GEELONG FESTIVAL OF SAILS

BACK TO BACK WINS FOR SMB IN GEELONG

Secret Mens Business backed up last year’s win at the Festival of Sails in Victoria by taking out the Overall Fastest and IRC TP 52 Division win in the 31 nautical mile Melbourne to Geelong Race. SMB also won the IRC TP52 Overall Regatta sailed on Corio Bay Geelong, also backing up last year’s win. Last year the racing was hotly contested by the two Sydney TP52s Hooligan and Ichi Ban. This year’s fleet had the TP52s Zen and Quest returning from a successful Hobart campaign. In the early stages of the race to Geelong local knowledge came into play leaving the TP52s on the wrong side of the course with a lot of catching up to do to get past the much smaller yachts. SMB gradually pulled back the larger Melbourne yachts crossing the finishing line some 24 minutes ahead of the Melbourne 50 footer Extasea and one hour 12 minutes ahead of the Sydney TP52 Zen to claim the win. The next five races of the regatta were sailed in mainly light conditions on Corio Bay. Last year SMB went into the last race on equal points with Hooligan and Ichi Ban and this year’s racing was looking like a repeat performance. On the second to last race SMB took out fishing lines trailing from the back of a fishing boat and sailed the rest of the race dragging lines, lures and sinkers from the keel - a little like sailing with the hand brake on. A shocking Race Four put us a point behind Zen going into the final race but fortunately the breeze kicked in eliminating a lot of the luck the yachts had experienced earlier. SMB had a clear win finishing one point up to take out the regatta. The Festival of Sails is an excellently run regatta. Starting in 1844 this regatta precedes the first Melbourne Cup held in1861 and the first America’s Cup held in 1851. Normally sailed in ideal wind and sea conditions there is no doubt this event is one of Australia’s most prestigious regattas and I encourage more South Australians to attend this historic event. The Royal Geelong Yacht Club runs an excellent program and for 19 years SMB has enjoyed supporting the Club and their very warm, appreciative welcome. Sadly SMB was the sole South Australian yacht to enter this year’s Festival of Sails and by comparison, this year’s Port Lincoln racing has been supported by 13 interstate entries. I trust we can offer Geelong a larger team from South Australia next year.

Geoff Boettcher Owner/Skipper of SMB

On the final day of the MacGlide Festival of Sails 2020, four lucky Royal Geelong Yacht Club Cadet sailors had an amazing opportunity... jumping onboard Geoff’s TP52!

Photo by Sarah Pettiford | RGYC