pittwater to southport yacht race

Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race 2025

11 - 13 april, 2025, 2024 overall winner ...jupiter, 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 & Multihulls with IRC – ORC – OMR – and Short Handed categories. 

For berthing, transport, Cat 3+ requirements and more frequently asked questions please view below. 

Schedule of Events:

• Entry Opens 1 November 2024/0900hrs
• Entry Closes 22 March 2025/1700hrs, late fee applicable. Contact the Sailing Office to Enter.
• Rating deadline 28 March 2024/1700hrs
• Race Start 11 April, 2025/1300hrs Pittwater, Broken Bay
• Presentations 13 April, 2025/Coffs Harbour

Contact Information:

• For more information on participating contact [email protected]
• For supporting sponsorship opportunities contact:  [email protected]

Unprecedent Conditions

A battle up the east coast has seen 3 yachts beat mother natures halts and crown 3 new winners for 2024.

• Xs Moment , Ray Hudsons X-Yacht 44, crossed the finish line 1st to be crowned Line Honours WINNERS
• Jupiter , Ian Smith & Billy Sykpes J Boats J/99, crowed overall WINNER, awarded on IRC
• Transcendence Rudy Project , Martin & John Cross Jeanneau Sunfast 3300, winners for persistence and the navigators award.

Andoo Comanche celebrating their Line Honour monohull win 2023

Future Race Dates

• 2025 – 11 April
• 2026 – 27 March

Latest News

Pittwater to coffs: line honours to xs moment – jupiter wins overall.

MEDIA RELEASE              25 March, 2024 Pittwater to Coffs: Line honours to XS Moment – Jupiter wins overall Fortune favoured the sticklers in the 2024

Four yachts in race for Pittwater to Coffs honours

MEDIA RELEASE              24 March, 2024 Four yachts in race for Pittwater to Coffs honours  In extraordinary circumstances, just four boats are left racing for

Whisper leads a slow Pittwater to Coffs race

David Griffith’s Whisper is today leading a drawn-out 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race, using the current to slip away from the rest on the 226 nautical mile course,

Slow start Pittwater to Coffs as skipper recalls honeymoon race!

It was an extremely slow start to the Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race at 1pm, with the fleet still bobbing around the Barrenjoey Headland start line at Pittwater as

Race is on to win 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

Over 30 boats will be on the start line for the 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race this Friday when monohulls, a multihull and two-handed entries will share the

Interest mounting in 2024 Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race

The Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race has always attracted an extensive array of seasoned offshore yachts and sailors from NSW and other ports, including this year, as owners sign

Event Supporters

Competitor Information

Race documents.

• Notice of Race
• Online Entry & Update Form
• Appendix A Stability Form
• List of Entrants
• Sailing Instructions
• Satellite Phone Declaration
• Special Regulations Cat 3
• Special Regulations Cat 3 + additions Form
• Keel & Rudder Inspection Form
• Marine Communications Radio Form
• Declaration Form
• Race Results

NOTICES TO COMPETITORS

• Nil to date

CREW PROFILE

• Create or update your Crew Profile
• Crew Sail Pass Registration (for all crew not current Australian Sailing Members)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• Thursday 10 April 2025: Race Briefing (1830 hrs)
• Friday 11 April 2025: Race Start (1300 hrs)
• Sunday 13 April 2025:  Presentation, CHYC

Gear Transport from Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Club

SOCIAL FEED

Race merchandise.

Official Event Merchandise available for online purchases only. Order Today for collection at RPAYC. 

Track the Fleet

Available after the race start

• Competitor positions
• Competitors’ low bandwidth links (Expedition, Maxsea, Adrena)
• Leaderboard link (Provisional)

Further Information

Book your Baggage & Equipment Delivery Arrange baggage delivery from RPAYC to Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. Onsite at RPAYC from 0730hrs race day. Pre Book  HERE

Book a Marina Berth at RPAYC Arrange berthing at RPAYC via contacting our Waterfront Team on 9998 3700

Emergencies In an emergency, use your radio (VHF Channel 16) or ring Triple Zero (000). 

