Pittwater Online News

Pittwater to coffs yacht race 2023.

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Two-Handed Mistral Wins Pittwater To Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Sunday April 2, 2023

Rupert Henry’s Mistral, co-skippered by Greg O’Shea, has been announced winner of the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race from another double-handed crew, Jules Hall and Jan ‘Clogs’ Scholten on Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth.

The two boats from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia repeated their feat of top two overall in last year’s Cabbage Tree Island Race and each led the Pittwater to Coffs race at various points. In fact the 226 nautical mile coastal classic nearly ended in a double-handed shoo-in, but Craig Douglas and his fully crewed Popeye broke the stranglehold to claim third overall. 

Henry said of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s challenging light weather race, “It was a good double-handed fleet and weatherwise it suited the smaller boats (his is a Lombard 34). It was a good fleet all around. We were lucky the bigger faster boats didn’t get too far away from us.

“We watched the other double-handers closely. We also picked fully crewed boats to keep up with, like Popeye, XS Moment (Ray Hudson) and Tempo (Michael Smith) – she sailed well,” Henry said of the Kernan 44.

“We didn’t have a lot of rest, but we had fun. All in all it was a soft race that suited the slippery designs like the J99 (Disko Trooper) that was constantly snapping at our heals.”

Henry continued, We’d get a break, then park up. The wind went around the clock twice during the race – unusual for a shorter race. So there were a few sail changes and lots of spinnaker packing.”

Around Port Macquarie the bigger boats got away from Mistral and Disko Trooper, but the pair reeled them in.

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth had a great race with Mistral. Photo: Bow Caddy Media 

“There’s a lot of good sailors here,” Henry mused. “They take this race quite seriously. Calendar wise, it’s a good one for finding good crew. Lot of heavies in the bar, so you know it’s high standard of racing,” said the yachtsman who had not done the race previously.

With long time co-skipper, O’Shea, Henry also won the IRC Two-Handed division of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart. With his former yacht, Chinese Whisper, the two clean-swept the 2018 Melbourne Osaka double-handed yacht race, taking line and overall wins in all categories and smashing the race record. They are a hard act to beat.

In a real family affair, Henry’s father, David Henry ,also contested the race two-handed with his modified Sydney 36 Cruiser Racer, Philosopher and finished 15th overall.

“While we were bobbing around still racing, my son (Otto), was doing the delivery back to Sydney on Andoo Comanche,” he said of the three generations of sailors in his family.

Disko-Trooper Contender Sailcloth gave Mistral a good run for their money and also topped the ORC leaderboard from other two-handers, Chris O’Neill/Ian Smith’s Blue Planet (which won PHS overall) and Rum Rebellion (Shane Connolly/Tony Sutton).

Hall commented, “It was a fabulous race, a thinking race. We were keeping a close eye on Mistral and they obviously sailed a fantastic race. Our start was good, but around Cape Three Points we were in a lull. Mistral got a jump on us at Newcastle as they were better placed when land breeze kicked in.”

The 2021 Sydney Hobart Two-handed winner acknowledged the hardest part of the race was from Smoky Cape to the finish.

“Then the sou'easter came in as forecast and we took off,” Hall said. “We were doing 7 knots and Mistral 3 knots and we thought ‘this is it’, but then it reversed. It was pouring with rain. We couldn’t see a thing. The sou'easter came back but was too late for us!

He agreed balancing current and wind was hard and that keeping a close eye on that and the water temperature was imperative. “You couldn’t make a single mistake. Little mistakes made a big difference on that course.

“We had a great boat-on-boat race with She’s The Culprit (owned by the Culprit Syndicate from Newcastle). We’d be in front of them, then they’d get in front of us. It was good fun.”

Popeye beat double-handed Rum Rebellion to third place by just eight minutes. A thrilled Craig Douglas said his Beneteau First 47.7 “is probably the heaviest boat in the fleet. She’s old with furniture, microwaves, the lot on board, but I worked out how to make her go. 

“We had the boat prepared, the right sails and the right people. The greatest thing that made a difference was tactics. We kept the boat going in light air and that’s what got us to stay with the lead boats in the first three or four hours.”

Popeye sailed the least miles of the fleet (227nms as witnessed by the tracker). “And we were aware of doing that,” Douglass said. We didn’t rhumbline it, but we calculated tide and current to sailing as few miles as possible.

