Memorial Cup light wind racing a tribute to past members

Published 01:00 on 20 Jun 2025

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Racers were greeted with barely a breeze for Wednesdays Memorial Cup, held in honour of club members who are no longer with us. In such light airs, the smallest mistake proved costly, with places slipping away in an instant. The Race Officer made a wise call to shorten the course, sparing 50% of the fleet an extra lap!

Those who had attended Pete & Rachaels tacking training reaped the rewards, putting their finessed skills into full effect. Meanwhile, one ILCA sailor (who shall remain nameless!) over finessed and took an unplanned swim.

Fresh off their win at the Chew Valley Scorpion Inlands, Pete & Rachael delivered another standout performance, taking first place and offering a true light wind sailing masterclass. Nigel & Di (RS200) secured second and Tim Gray (Solo) took third. Grahame Newton (ILCA) came fourth and first ILCA winning the special Pete Atkinson memorial painting —fittingly featuring Grahame himself in years past sailing with Pete, Phil (the farmer) Wright and Dave Newton (founding member of Staunton Harold Sailing Club / Grahames Dad).

A special shoutout to Liz & Ann, a last-minute RS200 pairing who not only prepared the post-race snacks but also claimed the Melbourne fleet top spot in their first outing together!

On behalf of the winners, Rachael thanked OOD Si Forbes and the team, reflecting on the deeper meaning of the race:
For me this is the most important club race,. I have so many special memories of sailing with members who sadly are no longer with us, so this is the one race—whether theres no wind or too much wind—that Pete and I will always make every effort to sail.

Thank you to everyone who came out, from racers to cruisers and SUPs, to remember and celebrate. A perfect evening was topped offMelbourne with drinks, snacks, and stories on the club lawns—a fitting tribute to those who made our club what it is today.

* Note: For those of you who may not be aware, Corey Newton will be climbing Snowdon at midnight this September in support of Macmillan Cancer Research. He is doing this in honour of his grandmother, Pat Newton — one of our fondly remembered founding members — whose funeral many of you attended last year.
To find out more, here.

Last updated 18:18 on 21 July 2025