Rainbows frame Sail Port Stephens Performance opener
With rainbows, sunshine and a breeze built to please, the 2026 Sail Port Stephens Performance Series opened in memorable style yesterday on picture-perfect Port Stephens backdrop.
Rainbow ©Promocean Media
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 and delivered three enthralling races across the key performance divisions.
As if that wasn’t good enough, an 18-knot squall accompanied a brilliant rainbow which the planing boats relished – as did the onlookers.
Bluetack ©Promocean Media
Beau Ideal ©Promocean Media
Consistency proved critical from the outset as crews looked for 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, which stamped its authority on the TP52 fleet, taking three from three bullets on scratch and IRC, while posting two 1sts and a 2nd on TPR. It won most of the starts and looked settled at all times.
Matador ©Promocean Media
Seb Bohm’s Smuggler was best of the rest, sitting on 8pts overall on TPR and 10 on IRC. The RP52 Virago, racing in the division despite not being a true TP, at one stage led the fleet at the final top mark but narrowly lost out to Matador on the final run. The blue-hulled CYCA entry sits 3rd on IRC and equal 3rd with Gordon Ketelby’s Zen on TPR.
Smuggler ©Promocean Media
Equally commanding, in Division 2, was Beau Ideal (Karl Kwok) as it posted three firsts in Division 2 and the Super 40 division respectively – on line honours, IRC and ORC. The Botin-designed flyer, representing Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, found the conditions ideal and was also unbeatable on scratch, although pressed at times by John Bacon’s sleek Dunning 44 Edge.
Surprise packet of the day was Don’t Panic, the trailable Bethwaite 89er, that sits in 2nd overall. From Fremantle WA, skipper David Davenport is up against the Goliaths, giving away many metres of boat length, but he consistently owned the leeward end of the start line to find fresh air when needed.
Don’t Panic ©Promocean Media
In Division 3, which includes the Cape 31 Nationals, it was Sam Haynes on Celestial C31 that continued the storyline – three wins setting the CYCA entry up well ahead of today’s passage race. Next in line are Trex (Robert Engwirda), Game On (Julian Newton) and Dirty Deeds (Alan Stein).
Sadly, the C31 Kukukerchu is a scratching after striking trouble on the delivery. Two crew members were safely winched to safety but the yacht remains stuck on rocks off Fingal Bay.
Celestial C31 ©Promocean Media
Cape 31 Game On ©Promocean Media
Lighter winds are predicted for the Passage Race on Day 2.
Second on IRC and ORC is the Farr 40 Bluetack, Brent Lawson’s Middle Harbour Yacht Club entry.
ANZAC reflection leads to memorable racing at Sail Port Stephens
ANZAC Day provided a moving backdrop to Day 2 of the 2026 Sail Port Stephens Performance Series, where remembrance gave way to some of the most memorable racing of the regatta so far.
The start was postponed off Nelson Bay, allowing crews to savour the spectacle of an RAAF jet flyover while race official Ted Anderson read the Ode over the VHF, followed by a minute’s silence observed across the course.
Principal Race Officer Dennis Thompson then made the prudent call to take the armada offshore in the hope of finding wind. His prayers were duly answered by, of all things, a summer-style seabreeze that elbowed the westerly out of the way and reached 10 knots by the start. From there, the passage race came alive.
Division 1 and 2 fleets headed off on Course 11, taking them seawards towards the spectacular Broughton Island, while the Division 3 boats settled in for a shorter, more tactical Course 12, comprising a close reach across a stretch known as Providence Bay before rounding a mark off Bennetts Beach.
The TP52 Gold Cup Act 3 and Division 1 of the NSW IRC Yachting Championship again showcased world-class close racing, with First Light (Peter White) finally breaking Matador’s run of line honours victories in dramatic fashion.
First Light ©Promocean Media
White’s crew powered clear offshore but they were almost mowed down by a fast-finishing Matador on a gybing duel inside the port, the final gap being just 24 seconds. David Doherty’s Matador then underlined why it remains the benchmark of the fleet by turning that into a corrected-time win of around two minutes.
