The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia today announced an exciting change to its long running and prestigious Blue Water Pointscore Series with a new event introduced to close the seven-race pointscore in March next year.
The club’s board of directors last night resolved in favour of a new race, the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race, to replace the pre-Easter Audi Sydney Southport Yacht Race.
The 250 nautical mile Cat 2 race will start at 6pm on Friday 7 March, 2008, from Sydney Harbour to a laid mark around 20 nautical miles east of Crowdy Head before the fleet heads to Newcastle and the finish in the Hunter River.
“The devised course will provide an excellent tactical race with the competitors needing to plan a strategy to both cross significant set on the way up and use that current going south again without staying out too long,” said CYCA Vice Commodore and sailing committee chairman Garry Linacre today.
“The idea has received excellent support from virtually all interested parties and potential entrants.
“Newcastle lends itself to being an ideal finish destination with no depth issues and a great marina which is managed by our finish partner, Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club. There are very few east coast ports that offer these features,” added Linacre.
Newcastle was also chosen for its proximity to Sydney, which means families and friends can drive to the race finish to greet the Audi Sydney Offshore Newcastle Yacht Race fleet.
Also due to arrive Saturday afternoon and into the evening will be the majority of the Ocean Pointscore fleet that will depart from Sydney Harbour at 9am on Saturday 8 March for the popular Cat 3 Sydney Newcastle Race which was introduced by the CYCA four years ago.
The arrival of the two fleets into the Hunter River will provide quite a spectacle for the Novocastrians who are expected to turn out in large numbers to witness the arrival of the cream of the east coast offshore fleet.
Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club’s new premises are due to be completed by the end of February. If construction runs beyond that, a hospitality marquee will be set up to cater for the sailors and their supporters.
“A starting date of twelve days out from Easter means those who race to Newcastle can go onto the many nearby beautiful cruising destinations such as Pittwater or Port Stephens, or continue on up to Brisbane for the annual Brisbane Gladstone Race which starts on Good Friday.
“We are very confident of an excellent event that will go well into the future,” Vice Commodore Linacre added.
The CYCA will now only conduct one race per year to Southport. The opening event of the Blue Water Pointscore Series, the classic winter Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, will start on the last Saturday in July and take the fleet north to the popular Whitsunday regattas at Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island. – Garry Linacre/Lisa Ratcliff