Book a Marina Berth Book a Berth today with the Coffs Harbour International Marina: 6651 4222

Coffs Harbour Boatyard 75 Tonne Marine Travel Lift and Boat Servicing in Coffs Harbour. Call  6516 2099

Beautiful Coffs Harbour entrance. Berthing assistance on arrival via Marine Rescue Coffs Harbour and CHYC Volunteers

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Frequently asked questions.

The race has been classified by the Organising Authority an Australian Sailing Special Regulations category 3 race with the addition of the OAs own additional requirements as listed in the Notice of Race. 

This means that an entrant will need to have a Cat 3 Audit done and additionally have an Australian Sailing Auditor (Club or National) sign off the O.A’s additional items.

• Download at Cat 3 + Audit requirements form here
• Cat 3 Stability Declaration Form
• Sat Phone Declaration
• Hull Construction World Sailing Structural Plan Review requirement information
• Australian Sailing Special Regulations Information
• Keelboat & Rudder Inspection certificate

Berthing at RPAYC Berthing is foc at the RPAYC marina from 30 March until the start of the race. If you require berthing earlier please contact RPAYC Waterfront Team to book: Tel. (02) 99983700 or Email

Berthing at Coffs Harbour If you require berthing in Coffs Harbour Marina; you will be required to contact them directly and book and pay for your berthing.  https://www.coffsharbourmarina.com.au/  / email:  [email protected] / Telephone: (02) 6651 4222.

The Organising Authority has arranged for Event Master Transport to provide a baggage and sail delivery service from RPAYC to Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. Bookings are made online, Click Here

Baggage will be stored at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. All goods become the responsibility of the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club on arrival and any inquiries for collection or misplaced items should be referred to the Duty Manager via reception.

A crew register is available for the race hosted by MySailTeam .

• Follow this link to find crew for your boat and or register as crew. 

There are a number of companies that can lease equipment to yacht owners as required for the race, e.g. Satellite phones, Liferafts, PLBs.

The Place to Buy, Hire or Rent a Satellite Phone – EPIRBhire Thuraya Iridium Inmarsat

Sail Exchange

https://www.sailexchange.com.au/personal-safety-equipment/rental-gear/life-rafts-rental.html

Bettina Crafoord | Mobile – 0418 866 333

www.sailexchange.com

A tender transfer for yachts in the Harbour wishing to disembark their crew after finishing in Coffs Harbour will be available 24hrs a day.

Boats wishing to use this service are asked to alert the RPAYC Sailing Office prior to racing at [email protected] . 

Contact after finishing will be on a dedicated VHF Channel (ch 77) with the Coffs Harbour Marina Office, “Coffs Harbour Tender”. 

Past Race Results

Get in touch with us.

• Organising Authority
• Event Schedule
• Sponsors & Partners
• Regatta Heritage
• Notice of Race
• Official Notice Board
• Weather Forecast
• Race Tracker
• Official Results
• Food for Crew
• Accommodation
• Marina & Berthing
• Crew Finder!

