Port Esperance Sailing Regatta 3-4 April 2021
The success of the yacht races at the 2021 Dover Easter Regattta was marred by some exceptionally windy weather and the lack of a clubhouse (burnt down in 2020) to use as a base for associated social activities.
On Easter Saturday afternoon, 3rd April 2021, a pursuit race started in a freshening northerly in Port Cygnet to race to a finishing line at the Dover wharf. By the time the boats rounded Blubber Head at the entrance to Port Esperance, they were confonted by a north-westerly gale gusting to more than 30 knots. All but one boat decided discretion was the better part of valour and retired to motor up the bay to anchor off Dover beach. Our thanks go to the Port Cygnet Sailing Club for starting this race off Lymington Point in Port Cygnet and to our regatta handicapper Tim Schnitzerling
Saturday evening heralded a successful and well attended barbecue featuring salmon donated by Huon Aquaculture on the foreshore behind the beach. During the evening some shark fillets donated by John Careless were auctioned in aid of the clubhouse rebuilding fund. (John sells his fish off his boat Barbara at the Dover wharf.)
Easter Sunday, 4th April 2021, dawned fine, warm and clear with light wind for the Round-Hope-Island race, and the first of two scheduled ‘round-the-buoys’ races for off-the-beach dinghies and catamarans. Soon after these races finished, an unforecast gale arrived with gusts well over 30 knots. This precluded further racing that day, and the cold front that arrived later in the afternoon made the evening function on the foreshore a chilly, draughty affair.
Only some of the prizes could be awarded, but two different curries on offer helped ward off the cold. The evening auction was of a crayfish contained in a large cast-iron camp oven. Our thanks go to Rob Joiner who sells crayfish off his fishing boat the Catherina J at the Dover wharf, and to Andrew Wong who found he had a brand new camp oven surplus to requirements.
PESC would like to acknowledge with grateful thanks other sponsors who assisted with victuals and equipment:
Woolworths Huonville, IGA Dover, Huon Aquaculture, Dover Pharmacy, Home Hill Wines, Franklin Marine and the Huon Valley Council.