“Having Julie Hodder navigating and Shane Guanaria on tactics worked well. We genuinely worked hard,” the Middle Harbour Yacht Club yachtsman said.

Dale Mitchell’s Rex, which took the multihull record and line honours yesterday, was also declared overall winner under the Offshore Multihull Rating Rule (OMR). Drew Carruthers’ self-designed and built Rushour, placed second and Darren Drew’s Wind Cheetah third.

The 37th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race started at 1pm on Friday and concludes with the prize giving at 2pm at Coffs Harbour Yacht Club today.

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Popeye broke the double-handed stranglehold on the race. Photo: Bow Caddy Media 

Video, including pre-race interviews from Bow Caddy Media at:  youtu.be/YumkOOEIWjQ

Full results:  app.sailsys.com.au/club/13/results/series/1907/races/14434?handicap=33

All information, including entries, on the official website:  www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au

by Di Pearson

Rex Sets New Record In Pittwater To Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Saturday April 1, 2023

Dale Mitchell and his crew on Rex, the ORMA 60 multihull from Queensland, early this morning broke the multihull record in the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race - by 5 seconds – it seemed to suit the occasion – April Fools’ Day!

It suits the occasion because the pre-race weather forecast spelt disaster as far as records were concerned. However, Mitchell and his crew worked hard and took all available opportunities in the Royal Prince Alfred’s 226 nautical mile race.

“We weren’t even game to tell the Club, because we weren’t sure if we were right or not,” Mitchell said after finishing the race at 6.08am in the time of 17 hours 3 minutes. Rex beat the 2014 record set by another ORMA 60, Team Australia (Sean Langman), of 17hrs 3mins 5secs.

“Obviously it was meant to be light winds, but we got out of the start fairly quickly,” the Airlie Beach sailor said. “We worked towards the coast and did nicely, then hooked into a south-easterly quite well.

“Last night we saw we were slightly ahead of record and kept working hard. When we came into Seal Rocks we were greeted by the expected shutdown. I thought we’d be there for hours, but it was only half an hour, then we hooked into 12-14 knot westerly all the way to Smoky Cape,” he said.

Mitchell said the breeze became quite fickle from that point and they experienced agonising moments of thinking they would, then wouldn’t, break the record, before 12 knots came to save them.

“Then it decreased, came back a bit and oh my god, we broke the record! We were all laughing about it because we were quite amazed,” Mitchell said.

“We had a couple of hours this morning when we were sitting on early 20s (knots), we had a nice south-easterly swell, which the boat responded to. It helped us get to Coffs Harbour quickly.”

The well-known Whitsunday Sailing Club sailor said Rex looked after them: “Nothing major broke. We’re all keen for a sleep now. None of us got much during the race.

“It’s pretty awesome breaking the record. We turn up trying to set records. To have a week of preparation and to look at the forecast thinking we had no chance. When I think of the guys putting in the work they did during the race…,” he said of the nine regulars on board.

Mitchell said the race did have its funny moments. “Off Port Macquarie, a couple of jet skis towing  a sailboarder came out alongside us for half an hour or so. Turned out they were friends of Brett Van Munster’s (a crew member),” Mitchell said.

Rex and the crew are sailing to Brisbane to undertake routine maintenance ahead of Easter’s Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, where they will try for another record.

Andoo Comanche (John Winning Jr), the super maxi skippered in this race by Iain Murray, finished the race at 8.46.40am, in 19hrs 46mins 40secs. The Rolex Sydney Hobart record holder finished outside the record of 17hrs 10 minutes 31 seconds record set by Peter Harburg’s Black Jack last year.

Iain Murray skippered the boat in John Winning Jr’s absence. “The first three hours of the race were slow and frustrating and they pretty much cost us a chance at the record. After that, it was slow but enjoyable sailing - full moon, clear skies, crisp night,” Murray said as the 100 footer headed back to Sydney.

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Andoo Comanche missed the record.Photo: Bow Caddy Media 

In a further nod to April Fools’ Day, Mistral (Rupert Henry/Greg O’Shea) and Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth (Jules Hall/Jan ‘Clogs’ Scholten), both two-handed crews, are at the top of the overall standings to win the race.

