Sail Port Stephens is a popular sporting event held in April-May each year. Participants from all over Australia compete to win.
Held at the renowned d’Albora Marinas, this event is among the region’s most esteemed and unique sporting events.
Sail Port Stephens 2025 Dates, Event Schedule, Times & Location, NSW
They aim to give competitors the best possible on- and off-water regatta experience in one of the East Coast’s finest sailing destinations, a little over 2-hours from Sydney by car or an easy day sail.
The event dates will always be separate from Easter to maximise the opportunity for boat owners and crew to incorporate the event into their family holiday plans.
While CPSA helped establish Sail Port Stephens as an annual event on the national regatta calendar, as the event has continued to grow, it needed the resources and support of a major club. Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club and Destination Port Stephens are now organising it.
The iconic Commodores Cup series is extended to six days of racing under PHS handicapping. The Port Stephens Trophy will simultaneously be contested under the ORC Club rating system. With a wide variety of courses taking in the many inshore and offshore islands and bays, the opening series will particularly appeal to cruiser-racer crews who enjoy longer and more scenic passage racing. Extra divisions will reduce start-line crowding and allow more equitable boat-to-boat racing.
For spectators who just want to see the action, the festival will include a range of social events, including conferences, dinners, live entertainment, and presentation dinners.
Commodores Cup
The Commodores Cup comprises five days of racing under PHS. With a wide variety of courses taking in the many inshore and offshore islands and bays, the opening series will appeal to cruiser-racer crews who enjoy longer and more scenic passage racing.
Dates for the combined Sail Port Stephens ‘Passage Series’ will be 31 March – 5 April 2025. There is a Reserve Day included in the programme, which may be used as a racing day if required.
- Open for all types of cruising and racing yachts
- Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker boats
- Commodores Cup is raced under PHS (handicaps adjusted daily)
- One race per day
- Most courses have fixed marks with some laid buoys
- Some races around nearby islands
- YA Category 5 safety regulations apply
Performance Racing Series
The Performance Racing Series is a three-day event held from 25-27 April 2025 at The Anchorage Marina and Anchorage Hotel and Spa, Corlette. It comprises the prestigious NSW Yachting Championships (IRC), Rob Hampshire Cup (ORC), Act 3 of the TP52 Gold Cup (TPR and IRC), and the new Super Racer Cruiser division (IRC).
The fleets will sail a mix of windward-leeward races and passage racing. Yachts wishing to compete under ORC can contest the Rob Hampshire Series, honouring our long-serving administrator, who passed away in 2020.
Bay Series – Sportsboat & J70s
The Bay Sailing Centre at Salamander Bay is hosting a regatta for sports boats, trailer sailers, off-the-beach classes and Windsurfers under the ‘Bay Series’ banner. The weekend of 2-4 May 2025 has been set aside, with the dinghies and sailboards to sail 3-4 May.
Sail Port Stephens Street Party
With the support of Port Stephens Council, a street party is being planned in Nelson Bay on Wednesday, April 2. The party will feature free entertainment, a public street bar, late-night dining and shopping with special offers, and giveaway competitions!
Social Schedule
d’Albora Marina Nelson Bay is the go-to place for Sail Port Stephens Passage Series and Performance Series registrations, briefings, presentations, etc. Please note that this year, the regatta hub will be on the marina forecourt (not Sirena Seaside, formerly Broughtons at the Bay).
The Bay Sailing Centre, Soldiers Point, is hosting the Bay Series.
Car Parking
All parking around the marina is paid for and heavily monitored at Nelson Bay. We advise that if you need to park your car at Nelson Bay, you take advantage of the free undercover carpark on Donald Street, a five-minute walk from the marina.
Detailed maps and directions will be available closer to the event, and details will be included in skipper packs.
There is limited parking at Soldiers Point Marina; however, there is on-street parking available and also some space at Soldiers Point Holiday Park.
The Anchorage Marina has on-site parking and extra space on the street nearby.
Getting to Port Stephens
By water
90 nautical miles from Sydney
78 nautical miles from Pittwater
By car
From Sydney – Approx 3 hours
From Melbourne – Approx 11.5 hours
From Brisbane – Approx 10 hours
By plane
Daily flights into Newcastle Airport from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
The airport is around a 40-minute drive from the Regatta Centre at d’Albora Marina Nelson Bay. Hire cars are available at the airport, but bookings are recommended.
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