Club Marine Pittwater to Southport Yacht Race length draws keen skippers

• Club Marine Pittwater to Southport…

Two skippers drawn by the longer distance of January’s first-ever Club Marine Pittwater to Southport Yacht Race have marked the January 2, 2017 start date and are busy preparing crews and their steeds for the first offshore event of the New Year. Entry has been extended to December 15, 2016 by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. Enter here for the monohull, short-handed and multihull divisions. Preferring a two to three day race to the usual day and a half ocean passage from Pittwater to Coffs Harbour is a key reason for both Steven Czapp’s entry as a first-time skipper of a boat he knows well, and Phil Bennett’s return since 2010, the last time he and King Billy competed in the RPAYC’s traditional calendar opener. Since 2013 Turbulence, the first Adams 11.9m out of the mould back in 1979, has racked up 20,000 nautical miles in the Melbourne to Osaka and Brisbane to Vanuatu plus other major ocean races under previous owner Eric Marsh, Czapp’s step-father. He gifted the boat to Czapp at Easter this year and the new skipper has equally big plans racing under the flag of Southport Yacht Club, the Pittwater to Southport race finish partner. Czapp prefers the longer hauls for the experience and feeling of “getting away from the world” as he begins his quest to tackle a bigger goal – next year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race. Weather-wise the Queenslander says beam reaching in 25 knots for the 370 mile race back to his home port would well suit the five tonne Turbulence, once known as Newcastle Flyer. Barnett seconds a similar forecast. Made of King Billy Pine, his custom made John King design called King Billy is a heavy-built boat that prefers heavy weather. “We’d like the wind from the north and reasonably rough,” Barnett said. “Because the boat’s heavy, she doesn’t bounce around like the modern boats – that’s when we get a handicap advantage. As soon as it goes behind and light, then we’ve got a problem.” Speaking from his 5,000 acre sheep and wheat farm near Yass, where Barnett spends a third of the year way from Sydney’s northern beaches and his boat of almost a quarter century, he added, “Lengthening the race is a good thing and Southport is a great destination. “We did the boat up to make the Hobart last year. We are all getting a bit old and not too keen to go to Hobart again, and when the Alfred’s announced the race would end at Southport that was more in line with us. We like to go to sea a bit longer than a day and a half.” Barnett had King Billy built 24 years ago, in 1992…. “the reason the original crew are starting to retire,” he laughs. “It was built as a cruising boat but I went racing because I wanted to get into as many extreme situations as I could, and still be comfortable. Really I’ve just raced it since it was launched, in the Lord Howe Island race and it’s been to Coffs Harbour 10 times. It’s had a really good offshore career.” The 2017 Club Marine Pittwater to Southport bluewater race will start at 1pm on Monday January 2 to the north of Palm Beach headland and take the fleet up the New South Wales coast and into south east Queensland. It will conveniently feed into SYC’s Bartercard Sail Paradise Series starting on Sunday January 8 and SYC is delighted to offer free berthing from the finish of the Pittwater to Southport race to the end of Sail Paradise, on Thursday 12, to owners entered in both events. SYC has also arranged 10% accommodation discounts, at Hilton Surfers Paradise and Mantra. Email [email protected] for the booking codes. On December 19, 2016 the RPAYC’s competition called ‘The Prep’ closes and one lucky winner will score the $700 prize pack, including a GoPro Hero 5. Full details on the Facebook page.

Race website Enter here Facebook page @pitt2southport #pitt2southport #southport17 By Lisa Ratcliff /RPAYC media Further information: For media information please contact: Lisa Ratcliff m. 0418 428 511 e. [email protected] For race enquiries please contact: RPAYC sailing office ph. (02) 9998 3771 e. [email protected]

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Pittwater to Southport Race

Instead, skipper Graham Furtado is scouting for a new 40-footer and though the timeframe is tight, he’s planning to secure a replacement by the end of October and still be part of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s first offshore race to Queensland setting off on January 2, 2017 from the mouth of the Hawkesbury River.

Frantic was competing at the Airlie Beach regatta when its spinnaker became wrapped around the forestay. Winds gusting up to 30 knots kept knocking the Sayer 40 over and dragging it towards the shore, while the tide sucked the stricken vessel in the same direction. Eight crew members were rescued by fellow competitors and the boat was left, only to wash out to sea and sink. Frantic was eventually located by a diver, who saw the mast tip sticking out at low tide off Olden Island, and refloated, then towed ashore where Furtado’s insurance company classed it a write-off.

“It’s a shame, we were sailing it pretty well,” Furtado said. “We’d bought new sails for the Pittwater to Coffs this year, which aren’t so good anymore. They are all with the boat, which is probably going underground.”

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron member had entered Frantic in the RPAYC’s New Year race and was planning another 12 month campaign before looking around for a cruiser/racer style replacement. “This was thrust upon us; it would have been nice to hand one boat over and jump onto the next one. Now I’m boat-less, though I’m looking at a few options in the 40-foot range and hope to be back on the water soon,” Furtado said positively.