Meanwhile, Popeye (Craig Douglas), along with regular friendly rivals, LCE Old School Racing (Mark Griffith) and Pretty Woman (Richard Hudson), are scrambling to attack the pair’s lead, with another two-handed crew, Shane Connelly/Tony Sutton (Rum Rebellion) between them. There is still over 100 nautical miles to go, though.

The 37th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race started off Barrenjoey Headland at 1pm on Friday.

Follow the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race on the tracker at:  https://yb.tl/pittwater2023

Video highlights from Bow Caddy Media at:  https://youtu.be/AVY6xl6Lv1g

Report by Di Pearson

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Light And Challenging Pittwater To Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023

Friday March 31, 2023

A lovely 8-10 knot westerly marked the start of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s 37th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race, when it started off Barrenjoey Headland at 1pm today, the fleet cracking spinnakers at the start in glorious sunshine.

Unusually, 50 percent of the fleet started on port at the Committee Boat, while the other half started on port at the pin end of the line – an amazing sight.

Andoo Comanche (John Winning Jr), the largest boat in the fleet at 100 feet, started from the wrong side of the line on starboard, spun around and was off. There were a few wide-eyed crews on participating yachts as the 100 footer closed in on them.

There were a few more wide-eyes as the smallest boat in the race, Highway Patrol, Michael Blaxell’s Dubois 30, scored the best start, leading her contemporaries out past Maitland Reef. Blaxell’s crew enjoyed a moment of utter glory before being swallowed up by the mainstream fleet.

A fairly soft westerly around Cape Three Points, down to 6-7 knots, so kites were just hanging in there,. In these conditions the bulk of the fleet will hug the coast.

There will be no race records set this year, according to Dale Mitchell, skipper of the ORMA 60 multihull Rex: “Not possible by the look of it,” the Queensland sailor said.

“We’re expecting a shutdown early on and another one around the Seal Rocks area that will consume around six hours in total. That’s what will push it out for us,” he said in relation to a record in the 226 nautical mile race.

“The forecasts show a bit of everything. The light west will go round to the south and the east, with touches of north tonight, then sou’ west or west tonight into the morning. This should get us into Coffs around lunchtime Saturday.”

What it adds up to, is a tactical and tricky race: “There hasn’t been a lot of agreement between the various weather models, so it will take good race management for all on board to get it right and pick the conditions at any given time. It could change the outlook of the race for us,” he said in what is a good lesson for all.”

Remaining upbeat, Mitchell said, “It’ll be a couple of nice days on the water. It’s Friday and we’re not at work, we’re going sailing. There’s not a cloud in the sky and it’s a beautiful day. That’s how we’re looking at it.”

What it means is that Rex, her three multihull rivals, along with Andoo Comanche and the rest of the fleet had to take a good dose of patience and focus before the start and then knuckle down.

Celestial, winner of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart is among the contenders to win. The TP52’s owner, Sam Haynes, had another commitment so was unable to race. He appointed crew staple, Jack Macartney, as skipper.

“The breeze is definitely all over the shop, particularly tonight, but looking more stable tomorrow. We’re sailing with 10 crew (they usually sail with 14-15) to lighten the boat up. We’ve got plenty of food on board, so we’ll be OK,” Macartney said.

Haynes added, “Most of the crew are regulars and we’ve been doing light air training, so we have some idea of polars on the boat. We have some newish sails, so hopefully they’ll do alright.“

Haynes has fond memories of the race. “It’s heading north. Why wouldn’t you do a race like this? I’m sorry I can’t be there. This race is where I started my offshore racing, where I caught the disease!”

RPAYC yachtsman, Richard Hudson sailed Pretty Woman to fourth overall last year. He is the messiah of the Pittwater to Coffs having contested 34 out of the 36 editions in all sorts of conditions.

“It’s an interesting one. It’ll probably have some localised effects – and the forecasts don’t have enough information to pick those up,” Hudson, owner of the modified Farr 45 said.

“When you get past Seal Rocks there’ll be quite a bit of current against us. A challenging race with a bit of luck involved. But if we win, it will naturally be skill and dedication,” he laughed.

Hudson has confidence in his team, nine having done the Sydney Hobart with him in December. “We have a good team. We’re going with 10 (the norm is 12) to cut weight down. We’ve raced together in all kinds of conditions. We’ll see how it unfolds…”

What may unfold is that one of the quality nine two-handed crews could win the race overall. As Martin Cross, who is sailing Transcendence Crento two-handed with son, John, hypothesized last week, “I won’t be surprised to see one of the double-handed  boats up there in the overall results if it’s a small boat race.”

