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A celebration of all things sail!

Cock of the Harbour

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Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club and Port Hunter 16-Foot Skiff Sailing Club proudly present the annual SailFest Newcastle Regatta

22-24 march 2025.

In a celebration of all things sail, Newcastle Harbour and the city’s pristine coastline come alive with grand-prix TP52 yachts, offshore racers, high-speed skiffs and catamarans, Try-Sailing experiences and more. It rekindles the historic Newcastle Regatta, dating back to 1854, and evokes the maritime traditions of Australia’s oldest export port – albeit with a modern-day twist.

With thanks to our major supporters City of Newcastle  and Transport for NSW.

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Australian Yachting Championships & Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club

Best of the best set for australian yachting championships at newcastle cruising yacht club.

Australia’s fastest and foremost racing yachts will arrive in Newcastle early next month to contest one of the premier prizes in offshore yachting, the Australian Yachting Championships, from April 5-7.

Newcastle cruising yacht club (ncyc) is hosting the prestigious event in conjunction with the national sailing body, australian sailing. it will be embedded into the fast-growing sailfest newcastle regatta which was relaunched in 2019 but has a proud heritage dating back to 1845..

Undoubtedly one of the signature events is a TP52 division with 11 entries. Included are Geoff Boettcher’s orange-hulled Secret Men’s Business, due to be trucked from Adelaide for the series, and Marcus Blackmore’s newly built Hooligan.

David Doherty’s Matador, fresh from winning a closely fought Act 1 of the Pallas Capital Gold Cup for TP52s last weekend, will take strong form into the national championships, as will podium placegetters KOA (Andrew Kearnen) and Quest (Craig Neil).

Joining them will be at least 11 other entries striving for IRC-handicap honours in the Australian Yachting Championships, including Middle Harbour Yacht Club stablemates Nine Dragons (Bob Cox), Soozal (Keiran Mulcahy) and the Sydney 36 Stormaway (J. Stenning and C. Gunn).

Nine Dragons will square off with Mark Griffith’s LCE Old School Racing from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, both being near-identical DK46 sisterships built in 2004. Duelling for home-town honours, meanwhile, will be Tom Woods aboard the JPK 10.8 Saltwater Wine and Joe De Kock on his Farr 40 KD1.

Entries remain open for the IRC divisions and the PHS cruising class that is contested as part of SailFest Newcastle. Vessels from Queensland and Victoria are also expected to make the trek to Newcastle to compete in the Australian Yachting Championships.

Windward-leeward racing will be staged off Newcastle’s famous beaches and the passage racing will feature an in-harbour start at around 11.30am on Saturday, April 6, marked by a firing of Fort Scratchley’s 80-pound gun. It will give spectators on the harbour foreshore a front-row view.

NCYC CEO Paul O’Rourke says: “It’s fantastic to bring the sailing community together here in Newcastle. What make these events special is the camaraderie the sailors develop in the Club afterwards. We have always been able to deliver fantastic sailing along our coastline and generous hospitality after, and it’s great to be able to share that with a wider group of sailors this year.”

Saturday will also see the historic Cock of the Harbour race run by Port Hunter 16ft Sailing Skiff Club, with NCYC Sailing Manager Jack Buchan noting: “The 16ft Skiffs, catamarans and off-the-beach dinghies really bring the harbour to life as they vie for the honour of being the fastest sailing boats on the harbour. There is a colourful, chaotic beauty to the racing that’s fantastic to watch.”

Families can also get involved on Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7, from 9am to 12pm, as kids aged 6 to 12 can try sailing for free under the supervision of Australian Sailing qualified instructors from NCYC.

SailFest Newcastle Regatta is supported by the City of Newcastle and Transport for NSW. More information:  sailfest.com.au

by Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club

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About NCYC (History)

The Club was incorporated on the 19th of April, 1994, and since then, has grown to be a nationally recognised name in both sailing and sailing development. NCYC has gone through various phases of development, beginning with the completion of four marina arms, boatyard, and commercial centre. The second phase of development saw the completion of two more marina arms, and the completion of the Clubhouse in 2008. In 2021, the Club completed stage three, the footprint of its Clubhouse.

The City of Newcastle is commonly referred to by locals as ‘God’s Country,’ and they are right to do so. Newcastle has an incredible array of beaches, restaurants, cafes, and gallaries within 2km of NCYC, while being less than an hour drive to the famous Hunter Valley Wine Country.

We are excited to welcome members, guests, and sailors from all over to enjoy our Licenced Club, great marina facilities, and fantastic sailing.

As far as Australian yacht clubs go, NCYC’s history is relatively short, yet still boasts as one of the newest yacht clubs in Australia, and certainly the newest with significant club and marina assets.

