Festival of Sails 2012 proves a winner  

31 January 2012

Australia’s oldest ongoing sporting event, and the largest annual keelboat regatta in the Southern Hemisphere, the Festival of Sails has been run and won in 2012… And the winner is Victoria, in particular the City of Geelong along with the sport of yachting and an estimated 100,000 people who visited the Geelong waterfront from the 26 – 29 January.

Hosted by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC), the Festival of Sails Regatta commenced in 1844 and has evolved culminating in its current format as Australia’s foremost keelboat regatta and a sensational free community waterfront festival incorporating a spectacular Australia Day entertainment and fireworks display. 



This year, as well as the colourful and magnificent sight of yachts racing over the 6 day race program on Port Phillip and Corio Bays, visitors to Geelong’s waterfront and the RGYC were entertained by 60 different acts across 3 stages with live music and entertainment, roving performers, art and craft market stalls and marine trade and lifestyle exhibitions. 

Families weren’t forgotten either with a dedicated family-friendly kids zone and a free on-water Come & Try Sailing area off Geelong’s Eastern Beach.

The winner of the Regatta’s Premiere Racing Series was New Zealand entrant Georgia, a state of the art TP52 with another TP52, Shogun V taking the monohull double of line and handicap honours in the 34 nautical mile Melbourne to Geelong passage race on Australia day. Tim Pepperell’s Granger 8 trimaran, Bare Essentials, was the first boat in from the near 300 strong fleet finishing just over two minutes ahead of Shogun V.

The Festival of Sails regatta this year saw 334 entries take part with nearly 3700 competitors. Event organizer Jav Greaves from New Tack Consulting said “Overall we are very pleased with the event which has become much more than just a yachting regatta. Based as it is around the Australia day holiday, with activities both on-water and shoreside, the event embraces the whole community”

For more information visit www.festivalofsails.com.au

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