No sooner had the Notice of Race and entry form for the 2023 Festival of Sails (FOS) hit the official website, Geelong sailor Brendan Garner clicked to enter for his 36th year of competition at Australia’s oldest and largest keelboat regatta in the southern hemisphere.
“My first was 1987 as a 12 year-old – it was on Dad’s Etchells in the Passage Race,” the Leopold sailor recalled of the regatta, which was inaugurated in 1844 and is hosted by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) each year.
“I’m doing the Passage Race on my cruising boat, ‘Mustique’. Then I will race my Etchells, ‘Panther’, doing the Guyon Wilson Series.”
The Passage Race celebrates its 180th year when the FOS is held from 26 to 28 January.
“It’s a very impressive milestone for Royal Geelong Yacht Club to have such a long-lasting and continuous event,” Brendan said.
“It’s a highlight on the calendar for sailors in Victoria and around the country. It’s spectacular to watch the start from the shore or on the water. I just can’t miss the Passage Race. Once the race is finished, the boat turns into the accommodation for the regatta.”
Brendan’s eldest son Ben (17) will sail while Josh (14 next week) and Will (10) will race in the Cadets on the Sunday, as will Ben, who sails with Will.
“Kids get life skills in the Cadet; they learn the nature of looking after somebody.” Garner reckoned. “My 17 and 10 year-olds sail together, so when Will was seven, Ben was looking after him, for instance,” Brendan said.
One family member will be missing in 2023. Brendan’s father, John.
“Dad passed away earlier this year. We last did the Passage Race together two years ago. It was his last,” Brendan said.
Details: festivalofsails.com.au/
