Newcastle’s working harbour will doff its hard hat to the sight of vibrant spinnakers and eager crews this weekend.

The fourth SailFest Newcastle Regatta is expected to bring a flotilla of grand prix yachts and fleet-footed performance craft to the region on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 April.

The headline attraction, the City of Newcastle TP52 Gold Cup, features 10 starters for act two of the season’s four-part overall championship.

It’s the largest gathering of these high-performance racers in Australia this year, before the fleet transitions to Sail Port Stephens in early May.

Among the pre-race favourites is Geoff Boettcher’s Secret Mens Business, fresh from taking out the recent Lincoln Week Regatta and Australian Yachting Championship crown.

Returning are Gweilo (Matt Donald), Matador (David Doherty), Smuggler (Sebastian Bohm), Quest (Craig Neil) and Zen (Gordon Ketelby), while Peter White’s First Light, Mark Spring’s Highly Sprung and Damien Parkes’s Denali will make their first visit.

Local entry Frantic (Michael Martin) is also lining up.

Last year’s Gold Cup went down to the wire, with a start-line collision resulting in Ichi Ban being disqualified from the fourth and deciding race.

It tipped the three-time Rolex Sydney Hobart winner out of first place overall, Gweilo claiming victory and Smuggler moving up to second.

The 2023 Transport for NSW Offshore Series has 16 entries, including Darryl Hodgkinson’s Carkeek 40 Victoire.

Lake Macquarie Farr 31 Sofarr is the early IRC favourite for division one.

Next year’s SailFest will coincide with the Australian Yachting Championships, 10 years after Newcastle last hosted the national series.

As such, 2023 will be viewed by visiting crews as a chance to gain local knowledge of Stockton Bight and the renowned waters off Newcastle’s beaches.

Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said City of Newcastle was pleased to be a long-standing supporter of this world-class event.

“As the precursor for the prestigious Australian Championships, SailFest Newcastle Regatta attracts the cream of Australia’s sailing community including the reigning national champions and their yacht Secret Men’s Business, which has been trucked in all the way from Adelaide to take part in a hotly-contested weekend of competition,” she explained.

“Showing off our world-class sailing waters and spectacular working harbour, SailFest enhances our reputation as an events city while also providing an invaluable opportunity to showcase Newcastle’s broader attractions to participants and visitors.

“It will deliver a welcome economic boost for local businesses who benefit from the additional sailors and support crew who travel to Newcastle for the weekend.”

• Mark Rothfield

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Saturday 15 April

• 9am-noon: Children’s Try Sailing (Honeysuckle)
• 10am-2pm: NSW Sailing League (Honeysuckle)
• Noon: TP52 Gold Cup and Offshore (Queens Wharf)
• 2pm: Cock of the Harbour (Port Hunter 16ft Sailing Skiff Club)

Sunday 16 April

• 9am-noon: Try Sailing (Honeysuckle)
• 10am-2pm: Sailing Champions League (Honeysuckle)
• 10.25am: TP52 Gold Cup and Offshore (Offshore)

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