2016 Club Marine Pittwater to Southport Race © Howard Wright http://www.imagephoto.com.au

Eligible monohulls and multihulls are invited to enter the 370 nautical mile Category two ocean race, which starts off Barrenjoey Headland on Sydney’s northern beaches at 1pm on Monday January 2, 2017. It will be a key event during the RPAYC’s calendar of Sesquicentenary celebrations marking 150 years of operation.

The bluewater race feeds tidily into Southport Yacht Club’s (SYC) Bartercard Sail Paradise Series starting on Sunday January 8. SYC’s high-summer offshore regatta involves four days of magnificent racing on the beautiful waters off the Gold Coast.

SYC is delighted to offer free berthing from the finish of the Pittwater to Southport race to the end of Sail Paradise, on Thursday 12, to owners entered in both events. The club has also arranged accommodation discounts, at Hilton Surfers Paradise (20% discount) and Mantra (10% discount). Email [email protected] for the booking codes.

Summer school holidays are a peak booking time for the Gold Coast’s many accommodation options and owners and crew planning to stay on with their families are encouraged to make plans early.

Usually the RPAYC’s longstanding New Year offshore race finishes at Coffs Harbour however storms earlier this year destroyed some of the marina infrastructure necessary for berthing the fleet.

For more information and to enter visit website.

by Lisa Ratcliff

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Pittwater to Coffs & Southport Yacht Race

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Club marine pittwater to paradise regatta 2018, club marine pittwater to southport yacht race 2017, pittwater to coffs harbour yacht race 2023.

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• Major ocean yacht race rescheduled to finish on the Gold Coast

One of the major annual ocean yacht races on Australia’s east coast, the Club Marine Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Race, has been rescheduled to finish on the Gold Coast next January.

The race organisers at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, in Sydney, have announced the change after officials at Southport Yacht Club, at Main Beach, agreed to host the finish of the 370 nautical mile event, which will start on January 2.

It is anticipated that the race will bring well over one thousand sailors, their families and friends to the Gold Coast.

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club contacted Southport Yacht Club to discuss the club hosting the finish after it became apparent that damage caused to Coffs Harbour marina when a severe east coast low hit the region earlier this month might not be repaired in time for the finish of their long-standing event in January.

Coffs Harbour’s marina and marina office and other local businesses suffered infrastructure damage when giant waves crashed over the northern breakwall during the peak of the June storm. At the time ABC Coffs Coast reported the force of the waves broke finger-wharves from their moorings and destroyed part of the timber boardwalk that provide access to yachts berthed at the marina.

Given the damage and the risk it won’t be repaired in time for the fleet’s arrival in early January, the RPAYC board of directors has confirmed the 2017 New Year race will be renamed the Club Marine Pittwater to Southport Yacht Race and finish off Main Beach.

The event will start from the traditional start line just north of Palm Beach Headland, at the entrance to Pittwater, at 1pm on January 2, 2017. The new course to Southport will add an extra 145nm to the usual course length.

Commodore of RPAYC, Ian Audsley, said, “We enjoy a partnership with Coffs Harbour Yacht Club and community spanning 35 years and we reached out to them immediately after the worst of the storm to express our heartfelt concern. We recognise their disappointment with the board’s decision, particularly after steps taken to initiate remediation of the marina, however we need to assure boat owners well in advance there are suitable facilities at the finish to accommodate them”.

“Southport has welcomed the opportunity to host the finish in January 2017 and I’m sure it will be an outstanding success,” the Commodore added.

Southport Yacht Club, which hosts the finish of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s annual mid-winter Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, has embraced the idea of finishing the 2017 race as they too had recently made the difficult decision to cancel their Coffs Harbour to Paradise.

Southport Yacht Club Commodore, Phil Short said, said that while the club empathizes with the Coffs Harbor Yacht Club and the local marina operators, he was pleased that Southport Yacht Club could fill the breach.