If the predicted weather holds, Cross may well be right.

All information, including entries, on the official website:  www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au 

  • Visit our Facebook page
  • Visit our Instagram profile
  • Visit our Twitter feed
  • Visit our YouTube channel

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Greg O'Shea and Rupert Henry (centre) celebrate their victory.

Two-handers shine in Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Two-handed CYCA yachts Mistral, Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth and Blue Planet claimed the monohull handicap wins in the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race.

CYCA Member Rupert Henry and co-skipper Greg O’Shea steered Rupert’s Lombard 34 Mistral to the overall win (IRC) in Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s 226 nautical mile race.

Andoo Comanche , steered by Member John Winning Jr, won Monohull Line Honours in 19 hours, 46 minutes and 40 seconds after enduring a frustratingly light start and soft conditions on the journey north.

CYCA Vice Commodore Sam Haynes’ TP52 Celestial was the second monohull over the line, followed by Geoff Hill’s Santa Cruz 72 Antipodes.

Mistral was the first two-handed entrant to finish the race, arriving in Coffs Harbour after just over 1 day, 9 hours and 11 minutes.

Rupert and Greg secured overall honours on IRC, 30 minutes and 28 seconds ahead of second-placed Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth. Craig Douglas’ Beneteau First 47.7 Popeye was third overall, ahead of two other CYCA boats – the two-handed Rum Rebellion , Shane Connelly’s J/99, co-skippered by Tony Sutton; and Michael Blaxell’s Dubois 30 Highway Patrol .

“It was a good double-handed fleet and weather-wise, it suited the smaller boats,” Rupert told RPAYC . “It was a good fleet all around. We were lucky the bigger, faster boats didn’t get too far away from us.

“We watched the other double-handers closely. We also picked fully crewed boats to keep up with, like Popeye , XS Moment (Ray Hudson) and Tempo (Michael Smith) – she sailed well.

“We didn’t have a lot of rest, but we had fun. All in all it was a soft race that suited the slippery designs like the J/99 ( Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth ), which was constantly snapping at our heels.”

Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth led a two-handed sweep of the ORC standings, taking out the handicap win from Blue Planet (Chris O’Neill/Ian Smith), Rum Rebellion, Mistral and Transcendence Crento (Martin Cross/John Cross).

“It was a fabulous race, a thinking race,” Jules said. “We were keeping a close eye on Mistral and they obviously sailed a fantastic race.

“Our start was good, but around Cape Three Points we were in a lull. Mistral got a jump on us at Newcastle as they were better placed when land breeze kicked in.”

Chris O’Neill’s J/99 Blue Planet claimed PHS honours, beating John Zagame’s Hanse 430e Kite Runner by just 8 seconds on corected time.

Other monohull divisional wins went to Popeye (IRC Division 1, ORC Division 1) and Tempo (Michael Smith).

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

CYCA Principal Sponsor

Cyca official sponsors, helly hansen, club marine, sydney brewery, lgt crestone, the luxury collection, winnings appliances, roads and maritime services, cyca youth sailing academy sponsors and supporters, helly hansen, forecasts.global, vibe hotels, network marine, sun foundation.

News Of The Area

News Of The Area

Modern media delivering relevant community news, pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race returns.

  • Coffs Coast
  • Coffs Coast News

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

COFFS Harbour Yacht Club, in conjunction with Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, will once again host the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race, which starts on Friday 31 March 2023 off Barrenjoey Headland.

The East Coast Classic event has attracted an increased number of entrants on the 2022 race, with 31 entries to date.

Reaction Installations

The 27 monohulls will start at 1300 hours and the four multi hulls will start at 1310.

The record of 17 hours 10 minutes 31 seconds is held by the 100ft super maxi Black Jack, but this could be broken by the downwind flyer Andoo Comanche, another 100ft super maxi and the winner of the recent Sydney to Hobart.

Also in contention for the race record is the ORMA 60 REX, a 60ft Trimaran capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots.

The first boat is anticipated to reach Coffs Harbour around 6.30am on Saturday morning, 1 April.

The battle of the smaller boats will be hotly contested.

