Hobie Cats unite for 50th anniversary regatta

A FLEET of about 20 Hobie Catamarans will sail along the coast between Torquay and Anglesea this weekend for the 50th anniversary of the Bill Worrall Coaster.

Hosted by the Torquay Sailing Club in conjunction with the Anglesea Motor Yacht Club (AMYC), the event is the biggest event of the season for both clubs and is held in honour of Bill Worrall, one of Australia’s original Hobie dealers and the person who is responsible for bringing Hobie Cats to the coast.

This year’s Australia Day sailing regatta will once again be split across two days of racing.

On Saturday, January 25, competitors will set out from Torquay’s Fishermans Beach, travelling through Point Addis and then on to Point Roadknight.

After a stop-off in Anglesea for lunch, the fleet will then turn around and race back to the Torquay Sailing Club.

Then on Sunday, January 26, the event will transition to a short-course sailing competition in and around Torquay.

However, the order of this year’s events may be switched depending on weather conditions.

AMYC commodore Kate Stanley, whose father Phillip Stanley was one of the event’s inaugural sailors in 1975, said it was the spirit of adventure that first inspired the Torquay-Anglesea coaster, with the first iteration comprising just four boats.

“Bill Worrall sailed the Hobie 16 and Steve Hickford, Mike Hancock and my dad Phillip Stanley were on the Hobie 14s,” she said.

“Back then, the race only went one way from Torquay to Anglesea. There were no rescue boats and their wives drove the boat trailers to Anglesea.”

The event has seen enormous growth since that first coaster, reaching its peak in the early 2000s with fleets of between 40 and 50 boats travelling from across the state for the race.

“It’s a great race on the beach sailing calendar and we hope for good weather so we can sail,” Ms Stanley said.

Ms Stanley said it has now been several years since her father had been able to get out on the water, but he still comes down and helps her rig her boat every week.

“[He’s] more of an observer now and watches with interest,” she said.

For more information, head to torquaysailingclub.org.au