The waters of Wallis Lakes are set to come alive over the October long weekend when more than 100 catamaran sailors will take part in the 47th annual Agland Turf Wildcat Regatta.
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Great Lakes Sailing Club president, Tim Haffner has been around for well over 35 regattas and still counts it as the highlight of the season.
“After sailing catamarans for the majority of my sailing life, it is fantastic to have a regatta like this continuing to grow in popularity on Wallis Lake,” he said.
“People come to the fantastic Forster Tuncurry region with their families, the sailors go sailing and the families enjoy everything this region has to offer.”
The regatta is open to all classes of catamarans and attracts sailors from all over Australia.
Many will be arriving on Thursday and making the most of the opportunity for an extra long weekend on the water.
Race officer and Great Lakes Sailing Club commodore, Bill Stokes is particularly looking forward to the fleet of foiling A class catamarans that are taking part for the first time this year.
“These boats are incredible, in the right conditions, they fly above the waters surface with just the tips of their centreboard and rudder skipping across the water, incredibly fast and truly amazing to watch,” Bill said.
Whilst the technologically advanced foiling catamarans will be spectacular, plenty of other classes will be represented, including hobie, windrush and the 1970s design paper tigers and arrows.
The regatta will also feature a strong fleet of nacra catamarans, as competitors try to work out the tricks of Wallis Lake in preparation for the 40th Nacra Nationals being held at Great Lakes from December 29 to January 4, 2019.
Great Lakes Sailing Club, located on the Lakes Way at the sailing club picnic grounds in Booti Booti National Park and has recently undergone a revamp of its grounds.
This has been in conjunction with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The new layout has allowed better and safer access to the waterfront for both sailors and the public and has enabled the club to continue to grow the size of its regattas, junior sailing and Sunday racing which, features a variety of both catamaran and monohull boats.
The Agland Turf Wildcat Regatta officially kicks off at 11am on September 29 and entries are now open.