Many of these boats competed in the 2022 event and have had victories in their division in last year’s Sydney to Hobart race.

This year, nine of the monohull fleet have elected to sail the race with only two people on board in the “double handed” division.

“It’s a challenging task to race a boat 226 nautical miles (418 kilometres) and more so with only two sailors on board,” John Wait, CHYC Commodore told NOTA.

Locals are especially looking forward to seeing the battle between Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth and Mistral.

Mistral is a home favourite, having been constructed by Coffs Harbour locals in 2018-19.

Raced by owner and sailmaker Pierre Gal in the 2019 Sydney to Hobart race, he took out all the major prizes in his division.

The battle between the multihulls is also generating a great deal of interest.

“Unfortunately, build-up of sand in the entrance to Coffs Harbour and the draft of some of the larger yachts, such as Andoo Comanche and Whisper, means they will remain offshore,” said John.

They will either stay for a short time before returning to Sydney or proceed north for the 75th Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, which starts on Good Friday.

Spectators can view the yachts from the Coffs Harbour marina break wall and Muttonbird Island or from the Southern Break wall.

Anyone interested in following the race online, can go to www.ybtracking.com, which gives the position and speed of each entrant from start to finish.

“Members of the yacht club will be on hand to greet each crew and welcome them to beautiful Coffs Harbour.

“We wish all skippers and crew favourable winds, all the best and look forward to hearing their stories on arrival,” said John.

By Andrea FERRARI

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

pittwater coffs

Pittwater to Coffs entries open

The East Coast Classic.

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) invites competitors to participate in the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023.

The race commences on Friday 31 March 2023 at 1300hrs with a race presentation on Sunday at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club.

Racing is open to offshore Cat3+ yachts, Monohulls & Multihulls with IRC – ORC – OMR – and Short Handed categories.

Register today at www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au

ALSO ON MYSAILING

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

CIC Normandy Channel Race

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Gustavo Doreste Blanco and Jakub Surowiec are the new A-Class World Champions 2024

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Andoo Team Australia on form going into America’s Cup UniCredit Youth regatta

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Lifeline monday as Swiss and Americans win to keep their Louis Vuitton Cup dreams alive

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

British and Italians move to match point in the Llouis Vuitton Cup semi-finals

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Last countdown in Palma for the J/70 Worlds

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

18ft Skiffs: Rod Zemanek, shortened career for 18 footer champion

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Leopard 3 claims inaugural Rolex IMA Maxi World Championship

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Andoo Team Australia practice racing

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Ruthless execution from the British and Italians in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Final day drama as Andrade snatches victory at Kinsale Dragon Gold Cup 2024

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

New rivalries set to be ignited at the Unicredit Youth America’s Cup

Join Our Newsletter

  • Name First Last
  • Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Latest

Read all of the latest sailing news

Latest

Dinghy and Yacht Racing News

Latest

News from the offshore world

Latest

Cruising Stories from around the world

Latest

Boats & Gear

The latest boats and yachting gear

Latest

Watch everything sailing and boating

Latest Sailing News, Racing, Cruising, Boats, Gear and more

Yacht Boat News

Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Photo of YachtBoatNews

When the gun fires sending the fleet on its way in the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race at 1pm, on Friday 31 March, Andoo Comanche’s crew will be chasing the race record of 17 hours 10 minutes 31 seconds, set by Black Jack just last year.

To beat the record in the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s (RPAYC) 37th running of the annual race, John Winning Jr’s wide bodied yacht will need to finish before 06:31:31on the morning following the start.

Andoo Comanche took line honours in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart and Winning Jr backed up to win the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship this month – he is on the boil.

Rex (Dale Mitchell) will be chasing a record - Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race - photo © Team Rex

The 100 footer is not the only one chasing a record. Dale Mitchell’s ORMA 60, Rex, which shares VPLP as a designer with Andoo Comanche, is the more likely of four multihulls entered. The multihull record of 17hrs 3mins 5secs, set by Sean Langman’s ORMA 60, Team Australia in 2014 is there for the taking.

Mitchell, from Queensland, arrived in 2021 to try for the record, but the race was cancelled following floods that left debris strewn along the course. He said at the time, “The ORMA record is a motivating factor for us – it’s all about chasing the clock.”

