Port Dalrymple Yacht Club to host 2021 SB20 state titles

Coming off the back of the successful 2020 Australian championship held in Triabunna in March, the SB20 class will team up with the Beauty Point club to host the two-day regatta on the Tamar River, from January 30-31.

Awarded the Tasmanian Sailing Club of the Year in 2018, PDYC is thrilled with the decision which will bring some of the best SB20 sailors in the world to the North of the state.

Club commodore Greg Rowsell is confident that the regatta will be in good hands.

"Our club is delighted to be allocated the SB20 state titles for January 2021 and we look forward to welcoming all SB20 sailors to the Tamar," he said.

"PDYC has a strong record in regatta management and we will be working hard to make this a memorable event for the competitors."

SB20 Australia Class president Scott Glanville added: "We expect the large tidal flows of the Tamar and the westerly conditions associated with the Beauty Point escarpment could provide us with a few headaches, but as a fleet, we are looking forward to building our relationship with other clubs and challenging ourselves on the water."

The SB20 will be the first non-dinghy class that the PDYC has hosted since completion of a $300,000 upgrade and extension of the club's on-water facilities in 2019, with 120 metres of new perimeter berthing space ideal for the wet regatta format.

Re-locating the SB20 state titles from Hobart to the North aligns with the association's strategy to broaden interest and engagement with the SB20 class across Tasmania and interstate.

Hobart is home to one of the largest SB20 fleets in the world, but the interest is brewing in the North with six boats based on the Tamar, some privately owned and others belonging to the Tamar Yacht Club.

Championship Race Officer Peter Sluce expects interest in the regatta to come from across the state and hopes the event will draw upwards of 20 boats.

"The SB20 states will be a great opportunity for Northern sailors to see first-hand the close racing that the class is renowned for and should provide good leverage for more Northern growth in the exciting one design fleet," he said.

"The compact race area of Bell Bay and the elevated lounge and deck area of the PDYC clubrooms will provide a perfect vantage point to take in this exciting one-design sports boat racing."

The SB20 is a 20 foot one-design sports boat designed by Tony Castro. The class has a crew weight limit of 270kg, allowing either three or four sailors.

The SB20 Australia fleet will begin the weekly 2020-21 twilight pennant series on Thursday, October 8, and has a busy year ahead with major regattas including: