Nine Jeanneau yachts took part in this year’s Sail Port Stephens regatta and 4 filled the top 5 places overall in the Commodore’s Cup with Peter Lewis and the crew on his Sun Odyssey 37 “Lu Lu Belle” taking 2nd on a count-back, Peter McClelland on his Sun Fast 37 “Macscap” 3rd, David Edminston on his Sun Odyssey 37 “Passion” 4th and Les Pongrass in his first event taking out 5th on his new Sun Odyssey 409 “Minnow”.
Each day the organisers announced and awarded prizes for the first three Jeanneau’s and Performance Boating awarded trophies for the overall Jeanneau results, both spinnaker and non-spinnaker.
Spinnaker:
1st – “Lu Lu Belle” Peter Lewis
2nd – “Macscap” Peter McClelland
3rd – “Passion” David Edminston
Non-spinnaker:
1st – “Minnow” Les Pongrass
2nd – “Nightingail” Ben Spannenberg
3rd – “Bells Breeze” Julian Bell
Here are some quotes from the Jeanneau owners who took part:
“I really loved the variety in the racing events each day, sailing around islands in 20knt winds, battling a current in light winds and the usual jostle at the start. The scenery was spectacular.
It is still many Months away but I am already looking forward to next year’s Sail Port Stephens.” Ben Spannenberg ‘Nightingail’
“We have now been to seven Sail Port Stephens Regattas, originally with my Jeanneau 42i, Joie de Vie and now with my Jeanneau 469, L’Esprit. We have found the regatta to be a lot of fun both on the water with interesting courses (often very challenging due to the tides) and a great social feel off the water. We have competed in six Hamos and three Maggie Race Weeks and find SPS ranks right up there as a destination regatta.
The competition is getting better year by year, however the regatta still caters for the less competitive cruising yachts. We were fortunate to win Div 1 Performance Cruising last year and albeit only achieved a 6th this year, still really enjoyed the regatta. It has now become a permanent part of our racing calendar and is further improved by PBS support of the regatta. Thank you for your foresight and generous support of Jeanneau’s participating in the event.” Peter Byford ‘L’Esprit’
“Sail Port Stevens was a fantastic experience. The Commodore’s Cup races were great fun but this year’s Three Islands race was outstanding. As an add-on to the Jeanneau regatta it was a great opportunity to sail in company and meet other Jeanneau owners. Already planning next year!” Les Pongrass ‘Minnow’
“Why would a Jeanneau owner go to Port Stephens? I think it is because this is a week designed for our boats. They are comfortable and built for coastal cruising and yet they are fast and competitive as seen in the domination of Jeanneau’ s at this year’s event. Now that we have formed the Australian Jeanneau association, the comraderie and fun between crews is palpable. This is for beginners to experts and is a chance for beginners to learn how amazing our boats are and to enjoy the family fun at Port Stephens in arguably the most pristine area of Australia overflowing with beauty and sea life. The Social Scene is great fun and the sailing invigorating, for me I’m already planning next year.” Peter Lewis ‘Lu Lu Belle’
The sailing was definitely superb and the whole team from Performance Boating were there to enjoy the conditions and actively support our clients. We hosted a dinner cruise on the Tuesday evening where we had the opportunity to bid bon voyage to 44 Deck-Saloon owners Lee Taylor and Jason Leonard who delayed the start of their around the World voyage to attend the event. We wish them well and look forward to keeping in touch.
In the Performance Cruising division of the Sail Port Stephens regatta Jeanneau’s took 5 top ten places with “Lu Lu Belle” again dropping a place on count-back to come 4th in division II, “Campeador” the Sun Fast 36 of Jonathan Threlfall 7th and “Passion” 8th, while in division 1 Peter Byford’s Sun Odyssey 469 “L’Esprit” was 6th and Rob Aldis with his Sun Odyssey 42i “Joie de Vie” was 9th.
The Sail Port Stephens event is a terrific family regatta with the feel of the events in Queensland such as Hamo and Airlie, but right on our doorstep. It’s a terrific sailing venue with a lot of variety, it’s well run and there is abundant accommodation readily available.