The result keeps Matador firmly in control of overall standings, though Smuggler continues to apply pressure in second, while First Light’s breakthrough keeps the leaderboard honest heading into the final stages.
With eight TP52s contesting the series, and two races to be played out, the battle for podium places remains very much alive. On TPR it’s Matador (5pts) leading Smuggler (10pts) with Highly Sprung and First Light tied on 18pts.
Matador ©Promocean Media
If there was a statement performance of the day, it came from Western Australia’s Don’t Panic. The Bethwaite 89er, owned by David Davenport, relished the freshening seabreeze and downwind conditions, using its speed under spinnaker to defeat regatta leader Beau Ideal by more than 10 minutes on corrected time.
Don’t Panic ©Promocean Media
Hong Kong entry Beau Ideal still holds the overall lead, but Ambition remains within striking distance after another composed performance, while Edge is still close enough to capitalise on any mistake.
Third on handicap in Race 4 was Ambition, Chris Dare’s Botin Carkeek GP42 which is sailing a consistent series. Overall, Stratacare Racing Flyaway (Jim O’Hare) holds third place on 15pts.
The Super 40 title is within Beau Ideal’s reach, although it’s exceptionally close at the top. The Hong Kong-registered Botin sits on 7pts, while Ambition is 8.5 and Edge 12.5 with potentially two races still to play out.
Beau Ideal ©Promocean Media
In Division 3, Celestial C31 once again looked untouchable. Sam Haynes’ Cape crusader claimed both line- and handicap honours in Race 4, extending its grip on the division standings.
Road Runner fought hard to finish second after correction, while fellow Cape 31 Trex stayed in touch with third and remains one of the few boats capable of challenging if conditions swing its way.
The chasing pack is tightly compressed after the four races, with Trex (16pts), Road Runner (16.5) and Brent Lawson’s Farr 40 Bluetack (17) all vying for the lower podium positions.
The Cape 31 Nationals leaderboard sees Celestial holding off Trex by 5pts and Game On by 7pt, so theoretically Haynes and his crew can still be pipped. Conditions today will suit the light air specialists – it may even jeopardise the racing if the morning westerly continues to play tricks.
Celestial C31 ©Promocean Media
ORC honours for the Rob Hampshire Cup have Beau Ideal and Celestial C31 both leading by 9pts from Ambition/Edge and Road Runner respectively. Equal 3rd in Division 3 ORC are Bluetack and Trex on 14pts.
Attention now turns to the final day, where light and uncertain conditions are forecast. If the morning westerly plays tricks again, race management and tacticians alike could face their toughest challenge yet.
Cats, cruisers, dinghy classes next up for Sail Port Stephens
With Acts 1 and 2 of Sail Port Stephens 2026 now successfully tucked in the sail bag, attention turns to the third and final Super Series running May 1-3, featuring the inaugural Cat Stephens regatta for multihulls, a Super Racer Cruiser division and a host of off-the-beach dinghy classes.
The yacht and multihull fleets will sail a passage race each day, with the start/finish line off the breakwall at Nelson Bay. Leading the way will be the Reichel Pugh 66 Wild Oats X, being campaigned by Phil Harmer from Hamilton Island Yacht Club, and it will be joined by David Gotze’s 60-footer Triton, Walter Carpenter’s glorious Marten 67 Caol Ila and other notables.
Wild Oats X © Promocean Media
Smallest in this blue-ribbon fleet are the Lyons 49 Wine-Dark Sea (Peter Lowndes) and Beneteau First 50 51st Project (Julian Bell), the latter sailing its third consecutive series.
Among the catamarans making their first foray to Sail Port Stephens are four Seawinds – Chillout, Reflection, Sea Glass and Sea Twist – and they’ll mix it with a Lightwave 38, Lagoon 450F and Atlantic 48.
At the same time, five Corsair tris will hit the line running – with good breeze they may give Wild Oats X a run for its money.
