Sunny skies and light winds prevailed during the 45th annual Batemans Bay Regatta, which was held over the weekend of 27th and 28th of April. There was a fleet of 54 dinghies, catamarans and trailerable yachts out on the Bay. Competitors came from Sydney, Canberra and all over South East NSW. There were strong fleets amongst the Lightweight Sharpie, Hobie 14 and Hansa 303 classes. These classes raced against each other while the remaining boats were split into divisions to compete on handicap. There was a gentle sea breeze on both days, although it took a while to fill in on Sunday afternoon. Despite this all four scheduled races were completed on the offshore course. The Hansa 303 fleet sailed seven races on an inshore course off Corrigans Beach.
The most successful local boat was Alan Rees’ Windrush 23 catamaran “Tradewind” which won the trailerable yacht division. BBSC boats “Hobo” (Peter Withington) and “Sand Castle” (John Drummond) also sailed in this division. In the Hansa 303 class Martyn Lloyd, better known for his thesbian abilities, made his competitive sailing debut. Batemans Bay Sailability president Michael Leydon finished third in Hansas. BBSC members Simon Byrne and Patrice Caritat crewed aboard the Magic 25 “Shaken not Stirred” which won the sports boat division.
Many Batemans Bay SC members volunteered their time and skills and some even provided their power boats to help run the regatta. The Batemans Bay Regatta is a traditional season ending event for many sailing clubs and classes. The visiting sailors gave an overwhelmingly positive feedback following the regatta. Full results are up on the BBSC website www.bbsc.org.au .
