16ft Skiff Association organised the event for two seasons before Manly 16s took over the Championship from 1957/58. In 2023, the Manly 16ft Skiff Club revived the event as a highlight of its racing calendar.
The community is invited to wander down to East and West Esplanade on Saturday morning to meet the sailors as they rig their boats. Manly’s 13ft Skiff Division, catering for teenage sailors, will also be rigging on the grass adjacent to the Skiff Club, providing spectators the chance to meet the next generation of the sport.
16ft skiffs are a uniquely Australian, high-performance, three-person mixed-gender dinghy, with a history of over 100 years of racing at Manly.
Spectators are welcome inside the Club for lunch before the mass start, scheduled for 1.30pm adjacent to the Skiff Club. Sail-Media will stream the race live on YouTube and on the Club’s big screens. The fleet will race down the harbour, sailing past landmarks including the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge — a spectacle that captures the spirit of the sport.
There is nowhere else in the world where Olympic and international-class sailors mix with weekend warriors for consistently close, boat-on-boat racing against the stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Last year’s fleet featured four Olympic Gold Medallists, including 2010 World Sailor of the Year Tom Slingsby, who crewed for the Club’s current champion, 22-year-old Zoe Dransfield, taking out the win on scratch alongside 20-year-old Jamie Stodart. The hand-to-hand combat racing combined with the star power of Slingsby and three other Olympic sailors in the fleet kept viewers enthralled right to the finish.
“I feel really privileged to have had the opportunity to sail with Slingers. He’s obviously an incredible sailor but also super humble and encouraged us to contribute to the tactical decisions too,” Zoe said.
Racing is expected to conclude around 5.30pm, when the community is invited to join the sailors back at the Club to celebrate this year’s winners, with $35,000 in prizemoney to be awarded.
The Manly 16ft Skiff Club has been home to 16ft skiff sailing at Manly for more than 100 years. The Club has run the Port Jackson Championship, one of the class’s most historic events, since 1957/58 and revived it as a calendar highlight in 2023.
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