Sail Sandy's returning champion the first entry in 2019 event
by Harry Fisher 29 Jul 2019 23:08 BST
12-13 October 2019
A strong Laser fleet of up to 50 boats is expected for Sail Sandy © Nicholas Duell
Entries are now open for the 2019 Sail Sandy Regatta, which will kick off a massive season ahead for the Sandringham Yacht Club.
Sandy will play host to a plethora of major events this summer including the ILCA Laser World Championships, with Sail Sandy the first regatta on the road to this epic summer season.
Returning overall Sail Sandy champion, Optimist sailor Matty Goss, was the first sailor to register their nomination today and will return to his home club in October after another massive year of international events.
He is currently overseas getting set to compete in the British Optimist Nationals and will follow on from that event with another Optimist regatta at Lake Garda in Italy.
"I got a big mix of conditions out here on Port Phillip Bay (at last year's event)," Matty said before heading off to the UK.
"It just makes everything close with lots of competitors and it's a great way to kick off the season."
Goss was the champion of the 30-plus Optimist fleet at last year's regatta but sailed well enough to also end up as the overall boat of the regatta, based off a customised points system across all classes.
Last year's event saw strong fleets in a range of classes with more than 190 entries, however with the excitement around this season the club expects numbers to get close to 250 this year.
Some strong showings are expected in many of the junior and youth fleets with big numbers in the Optimist and the International Cadets last year, while many senior classes are also using Sail Sandy to kick start their seasons.
Classes such as Tasars, Waszps, Foiling Kites and One-Design Windsurfers will all be in strong numbers this year, as well as a monster fleet of Lasers expected in the lead up to the massive summer of events at home.
With a rapidly growing fleet of Lasers training hard in the cold depths of winter, the club is expecting a turnout of up to 50 boats for Sail Sandy.
"There is a really strong vibe around the Laser class in Victoria at the moment, especially amongst the Sandringham sailors," says Laser sailor and Sail Sandy committee member Andrew Crawshaw.
"To have so many of the world's most recognised Laser events in your own backyard is a huge drawcard for local sailors and we are really looking forward to the weather heating up and getting out on the water."
The recently crowned One-Design Windsurfer world champion, Melbourne's own Nick Bez, will headline a big fleet of boards at Sail Sandy, who are in preparation for the nationals in Adelaide in January, and a worlds in Perth the following summer at the Mounts Bay Sailing Club.
The One-Design windsurfers have shown significant growth in participation over the last few years and will no doubt bring some of their unique lifestyle to this year's Sail Sandy Regatta.
Sail Sandy is open to all classes and is encouraged as a great way to launch into some quality racing to kick off the upcoming season.
For more information about Sail Sandy, and to enter into the event, head to the event website.