WE CAME, WE SAW, WE SAILED ⛵️
The 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail was originally planned to include an international youth regatta, which, due to the impact of travel and border restrictions (both interstate and internationally) relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic, was no longer feasible. With great support and guidance from key stakeholders including the City of Perth, Royal Perth Yacht Club, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and the Warren Jones Foundation, the event was pivoted to a state based youth regatta which would be delivered even with border restrictions, with the ability to then include travelling teams nationally or internationally if the environment were able to change to accommodate this.
[ 2021 Colin Mullins Youth Regatta – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
A snap lock-down enforced on 31 January 2021 meant that the 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail was postponed from the original dates of 01-05 February 2021 to 06 – 15 April 2021. When it was finally time to execute the event, it went off without a hitch, proving once again how successful and vibrant sailing in Perth Waters can be!
The 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail encompassed a number of diverse events relating to the sport of sailing in order to encourage an increased level of engagement between the sport, the local community and the global sailing community. By using smaller, targeted events as a way to engage and introduce the sport (and its’ diverse range of benefits) and Perth as a destination to a diverse range of audiences, these being local and global, Perth was put up in lights as a vibrant, engaging and community centric city.
[ 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta was replaced by the inaugural City of Perth Youth Cup – a locally focused sailing regatta spanning three days, still held in the heart of the city, in Perth Waters, just outside Elizabeth Quay. This regatta was the final of five held locally in Season 2020/21 to benefit and develop the local youth sailing cohort in order to allow a productive break from competing around the world. Over 45 talented, aspiring local youth sailors took to the fleet of Foundation-36 yachts over the summer sailing season where Swan River Sailing, with the support of the Warren Jones Foundation, held the WA Tour & Development Program, which encouraged and enabled the sailors to develop as individuals and teams, both on and off the water.
A Celebration Evening was held on Friday, 9 April 2021 which included the presentations of the inaugural City of Perth Youth Cup and the overall presentations of the Season 2020/21 WA Tour & Development Program along with a celebration of once again the Festival of Sail returning to the City of Perth in 2021.
On Wednesday, 14 April, BGC Australia were excited to be a part of the 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail by hosting over 60 of their employees for a sunset Corporate Sailing Regatta out of Elizabeth Quay in Perth Waters then returned ashore to The Island for some fantastic social hospitality.
[ 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
THE WA TOUR & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
In the summer of 2020/2021, as the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta could not go ahead due to national and international border restrictions, a plan was established with the support of the Warren Jones Foundation and local clubs to form a ‘tour’ for local youth sailors to compete in. This ‘tour’ would encompass an overarching program to foster the development and growth of local youth athletes, both on and off the water, and provide a program and goal for them to work towards during a time of uncertainty and unfamiliarity.
This is where the concept of the ‘WA Tour and Development Program’ was established. The WA Tour included five local sailing regattas across match racing and fleet racing, held by three different yacht clubs across four venues in the Perth Metropolitan Area in December 2020 through to April 2021. Scoring was aggregated across these five events with there being a pool of prize money, sponsored by the Warren Jones Foundation, for the overall placings. Teams were encouraged to enter at the beginning of the sailing season and participate in an overall development program which included numerous group training & mentoring sessions and additional facilities and resources to aid participants developing as teams and as individuals. Six teams participated in the WA Tour and Development Program and included 45 Western Australian based youth (under 25) athletes.
It was completely evident by the latter regattas how far individuals and teams had progressed over the duration of the WA Tour & Development Program. Feedback from all involved was very positive, with numerous onwater volunteers and officials personally noting the differences they had observed from the first regatta through to the last. Prize money was awarded to the top three finishing teams based on the Overall Results.
[ 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
CITY OF PERTH YOUTH CUP
The fifth and final event of the 2020/21 WA Tour and Development Program was the 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup, sailed as part of the 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail in Perth Waters in April 2021. Leveraging and utilising the brand of the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta (The Warren Jones Foundation) the images and footage of match racing in the iconic stadium sailing venue of Perth Waters were broadcast around the globe once again in 2021.
Thanks to the easing of some border restrictions, one team (in additional to several ‘subbed in’ athletes for other locally based teams) from New South Wales were able to travel to Perth to compete in the 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup; Finn Tapper and his crew representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Tapper ranked 31 in the Open World Match Racing Rankings, thus meaning that out of the six competing teams in the 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup, 50% of them were ranked in the top 100 of the Open World Match Racing Rankings. This is a great feat for a scaled down, primarily local version of the usual world-class, international event.