The off-the-beach Bay Series being hosted by Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club’s Bay Sailing Centre will have 63 starters among the RS Aeros, Oks, Finns, 5o5s, Lasers, B14s and more.
Over the Anzac weekend, the Sail Port Stephens Performance Series proved to be one of the most competitive in the event’s 19-year history, courtesy of a weather pattern that made sailors wait each day but rewarded patience with perfectly timed easterly breezes of 5-15 knots.
In the prestigious NSW IRC Championships, which included the TP52 Gold Cup and Cape 31 Nationals, three yachts were almost unbeatable from Day 1, however the podium positions were hotly contested.
Performance Series Division 1
David Doherty, owner/skipper of the TRP52 Matador, showed remarkable consistency in anything but consistent breezes, the boat and crew able to overcome the odd mistake or misfortune and convincingly claim Division 1 and the TP52 Gold Cup Act 3.
Matador © Promocean Media
“We’ve got a good group of people,” Doherty said. “We were deep in races a few times and we wiggled out of them.”
In Race 6 on Sunday, the crew were late across the line, tacked off to avoid being gassed, and ultimately rounded the top mark second, behind First Light. Matador then edged ahead on the final run.
In Saturday’s passage race it pulled back several minutes on First Light with a gybing dual, finishing just 20 second in arrears. Virago was able to take line-honours in the final race.
Matador has now claimed three NSW IRC Yachting Championships, equalling Marcus Blackmore’s TP Hooligan.
“It’s a great spot to sail,” Doherty added. “The water looks so clear and clean, it’s a great place to be – a good place in the world, really.”
Performance Series Division 2
Steering Karl Kwok’s Botin 40 Beau Ideal, representing Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, Gavin Brady said the regatta gave the international crew all the competition they could ask for – and more.
Beau Ideal © Promocean Media
“We built this boat last year in England and did the Admirals Cup for Hong Kong,” the former Olympian and America’s Cup legend said. “We then decided to ship it to Australia because the Super 40 fleet is so strong down here.
“I’m really glad we did because an Easter regatta in England a few weeks ago had, like, eight boats whereas here we had 15 boats, really good boats, in our class.”
Following the Australian season, Beau Ideal will return to England for the 2027 Admirals Cup. Brady was full of praise for Sail Port Stephens and the NSW Yachting Championship format.
“The first time we came to Port Stephens with our owner, Karl Kwok, was 10 to 12 years ago, and all the racing was offshore,” Brady said. “Now we come back and all the racing is in the harbour, which is so much more exciting because there’s so many lead changes.
“There’s also a good vibe from the race management and the organisers, and it filters down to the sailing teams, where it just feels positive. I’ve sailed all around the world and it’s definitely one of the one of the best regattas I’ve sailed in a long time.”
Performance Series Division 3
Sam Haynes claimed Division 3 and the Cape 31 title with five bullets out of six, his only blemish being a 3rd on IRC in the final race. Fifteen years of prior experience in both TP52s and J70s at Sail Port Stephens all met in the middle with the Celestial C31 campaign.
Celestial C31 © Promocean Media
“Yeah, it was a good weekend – we’re really happy, really happy,” Haynes said. “Obviously it’s good to have a program that goes all the way through – plenty of one-design sailing, experienced team on board, and we’ve been sailing together now in the Cape 31 for a little bit, which has sharpened us up.”
Haynes praised Rob Greenhalgh, tactician and sailing master, for managing the program and dialling in the Cape 31’s sails and rig.
Of the Cape 31, Haynes added: “They’ve got all the features of a big boat, all the controls, all the sort of technicalities, so you can really tune them, and they really respond. And they’re small enough to be able to take advantage of all the shifts. You can tack easily, gybe easily and it’s very quick to manoeuvre.”
Regatta results: www.sailportstephens.com.au/results/
For more information, visit www.sailportstephens.com.au/performance-racing/
Sail Port Stephens is supported by the NSW Government tourism agency Destination NSW and Port Stephens Council.
