More than 230 boats are off and racing at Sail Sydney 2024, with sailors putting their best foot forward on day one in an attempt to claim the early advantage.

Hosted by Woollahra Sailing Club (WSC), the initial day of Sail Sydney saw sailors race on both Rose Bay and Botany Bay across a variety of classes.

Principal Race Officer, Ed Vincent, noted today’s conditions were a bit of a mixed bag, and wished all sailors fair winds over the coming days.

“I’d like to welcome all our competitors to Sail Sydney and also all our volunteers who are here making the whole event happen,” said Vincent.

“We have both Olympic and Invited classes joining us for this regatta, and we have the monohull classes sailing on the Harbour while our foiling classes are racing on Botany Bay.

“We had typically about 6-12 knots across both courses, and while it was challenging at times for sailors and race officials alike, it was a great start to the regatta,” he said.

Heidi Bates and Orlando Sadlik (Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club) had a fantastic day on the water in the 29er class, finishing ten points ahead of their nearest competitors after three races.

“It was a bit tricky out there today, pretty choppy at points so it was a bit difficult to keep the boat going through the waves, but we did well and we’re pretty happy,” said Sadlik.

Bates agreed, adding “When we first got here there was so much fog, we could barely see anything, but it gradually burnt off during the day.”

“It was a great day out there today; the racing was super close and exciting so it was really fun,” she said.

Both sailors enjoyed sailing against a large fleet, with Sadlik echoing his skipper's sentiments and noting he’s excited to go back out on the Harbour tomorrow.

“Over the next few days I’m looking forward to getting better at sailing a 29er. We’re up against so many good sailors and they’re really going to push us, so that’s exciting,” he said.

In the ILCA 4 class, Callum Simmons (Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club/Indented Head Yacht Club) had a great day on the water, securing just three points across two races.

“It was a pretty tricky day out there; you kind of had to piece it together to do well, but it was fun and I was happy with how I sailed,” said Simmons.

“I wanted to come to Sail Sydney because it’s a big regatta and it’s good to sail in such a big fleet. My goal for the event is to do my best but also to learn and practice a lot,” he said.

Callum Simmons (credit: Sprott Media)

Fellow ILCA 4 sailor Ruby Carter (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished top girl after the first day of racing, noting it was a shifty day on the water.

“My goal for the event is to finish in the top five but also to get better at noticing the shifts and gusts across the course.

“It was a really good day out there even though it was a bit shifty, so I’m looking forward to the next three days of racing.”

Sail Sydney is taking place at WSC and Georges River Sailing Club from December 6-9.

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