[ 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
RESULTS
1st Place – Will Boulden // Alpha Racing Team
Representing Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
2nd Place – Ethan Prieto-Low // Swan River Sailing Team
Representing Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
3rd Place – Finn Tapper // CYCA Youth Sailing Academy
Representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW)
4th Place – Marcello Torre // Columbus Racing
Representing Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
5th Place – Lucy Alderson // Akamai Race Team
Representing Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
6th Place – Kaiella Taylor // Forte Racing
Representing Royal Perth Yacht Club
[ Winners of the 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup, Alpha Racing Team pictured. (L-R) Alex Negri, Will Boulden (Skipper), Lachy Gilmour, Niall Morrow and James Farquharson – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
CLICK TO WATCH
[ The City of Perth Youth Cup – Videography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
BEACH CLEAN UP
Coinciding with the City of Perth Youth Cup was the famous Beach Clean Up, held on Wednesday, 7 April 2021. This event was delivered in partnership with Keep Australia Beautiful WA, River Guardians and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for the fourth year in a row.
This year, 37 people participated in the Beach Clean Up and approximately 29 bags of rubbish were collected. A fantastic outcome, especially with the overall Festival being reduced in size in 2021 compared to previous years.
[ 2021 City of Perth Youth Cup – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
CORPORATE CUP
On Tuesday, 13 April 2021, the ever-popular Corporate Cup was held in Perth Waters, Elizabeth Quay and The Reveley, where teams of corporate guests and companies took to the water for a ‘sail off’ then returned back ashore to Henry’s Rooftop at The Reveley where they could overlook the waters they were just racing on.
Congratulations to Hugh Warner and his team from Anglo Pacific Ventures for accepting the challenge and taking out the 2021 Corporate Cup!
Hugh and his crew were hosted by local youth sailor and WA Tour participant, Conor Nicholas. It was a fantastic evening on and off the water, complimented by superb hospitality provided by The Reveley. This year there were six companies across seven teams who participated – all new to the event, having not participated in the previous three editions! A special mention to the teams from Solstad Offshore ASA for taking home the coveted Bested Dress Prize… by donning the high vis – An Aussie Classic!
Save the Date for 2022! Next Year’s Corporate Cup is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 2 February 2022. Express your interest by joining our Corporate Cup mailing list to keep informed.
RESULTS
1st Place – Anglo Pacific Ventures | Hosted by Conor Nicholas
2nd Place – The Reveley | Hosted by Grant Alderson & Don McCracken
3rd Place – Risk Guidance Insurance | Hosted by Grahame Hunt
4th Place – Arns & Associates | Hosted by Ben Durham
5th Place – Gage Roads Brewing Co | Hosted by Andy Fethers & Alan Smith
6th Place – Solstad Offshore ASA Team 2 | Hosted by George Boulden & Andrew Henderson
7th Place – Solstad Offshore ASA Team 1 | Hosted by Niall Morrow, Alex Harden-Jones & Kaiella Taylor
[ 2021 Corporate Cup – Team Gage Roads Brewing Co. hosted by Andy Fethers & Alan Smith ]
WOMEN ON WATER
Finishing up the program, Thursday 15 April 2021 saw the attendance of more than 75 women from 28 different organisations take to the water for the Women On Water networking and leadership morning. This saw guests arrive bright and early in Elizabeth Quay, transfer onto the yachts sailing in Perth Waters then return ashore for morning tea and networking at The Reveley.
Hosting the brief onshore formalities was Olympic Gold Medallist Tessa Parkinson OAM, who is the current head coach at Fremantle Sailing Club. Two local youth sailors, Lucy Alderson and Holly Hunt, representing their all-female youth sailing team, Akamai Race Team, provided a light-hearted Q+A, which was also complimented by an impressive address by the City of Perth’s Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Sandy Anghie, capping off a fantastic morning and an exciting, successful City of Perth Festival of Sail for 2021!
Save the Date for 2022! Next Year’s Women On Water is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 1 February 2022. Express your interest by joining our Women On Water mailing list to keep informed.
[ 2021 Women On Water – Pictured L-R: Andy Fethers, Executive Officer of Swan River Sailing, Lucy Alderson and Holly Hunt from Akamai Race Team, Tessa Parkinson OAM, Olympic Gold Medalist and Head Coach at Fremantle Sailing Club and Coumcillor Sandy Anghie, Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Perth]
WHAT’S NEXT?
Planning and preparations are underway for Season 2021/22 with the Swan River Sailing team working hard behind the scenes. Swan River Sailing plan to return to The City in 2022 and hold the City of Perth Festival of Sail from Saturday 29 January to Friday 4 February 2022. More information and details regarding the schedule of events will be available in due course.
[ 2020 Warren Jones International Youth Regatta – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
EVENT LINE UP FOR SEASON 2021-22
The team are also preparing the full event and regatta schedule for the upcoming season. This includes some exciting plans and projects that we hope to announce sometime in the near future…. STAY TUNED!
TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL!
We have recently launched our Short 5-Minute End of Season Survey and would love to hear your thoughts! We will use these findings to continue to improve our products, services and events for the coming season and into the future. Submit your feedback via the survey to go in the running to win a Twilight Package for you and up to 10 guests next season!