Day two served up sunshine and serenity with just a whisper of wind – enough for a mix of sailing, motor sailing, and good ol’ iron jib (aka motoring when the breeze bails). We made our way to the charming Santa Marina Salina, one of the prettiest little ports you could dream of. While gliding over calm waters, Dan whipped up some next-level wraps stacked with Italian cold cuts and deli goodies… honestly, a magic combo. Nothing beats munching gourmet bites while the sea sparkles all around you. We rolled into Salina around 4pm, dropped anchor, and wandered into town. Dinner was a riot – Porto Bello was buzzing with our whole flotilla crew laughing, joking, and probably scaring off the quieter diners… oops. The food was unreal though – pistachio-crusted swordfish and amberjack that melted in your mouth. The night didn’t stop there… we took the party downstairs, dancing and grooving ’til midnight. Salina, you beauty.

The adventure kicked off with four boats and 42 absolute legends – mostly mates, mostly sailors, and all ready for a top week in Sicily. We’re on a gorgeous Oceanis 51 this time around, and spirits were sky-high from the get-go. Picked up the boat from Marina di Portorosa in Tonnarella and slipped lines just after 1pm. The weather gods were kind, serving up a beautiful 12-knot breeze – perfect for a cruisy sail towards the dreamy Lipari Islands. Sails up, tunes on, and just good vibes all ’round. We dropped anchor off Lipari where the water was crystal clear, warm as a hug, and too tempting to resist… everyone dove in for a splash. Sun, sea, and (of course) a healthy amount of drinks followed. Perrine took dinner to the next level with a veggie pasta that blew everyone’s socks off – might’ve converted a few meat lovers, too. Bellissimo.

What an absolute ripper of a Saturday—racing classics in the spinnaker division, running seriously shorthanded, and still bagging second place without even hoisting a kite. Wind was sitting around 12-16 knots with the odd gust up to 20, making for some tricky conditions, especially with the harbour absolutely chockers. Between the boats racing, superyachts dropping anchor wherever they pleased, and spectator boats zigzagging like headless chooks, it felt more like skiing a slalom course than sailing a race. But then, just as things were getting full-on, everything shifted. The harbour went eerily calm for a moment, and then—whoosh—those majestic SailGP boats blasted past, heading to their exclusive race area. The sound they make is unreal—like a jet engine, but without the high pitch, almost like they’re running in stealth mode. At one point, we had a few of these F50s flying around us, and mate, it felt like getting a bunch of F-22s escort while cruising in your own private plane, and welcoming you by some fancy manoeuvres around you. Absolute goosebump moment! We wrapped up the race second, kite-free in a spinnaker division—bloody solid effort, given the conditions. Then it was straight into race-watching mode. We followed the action all around Shark Island, starting from the east side near the start line, then tracking them down to the turning Gate 2, and finally settling near the finish line on the south side of the island. Best spot? Hands down, the downwind turning gate in the south—pure chaos and precision all at once. And mate, you should’ve seen the Flying Roos today! Absolute weapons on the water—fast, flawless, and completely dominating. Two wins and the rest all top 3 finishes. No doubt about it, they were the undisputed champs of the day.

What a ripper of a Straya Day Regatta! The weather turned it on for us — a beaut sunny day with 10-15 knots of wind and a few light gusts to keep us on our toes. Got to the boat early at 10:30, and we were out of the marina by 11:30, enjoying a nice cruisy sail to the starting line. Everything felt easy and relaxed until about 10 minutes before the start. Then it was game on! It was amazing to see so many boats out on the water celebrating Australia Day — everything from tall ships to classic beauties. There’s something special about watching the harbour alive with sails, and the Australian flags flying proudly in the breeze really topped it off. These days, with all the drama around the flag, it was a nice reminder that being proud of your country doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It felt like the true Aussie spirit was out in full force. We nailed the start, bang on the money at 1:30 with cracking speed and a perfect heading. Honestly, mate, couldn’t have asked for a better kick-off. The race itself was smooth sailing all the way — the crew was on fire, and I don’t think we could’ve sailed the boat any better if we tried. We finished up second, just a minute behind the first-place boat and a solid 5 minutes ahead of the third. Bloody good effort all ‘round! Now we’ve just gotta suss out when and where the awards will be handed out — reckon it’s at Sydney Town Hall, but I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve got the details. Cheers to a top-notch day on the water!

