Six boats from SoPYC competed in the 66th annual Cockburn Sound Regatta hosted by The Cruising Yacht Club of WA (TCYC) from their clubhouse on the foreshore of directly adjacent to the commercial centre of Rockingham Beach. The waters of Cockburn Sound are perfect for keelboat racing with typically good breezes but relatively little chop due to the protection on the adjacent low-lying land. The water is beautifully clean and has a magnificent colour. The event has a major sponsor in the Kwinana Industries’ Council.
A wide variety of yachts from all over Perth sail in a number of divisions governed by size & use (or not) of spinnaker. There is also a division for sports boats. Handicaps are adjusted after each race which makes the pointscore tallies interesting & tight.
The event is run from Boxing Day for 5 days with the first day being a “Feeder Race” from Fremantle to Rockingham. Races are typically held each morning & afternoon with a break for lunch. TCYC allocates a mooring to each participant and runs a very efficient pick up & drop off service with a fleet of RIBs. The atmosphere of event is very friendly, having an old fashioned “country” feel. Masses of volunteers are decked out in loud Hawaiian shirts for easy identification. The volunteers are well organised & extremely efficient. It is clear that this is the best part of their Christmas as it is for many of the participants. Many boats attend every year but at the same time there were a lot of previously unseen boats this year. Some crews stay in Rockingham either on their boats or ashore but many travel down & back each day which is not at all onerous. The event is a good opportunity to have “mix’n’match” crews allowing many people to enjoy the event.
So, if you find the Christmas/New Year period a bit tedious, why not think about entering this year? It is a fabulous event!
The SoPYC boats acquitted themselves well again this year with King Canute winning the feeder race. Wildfire won Division 3; Talisman was placed 2nd in Div.2 JAM & K Factor was 3rd in Div.2.