“Our club is renowned for its hospitality and excellent marina facilities,” Commodore Short said, “so we are looking forward to hosting the participants and race supporters in January.”

The Club Marine Pittwater to Southport Yacht Race dovetails into SYC’s Bartercard Sail Paradise series. Instead of the RPAYC conducting a program of short races once the fleet arrives, as they do for the annual Pittwater to Coffs Race race, the Southport fleet can simply roll straight into the SYC’s existing Bartercard Sail Paradise Regatta starting Wednesday January 11.

For more information please contact Bronwen Hemmings at Southport Yacht Club on (07) 5591 3500 or via [email protected]

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Aerial of SYC. Photo credit Michael Jennings MJ Creative.

Pittwater to Paradise Race confirmed as long-term fixture on the offshore circuit

Australia’s east coast offshore sailing scene will take on a new look with the staging of the Pittwater to Paradise Regatta to start out of The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club on January 2, 2018.

After negotiations with Southport Yacht Club it was decided that a new era of racing will take place for both well-established clubs, with the combination of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s ocean race to Southport and the Southport Yacht Club’s Sail Paradise Series to create this new event.

This decision comes off the back of a very successful race in January 2017. The event drew keen competitors from both NSW and Queensland, and aided by an unseasonal southerly the race was completed in almost record time by Doug Coulter’s Shakti, a 46 footer from Lake Macquarie Yacht Club. “We reached a top speed of around 23 knots but averaged around 18 – 16 knots most of the way up the coast,” Coulter said.

Apart from the fast-paced downwind race, the 2017 event was complimented by the exceptional hospitality from the Southport Yacht Club. Volunteers and staff worked tirelessly for 24 hours a day to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all the competitors as they entered the Gold Coast seaway into the Southport marina.

The 2017 Pittwater to Southport race kicked off the year with an exciting, fast race complete with on-water social media competitions, live starts broadcast on Facebook, a media helicopter hovering over the fleet and a blistering pace to match.

Mark Tinworth and Mark Waterhouse’s Beneteau First 44.7 Le Billet used the event to mix youth and experience by bringing five RPAYC Youth Development on board. Upon receiving his prizes for first in PHS Division 2 and second in IRC, Tinworth made special mention to his crew, pointing the great work the Youth Development team achieved on the race to Southport.

“We had a great race with the five Youth Development members from the club (RPAYC). They are all under 23 and they bring so much enthusiasm and energy and it was great having them on board,” Tinworth said.

The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club prides itself as a world class yacht club and Southport in 2017 showed that they too emulate this attitude to their sport and club which makes Chair of the Race Committee, Richard Hudson very pleased with the decision and looking forward to the opportunities that the new Pittwater to Paradise will bring.

“Its great news to have the club’s signature offshore event secure a finish destination. I raced in the 2017 event and Southport were nothing short of amazing! Both clubs have such a high standard of service and planning that I think the Pittwater to Paradise Regatta is the start of something big,” said Richard Hudson.

The 380-nautical mile race will start in Pittwater, north of Sydney, on January 2, 2018, and Sail Paradise on January 6. Both events are open to the full spectrum of sailboats: monohulls and multihulls through to the upper echelon of Grand Prix ocean racers.

Southport Yacht Club’s commodore, Kerry Noyes, welcomed the news of the Pittwater to Paradise race: “Southport Yacht Club is delighted to announce this wonderful joint venture with RPAYC where their great race and our regatta are combined. Apart from being an exciting concept, it will have the added attraction of being an excellent summer holiday opportunity for the families and friends of competitors. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our great club.” 

Both Pittwater and the Gold Coast present excellent holiday destinations and those thinking about competing are encouraged to visit www.pittwatertoparadise.com.au  to keep up with special discounts and offers.    

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December 4 - 10, 2016: Issue 292

Club Marine Pittwater To Southport Race Length Draws Keen Skippers

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Club Marine Pittwater to Southport race replaces Coffs race

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