Boats set sail in Indented Heads

THE Sail Bellarine regatta will return to Indented Heads this weekend with around 80 boats set to take part.

Across the two days, five races will take place with competitors aged between 10 and 80 coming from around the state.

Sail Bellarine Race coordinator Peter Ellenby said they’re a small club and love having this fun event, for the sailors the regatta bookends the season.

“It’s a chance to have competitive sailing at the end of the season with people that they’ve got to know very well,” he said.

“We do sail competitively and there’s a fair few people who get white line fever, as they say out there, but you come back and laugh about it at the end.”

Returning for the fourth year, the regatta will be co-hosted by Indented Heads Yacht Club, Portarlington Sailing Club, St Leonards Yacht Club and Motor Squadron and McCrae Yacht Club.

For Mr Ellenby the highlight is seeing people of all ages enjoying the water and the camaraderie between the sailors.

“They’re not just kids, they’re not just older folks, they’re families and there’s people able to talk to each other at all sorts of ages with our common interest being sailing and being on the water.

“It’s one of those sports where you can be sailing against a teenager and an older bloke and they’re both equally competitive.”

It’s expected around 300 people will be in Indented Heads for the regatta over the weekend, which was a finalist in the 2023 Australian Sailing Sport Promotion Awards.

The event showcases the Bellarine’s features with local vendors and suppliers.

Racing will kick off at 1pm this Saturday, May 4 until 5pm and pick up again on Sunday, May 5 at 10am.

For those wanting to watch the action on the water they should head to the Indented Heads beach.

For more information, head to ihyc.com.au