LCE Old School sailed consistently well to finish third last year - Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race - photo © Andrea Francolini

The two, with the rest of the fleet, will line up for the start off Barrenjoey Headland at Pittwater and with 2022’s top two overall missing from the fleet, the field is wide open and includes third placegetter, LCE Old School Racing (Mark Griffith).

“It’s hard to say who the front runners will be, because it’s too early to look at the forecast,” says Griffith, skipper of the DK46. We always have good racing with Pretty Woman. They sail a hard race and downwind have an edge,” he says of Richard Hudson’s modified Farr 45 that placed fourth last year.

“The big boats have a chance. Comanche and Whisper (David Griffith’s JV62) could be sailing in a completely different weather pattern like Black Jack (she clean swept the event) in 2022. You can’t discount the two-handers: Mistral, Disko Trooper and Transcendence Crento could be up the front if we have reaching conditions.

“Ourselves and Martin Cross are tied for points in the Alfred’s Blue Water Pointscore Series, so I’d love to put a few places between us in this race,” Griffith ended.

Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth will be sailed double-handed - Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race - photo © Bow Caddy Media

Nine double-handed crews will start the 226 nautical mile race coastal classic. Some did the Sydney Hobart two-handed, including the last two years winners. Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea (Mistral) won last year, while Jules Hall and Jan Scholten (Disko Trooper-Contender Sailcloth) won in 2021 by a resounding eight hours.

“I reckon we’ve got a red-hot two-handed fleet this year. I think it’s going to be a very important opportunity for us all to line-up together,” Jules Hall asserts. “We’re going to sail very hard the whole way. I don’t know whose way it will go, but we’ll be giving it a red hot go.

“As to a winner, it depends. The boats are different, although Mistral and Transcendence are similar, so the weather will have a tremendous impact on the outcome.”

In two-handed mode, Mistral, Disko-Trooper and Transcendence Crento enjoyed the distinction of placing top three overall respectively in December’s Cabbage Tree Island Race. They beat all fully crewed boats in a high calibre fleet – a first.

Transcendence Crento is the ‘local’ boat to watch in the Pittwater to Coffs race. Father and son, Martin and John Cross sailed to double-handed victory last year and finished eighth overall. They were then seventh in the Two-Handed division of the 2022 Sydney Hobart.

“We’ve got Mistral and Disko Troooper, whose reputations proceed them. They will be hard to beat,” Martin Cross says of his rivals. “We have the best double-handed sailors in Australia doing the race. They’ve all got their strong points. It depends on the weather.

“If it’s small boat race, I won’t be surprised to see one of the double-handed boats up there in the overall results,” Cross speculates.

GC Boatyards Coffs Harbour is pleased announce the company is up and running with a 75 tonne marine travel lift in Coffs Harbour and a full service boatyard. This is great news for yachts going up and down the coast. To celebrate the opening, GC Boatyards Coffs Harbour is offering up to three vouchers to be redeemed against services at the boatyard as prizes in the race.

For more information on services and trades available see  gcboatyards.com.au .

Follow the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race on the tracker at:  yb.tl/pittwater2023 .

All information, including entries, on the official website:  www.pittwatertocoffs.com.au .

by Di Pearson/RPAYC media

Photo of YachtBoatNews

YachtBoatNews

Related articles.

44Cup

Beneteau Cup 2023

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta © Laurens Morel

40th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

Class 40 racing action - photo © Image courtesy of The Race Around/Thomas Deregnieaux

Class 40 & Globe 40

IMOCA Globe Series Championship © Eloi Stichelbaut - polaRYSE / IMOCA

Switch to Visit NSW to see more of the state

  • NSW Road trips
  • Accommodation
  • Be inspired

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

  • destinations
  • sydney north
  • northern beaches

Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Friday 11 April 2025 to Sunday 13 April 2025

The East Coast Classic Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) invite competitors to participate in the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race.

The 38th running of the East Coast Classic race is held before Easter each year. For 2024 the race will begin on 22 March, linking boats with Port Stephens race week or Brisbane to Gladstone race.

Racing is open to offshore Cat3+ yachts, Monohulls and Multihulls with IRC - ORC - OMR - and Short-Handed Classes.

The race generally takes two days to complete and takes in some outstanding coastal scenery as you head north to beautiful Coffs Harbour.

On arrival in Coffs Harbour the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club celebrates the weekend race concluding in the presentation on Sunday afternoon.

