Ash Bolt
It was a sweet victory for the crew of the Geelong-based yacht Extasea, which took out line honours in the 2022 Passage Race from Melbourne to Geelong.
On a perfect summer morning on Saturday, more than 200 boats of all shapes and sizes jostled for position on the waters off Williamstown to get the 32 nautical mile race, which was the traditional curtain raiser for Geelong’s Festival of Sails yachting regatta, underway.
After a fast start and ideal conditions for the four-hour battle for the leading boats, it was Geelong’s Cookson 50 ‘Extasea’, skippered by Paul Bucholz, that took line honours, narrowly in front of Queensland-based Schumacher 54 ‘Maritimo’, skippered by Ray Roberts.
Melbourne-based R33 ‘Chutzpah’ came in third with skipper Bruce Taylor behind the wheel.
“It’s fantastic race to win,” Bucholz said.
“It’s a hometown race and a hometown boat won it, so it’s a sensational win.
“I’ve been sailing this race for the last 30 years and it’s getting better and better every year. Love this event.”
Now in its 179th year, the Festival of Sails is Australia’s oldest annual sporting event.
Festival chairman Roger Bennett said Saturday’s race in perfect conditions was a fabulous “welcome back” for the iconic event which has been severely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions for the past two years.
“It’s even better that we also get to celebrate the win of one of our long-standing club members, so a huge congratulations to the Extasea crew,” he said.
“Like many major events, it’s been a roller coaster for us trying to navigate if and how the Festival could proceed this year, and we’ve been really grateful for the ongoing financial and operational support of the Victorian state government which has been a huge believer in our event for many years.”
Geelong MP Christine Couzens welcomed the return of the Festival as an important major event and showcase for the region.
“The Festival of Sails has been amazing so far with lots of spectacular yachts converging on our waterfront during an event that we’re really proud to be a part of in Geelong,” she said.
“This is a great opportunity for people to come to our beautiful city and the enjoy the local hospitality and I’m so pleased the Victorian state fovernment has continued to financially support this event to ensure we have the best Festival possible.”
Royal Geelong Yacht Club’s 2022 event will continue until Wednesday, January 26.