Message from the Retiring Inaugural Commodore

History Before Official Sailing

If you would like to read the full history of NCYC, pick up a copy of  Setting Sail: The First 25 Years by the retired commodore, Paul Hannan, and life member, Gloria Thirkell.

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Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club - Sailing Academy

Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club is located at Wickham on the shores of the Port of Newcastle, NSW. The Club’s precinct is a waterfront stroll from the city and includes a sailing academy, marina, cafes, restaurants and licensed clubhouse.

The active Sailing Academy offers a wide range of learn-to-sail courses and fun sailing experiences for both children and adults. As an "Australian Sailing" accredited centre, you can be assured of skilled instructors and a high standard of delivery.

Aboard their fleet of six 24' inshore keelboats or 12 Tackers dinghies for kids, they aim to offer you an experience and view of Newcastle like no other. Courses range in length from a quick two-hour Friday Twilight sail, to a three-hour 'taste' of weekend sailing, to a regular four-session course or a week-long school holiday program.

The Courses and Experiences include: "Discover Sailing" Experiences, Women's Sailing courses "Tackers" kids learn to sail programs "OutThereSailing" for adventurous teens, Friday Twilight Sailing, and Start Crewing keelboat courses.

Given the wonderful location and vista of Newcastle Harbour, the Academy instructors aim to give every participant an experience they will thoroughly enjoy and long remember.

With an objective of developing and promoting sailing in Newcastle, the club is focused on maintaining its welcoming approach and hospitable charm to both “old salts” and those new to sailing.

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Travel | MSC Cruises to bring a 2nd ship to Port Canaveral

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MSC Grandiosa was the first Meraviglia Plus class ship for MSC Cruises. It debuted in 2019. (Courtesy/Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Cruises)

The Wild Forest Aquapark on MSC Grandiosa. (Courtesy/Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Cruises)

The Safari pool on MSC Grandiosa. (Courtesy/Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Cruises)

The Galleria Grandiosa on MSC Grandiosa. (Courtesy/Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Cruises)

L'Atelier Bistro on MSC Grandiosa. (Courtesy/Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Cruises)

The Lego-themed kids club on MSC Grandiosa. (Courtesy/Ivan Sarfatti/MSC Cruises)

MSC Grandiosa will begin seven-night Caribbean itineraries in December 2025 for the winter sailing season while MSC Seashore remains, but sailing short three- and four-night Bahamas sailings to Nassau and the cruise line’s private island Ocean Cay.

It’s the largest MSC ship yet to sail from the port. The Meraviglia Plus-class vessel is among the top 20 largest cruise ships worldwide at 181,541 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 6,334. It debuted in 2019 and features a water park, five pools, nine hot tubs, spa, the MSC Yacht Club exclusive area and a Lego partnership in its kids clubs.

One of the more dramatic features is the 323-foot-long Galleria Grandiosa promenade with an LED projection screen over the length of the walkway. The ship features 10 restaurants including the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse, Hola! Tacos & Cantina, Kaito Sushi, Kaito Tepanyaki and L’Atelier Bistrot.

This is its first time taking on North American duties, and its arrival coincides with the debut out of PortMiami of the MSC World America, which will be even larger.

“The Winter 2025-2026 season will mark our largest presence in the U.S. to date, and our expansion at Port Canaveral is a big part of that,” said MSC Cruises USA President Rubén A. Rodríguez in a press release. “We know people sailing from Central Florida want options, and we’re delighted to offer them two of our most modern and glamorous ships with itineraries that will appeal to everyone from first-time to seasoned cruisers.”

MSC first began sailing from the port in 2021, joining mainstays Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian. It has shuffled several ships for short runs for what Rodríguez said was a taste of what MSC has to offer. That has included MSC Divina, MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seashore.

The family-owned cruise line has its roots in Europe, so the line plays up its “unique international flavor” compared with the other lines, while also touting its environmental efforts such as can be found on the private Bahamas island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. It is undergoing a major expansion effort to support excursions and on-island activities.

MSC Grandiosa will trade off alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries. Eastern trips will visit Nassau and Ocean Cay, Bahamas; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands. Western trips will visit Nassau; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; George Town, Cayman Islands; Montego Bay and Falmouth, Jamaica; and Belize City, Belize.

“We are honored that MSC Cruises chose Port Canaveral for the North American debut of their magnificent MSC Grandiosa,” said Port Canaveral CEO John Murray in the release. “Expanding their homeport fleet at Port Canaveral underscores their confidence in our partnership and shared commitment to success.”

The growing port for a time took on the title of world’s busiest cruise port after the pandemic, and while PortMiami has since retaken that title, Port Canaveral continues to expand its ship offerings.

The last sailing season saw 16 ships that either homeported year-round or sailed seasonally, and it expects that number to grow to 19 for the 2024-2025 sailing season, including the debuts of Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises this fall.

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