Got a late call from the company to jump in for the ASX Refinitiv Charity Foundation Regatta, and you know me — always keen for a sail, especially when it’s for a good cause. I had another twilight race lined up, but couldn’t pass this one up, so I joined the crew. It was held at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Mosman, a beautiful little club I’ve always been fond of — cozy, with a great vibe. We grabbed some drinks and treats and hopped on the rib driven by none other than Nick Douglass, the legendary Australian SailorGirl, to get to our boat, MWF - Kayle. She belongs to the Making Waves Foundation, an awesome group that gets young people with disabilities out on the water. Met an inspiring bunch of champs aboard — honestly loved them all. The crew was lovely, calm, and full of heart, and their mission really struck a chord. Definitely need to get more involved with their cause and bring others along, too. The weather was a mixed bag — plenty of rain and heavy showers, but not much breeze to work with. I was on jib trim for most of it and, apparently, did a decent job (not to toot my own horn… but maybe just a little). Despite the light winds, we held our own and managed to finish 5th. Not bad, considering the conditions and the relaxed vibe. Overall, it was a fantastic day out, combining sailing, charity, and good company — what more could you want?

Bloody beautiful day, but a bit fresh. We had around 10-16 knots of wind, with plenty of gusts and wind pockets. Nailed the start, crossed the line right on the horn with good speed. Lost a fair bit of ground on the first launch of the A2, though — wasn’t packed right. Funny thing is, we just got it back from the sailmaker, so you’d reckon it’d be packed properly, but nope. On the second round, we had a ripper of a launch — hats off to Michael, Alan, and Simon — and Sam trimmed it like a champ. That helped us overtake a heap of boats. We came in 4th, but two of the boats ahead were casuals, so no handicap on them. Ended up second on points!

Absolute ripper of a day for sailing, mate. We had a cracking start and were sailing like legends. On the first round, we overtook heaps of boats and nailed our strategy and techniques — smooth as tacks and jibes all the way. We threw up the A2 for the downwind, which turned out to be a bloody good call, while plenty of others were running square kites. We gained ground on them easy. In the second round, we were still flying and pulled off a lightning-fast spinnaker hoist. But when it came to the jibe, there was a bit of unnecessary tension and a rush to do it even quicker. That’s where things went pear-shaped — the boat jibed before the heady clew was fully in front of the forestay, and the sail ended up jibing from the wrong side. Still, we recovered alright, considering the yelling and the tense atmosphere. We quickly jibed back, sorted out the heady, and went for it again, but this time the bottom of the sail got snagged on a little screw on the jib furling drum, and it ripped. All in all, we could’ve and should’ve done better by not rushing to save seconds, especially when it could cost us minutes and a stack of cash in repairs.

Was a bluebird day to sail, but with brass monkey winds. Harbour was chockers today, almost like you could see every boat racing, from maxis to all sorts of dinghy classes, and heaps of different sailing club races from CYCA, RANSA, RSYS, all the way to MHYC and anything in between. Had to bail as soon as we docked, so no barbie on the boat for me today, but snagged myself a democracy sausage instead.

Started on a mint day, nice and breezy, but the arvo turned blowy, gusty and frosty… we’ve had a real dog's breakfast… Vang’s block broke twice, the top part of the Code 0 didn’t furl properly and caused a strife…

Was a gorgeous sunny day but too windy for practicing square kite… So decided to have a sail to Tailors Bay, slip, slop, slap and chuck a patty on the barbie and enjoy the view… then cruise around the harbour… Sarvo was a real bonzer..