The 2009 Trailable Yacht Festival was a great success, with a lot of fun had by all. Approximately 25 boats from 30 registrations enjoyed the Indian Summer weather as they enjoyed the program of cruising, socialising and eating!

Many new friendships were made, and many friendships renewed over the weekend. Boat owners checked out different ideas on setting up their boats for cruising, on how they might make mast raising easier, how to recognise the correct flare in the dark, and how to let them off in a safe way. They also learnt about repairing those little problems on their fibreglass boats. The swap and sell session worked well, with many people picking up bargains on un-wanted or un-used boat bits.

The cruise/Poker Run around Corio Bay saw boats sailing to various spots around Corio Bay, picking up cards to add to their hand. The winner was announced at the Festival dinner, where 70 people enjoyed the talk from Ted and Anne Peers on their experiences as lighthouse keepers around the Victorian coast. The auction of some very risque flags added to the flavour of the evening!

Thanks to all who attended and to:
our sponsors; Professional Insurance Brokers, Rebusiness, Four Winds Marine, Power Drive Marine and PowerSailerMarine
to Chemring for the flares display, Parks Victoria and Victorian Regional Channels for their support 
to Royal Geelong Yacht Club for the use of their facilities
to our presenters; Barry Palich, Ted and Anne Peers, Peter Donaldson, David Jenkins and Dennis McDowell and to Peter Nyga for his brilliant photos
and to all members of the Geelong Trailable Yacht Club who assisted over the weekend.

Winners of the competitions were:
Safety Set-up: Meander, Peter and Pamela Mart 3rd, Murrendi, Pat and Cheryl Russell 2nd, and Moonlight Sonata, Grant and Sharon Roe 1st
Cruising set-up: Kokomo, Vic and Florina Sargeant 3rd, Frontliner, John and Veronica Burgess 2nd and Farr Di-Da, Charles and Di Weatherly 1st.

Early bird registrations for the 2009 Trailable Yacht Festival close on Monday 23rd March. Register now to join in the fun of the Festival and catch up with trailable yacht owners from all over Victoria for a weekend of sharing experiences and learning more about trailable yachting activities.

Click onto the Register button on the side bar of this page to fill in your details online, then when you arive at St Helens confirm your registration, and pay your Registration fee and Saturday night dinner costs.

Saturday night’s Festival dinner at Royal Geelong Yacht Club’s west lounge will be a night to remember. We have arranged a carvery buffet for the meal. Roast lamb and beef, roast potatoe, pumpkin, sweet potatoe and steamed vegetables; Greek and Caesar salads and an Antipasto plate; Penne Carbonara, plus a fruit platter, cakes and gateaux make up the menu.  Tea and coffee are complimentary. Other drinks are bar prices.

During the meal we will have Ted Peers speak on his experiences as lighthouse keeper at various locations around the Victorian coast, plus there will be plenty of time for you to catch up with new or old friends to plan that next cruise, or fix that irritating problem with the boat during the night.

The 2009 Festival continues the practice of providing practical demonstrations of important facets of trailable yachting and this year we have three major activities planned.

Back by popular demand we have Peter Donaldson with a Chemring flare demonstration (this time we have all the necessary permits!) and safety talk, Dennis McDowell continues his series of demonstrations on fixing those minor repairs and problems with fibreglass and David Jenkins will be demonstrating new items in his MastMate range of mast raising equipment.

If you consider your boat looks pretty sharp and well set-up, enter it into one or both of our best boat competition. The two categories are: (i) Safety set-up and (ii) Cruising set-up. Entry is free.

To enter your boat simply tick the box on the on-line Registration Form, or tell us when you sign in on the Friday or Saturday, to be in the running for one of the prizes and the prestige of “Best Boat at Trailable Yacht Festival 2009″.