Entries close today for 174th Australia Day Regatta

3:27 AM Wed 20 Jan 2010 GMT

'Australia Day Regatta - Tio Hia, Ranger and Sylvia at the finish' Peter Campbell &copy

Entries for the 174th Australia Day Regatta close today with the Sailing Office at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, with regatta organisers expecting up to 140 yachts and skiffs to compete in the historic Sydney Harbour event and in the traditional short ocean race to Botany Bay and return.

The Australia Day Regatta will be sailed on the harbour from 1.30pm on Australia, next Tuesday, 26 January while the ocean race will start at 11am with the fleet heading down the coast to Botany Bay.

Casual entries are also being received by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia for the Botany Bay Race, which is part of the club's Ocean Point Score, the Grant Thornton Short Ocean Point Score, with the Grant Thornton Short Haul (non-spinnaker) fleet also joining the race this year.

A feature of the harbour regatta will be the emphasis on the early days of yacht racing in Sydney, with up to 30 original or replica 'old-timers' taking part in the Gaff-Riggers, Classic Yachts and Historical Skiffs divisions.

Among entries for the classic yacht division are 1966 Sydney Hobart Race line honours winner Fidelis, now owned by Nigel Stoke, and the 8-metre class yacht Erica J, owned by Les Goodridge. Erica J last year celebrated her 60th anniversary and a career that included winning the coveted Sayonara Cup for Tasmania in 1953.

The gaff-riggers division is headed by the famous Ranger, with octogenarian skipper Bill Gale again at the helm and proudly carrying the sail number A1 of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club.

The nine Historical Skiffs are all replicas of the spectacular gaff-rigged 18-footers that raced on Sydney Harbour a century ago, many helmed by modern-day skiff champions including John Winning (Australia IV) and Michael Chapman (Yendys). Built to the original plans, these icons of Sydney Harbour carry colour emblems rather than sail numbers on their massive mainsails.

They Historical Skiffs, built of wood, will be joined in the 174th Australia Day Regatta by modern day 18-footers, built of carbon fibre, in celebrating the National Day afloat.

Entry forms and notice of race for the harbour events available from the RSYS sailing office - (02) 9017 0150 or the website: www.rsys.com.au and for the ocean race from the CYCA on (02) 8292 7800 or www.cyca.com.au

by Peter Campbell

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