Location - 16 Mitala Street Newport NSW 2106 Australia

Accessibility

Actively welcomes people with access needs.

Caters for people who use a wheelchair.

Caters for people with sufficient mobility to climb a few steps but who would benefit from fixtures to aid balance. (This includes people using walking frames and mobility aids)

Have a step free main entrance to the building and/or reception area (includes ramps or slopes with a maximum gradient of 1:14, otherwise are too steep for wheelchairs)

Have a wheelchair accessible toilet / shower and change room

Have accessibility information and photos, including of a bathroom, room and/or floor plan on your website (can be emailed on request)

Have an accessible public toilet which is unlocked

Have at least one wheelchair accessible parking space with wheelchair accessible signage clearly displayed (International standards are 3200mm wide x 2500 mm high)

Have doorways which are easy to open and have lever handles (doorways 850mm or wider when open and not heavy)

Have grab rails in the bathroom

Have lifts with enough space for people using a mobility aid to enter and turn around to use the lift buttons. Buttons are at accessible height.

Have step free access to restaurant, lounge and bar

Have step free access to the conference or function room

Have step free outdoor pathways (includes picnic areas, barbecues and shelters)

Offer a range of contact methods for receiving complaints

Offer multiple options for booking - web, email, phone

Provide seating in common areas including reception area

Train your staff in disability awareness

Use floors/coverings which are slip resistant, firm and smooth

Use non-slip tiles in the bathroom or slip resistant matting

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay connected to Sydney for all the latest news, stories, upcoming events and travel inspiration.

Discover Somewhere New

All the insider news, tips and inspiration you need to plan your next trip, delivered straight to your inbox.

Destination NSW acknowledges and respects Aboriginal people as the state’s first people and nations and recognises Aboriginal people as the Traditional Owners and occupants of New South Wales land and water.

  • NSW Government
  • Destination New South Wales (Corporate site)

Sydney.com is the official tourism site for Destination NSW. © Copyright 2024 Destination NSW. All rights reserved

facebook

  • AMERICA'S CUP
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • SUBMIT NEWS

Armstrong 300x250 HA Foil Range

Early entries start ball rolling for 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

Related Articles

pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

IMAGES

  1. New Record in Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race

    pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

  2. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

  3. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023 Promo

    pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

  4. 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

  5. Challenging Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race

    pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

  6. 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023

COMMENTS

  1. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    The East Coast Classic. Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) invites competitors to participate in the 39th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2025. The race commences on Friday 11 April 2025 at 1300hrs with a race presentation on Sunday at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club, 1400hrs. Racing is open to offshore Cat3+ yachts, Monohulls ...

  2. Pittwater To Coffs Yacht Race 2023

    Sunday April 2, 2023. Rupert Henry's Mistral, co-skippered by Greg O'Shea, has been announced winner of the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race from another double-handed crew, Jules Hall and Jan 'Clogs' Scholten on Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth. The two boats from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia repeated their feat of ...

  3. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023

    The East Coast Classic. Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) invites competitors to participate in the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race. The race commences on Friday 31 March 2023 at 1300hrs with a race presentation on Sunday at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. Racing is open to offshore Cat3+ yachts, Monohulls & Multihulls with IRC - ORC ...

  4. Two-handers shine in Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    03/04/2023. Two-handed CYCA yachts Mistral, Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth and Blue Planet claimed the monohull handicap wins in the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race. CYCA Member Rupert Henry and co-skipper Greg O'Shea steered Rupert's Lombard 34 Mistral to the overall win (IRC) in Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's 226 ...

  5. Two-handed Mistral wins Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    Rupert Henry's Mistral, co-skippered by Greg O'Shea, has been announced winner of the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race from another double-handed crew, Jules Hall and Jan 'Clogs' Scholten on Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth. The two boats from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia repeated their feat of top two overall in last year's ...

  6. 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Yacht Race

    The 2023 edition of the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race commences on Friday 31 March 2023 at 1300hrs (local time in Sydney) with a race presentation on Sunday at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club.

  7. Light and challenging Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023

    A lovely 8-10 knot westerly marked the start of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's 37th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race, when it started off Barrenjoey Headland at 1pm today, the fleet cracking spinnakers at the start in glorious sunshine. Unusually, 50 percent of the fleet started on port at the Committee Boat, while the other half ...

  8. Light and challenging Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    A lovely 8-10 knot westerly marked the start of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's 37th Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race, when it started off Barrenjoey Headland at 1pm today, the fleet cracking spinnakers at the start in glorious sunshine. Unusually, 50 percent of the fleet started on port at the Committee Boat, while the other half ...

  9. Rex sets new record in Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    Dale Mitchell and his crew on Rex, the ORMA 60 multihull from Queensland, early this morning broke the multihull record in the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race - by 5 seconds - it seemed to suit the occasion - April Fools' Day! It suits the occasion because the pre-race weather forecast spelt disaster as far as records were concerned.

  10. Two-handed Mistral wins Pittwater to Coffs

    03/04/2023. Rupert Henry's Mistral, co-skippered by Greg O'Shea, has been announced winner of the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race from another double-handed crew, Jules Hall and Jan 'Cloggs' Scholten on Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth. The two boats from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia repeated their feat of top two ...

  11. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race returns

    COFFS Harbour Yacht Club, in conjunction with Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, will once again host the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race, which starts on Friday 31 March 2023 off Barrenjoey Headland. The East Coast Classic event has attracted an increased number of entrants on the 2022 race, with 31 entries to date. Advertise...

  12. Two-handed Mistral wins Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    Rupert Henry's Mistral, co-skippered by Greg O'Shea, has been announced winner of the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race from another double-handed crew, Jules Hall and Jan 'Clogs' Scholten on Disko Trooper Contender Sailcloth. The two boats from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia repeated their feat of top two overall in last ...

  13. Pittwater to Coffs entries open

    Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) invites competitors to participate in the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023. The race commences on Friday 31 March 2023 at 1300hrs with a race presentation on Sunday at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. Racing is open to offshore Cat3+ yachts, Monohulls & Multihulls with IRC - ORC - OMR - and ...

  14. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race Start 2023

    Extended version including interviews with crews prior to the race start 31 March, 2023

  15. ANDOO Comanche enters the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    The record breaking 100 foot supermaxi, 'ANDOO Comanche', has entered the Royal Prince Alfred yacht Club's Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race. Andoo Comanche joins 19 other boats currently entered in the race, including the ORMA 60 trimaran 'Rex' and JV62 'Whisper'. Further interest is building from teams to enter this east ...

  16. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    When the gun fires sending the fleet on its way in the 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race at 1pm, on Friday 31 March, Andoo Comanche's crew will be chasing the race record of 17 hours 10 minutes 31 seconds, set by Black Jack just last year. To beat the record in the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's (RPAYC) 37th running of the annual ...

  17. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    Overview. The East Coast Classic Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) invite competitors to participate in the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race. The 38th running of the East Coast Classic race is held before Easter each year. For 2024 the race will begin on 22 March, linking boats with Port Stephens race week or Brisbane to Gladstone race.

  18. Pittwater to Coffs 2023

    Pittwater to Coffs 2023 - YB Tracking Race Viewer. Pittwater to Coffs 2023 - YB Tracking Race Viewer.. Zoom Options. Overlays / Map. Powered by PredictWind. Level: Showing Wind. Enable real-time playback Speed: Teams Leaderboard Segments ...

  19. 2023 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

    That winning feeling, Andoo Comanche taking the 2023 monohull Line Honours Win.

  20. SailSys

    Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023 (Friday 31st March) Overall Pointscore Standings. View . Race 1. 31st March 2023.

  21. PDF RPAYC Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023 NoR cover

    Organising Authority. Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. 16 Mitala Street, Newport Beach NSW 2106 Tel: (02) 9998 3700 Fax: (02) 9997 8620 Email: [email protected] Web: www.rpayc.com.au.

  22. Early entries start ball rolling for 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour

    Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) has opened entries to eligible monohull, multihull and two-handed boats for the 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race to start at 1pm on Friday 22 March. Two-handed entries for the 38th running of the race are expected to be popular again, after Rupert Henry and Greg O'Shea won the 2023 race overall ...

  23. Portal

    Last Race: 2023 Opening Day - Pittwater Dash, 2nd September 2023 . View. Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race 2025. ... Next Race: Race 1, 11th October 2025 . View. Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2023 (Friday 31st March) Includes: Two-Handed Division, Division 1, Division 2 . Last Race: Race 1, 31st March 2023 . View. Tuesday Women's Twilight ...