The Victorian International Cadet fleet will kick off its 2019/20 season in October with a big fleet expected to descend on the Sandringham Yacht Club for the 2019 Sail Sandy Regatta.

With a total of eight boats already entered, most of which being based at Sandy, the International Cadets are shaping up to be the biggest double-handed class at the event.

Hosted on 12-13 October, the Sail Sandy event will see a fleet of about 30 International Cadets hit the water as they look to increase on last year's total fleet of 29.

Cadet sailors are also preparing for a couple of big seasons ahead in Victoria, which includes the National Championships at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club from 27 December 2019 to 4 January 2020, as well as the next World Championship coming back down under to the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown the following summer.

Headlining the International Cadet fleet at Sail Sandy will be several members of the Australian Team from the recent World Championships in Poland, where a few Royal Geelong and Sandringham sailors had some great results including multiple race wins and several podium finishes.

Sandringham's Mischa Suda was a recent participant in the promotional fleet of the World Championships in Poland and finished seventh overall.

She and her crew Lily were one of the first Cadets entered into Sail Sandy this year, putting themselves in good stead for the season ahead.

The first of the state’s major interclub off-the-beach events, Sail Sandy brings together hundreds of junior and senior sailors across a range of classes, many of which use the event for their first hit out of the season ahead.

Last year’s event saw strong fleets in a range of classes with more than 190 entries, however with the excitement around this season and the major events Sandringham is hosting, the club expects numbers to get close to 250 this year.

“Sail Sandy is always a great event to kick off the season with big fleets on the water and a great atmosphere around the clubhouse over the two days,” club Sailing Manager James Sly said.

“It’s the first major event of the season and is a great opportunity for juniors and seniors alike to dust their boats off and get back into the swing of the sailing season.”

Sail Sandy is open to all classes and is encouraged as a great way to launch into some quality racing to kick off the upcoming season.

For more information about Sail Sandy, and to enter into the event, head to the event website. (https://syc.com.au/sail-sandy)

For more information about International Cadet sailing in Victoria, visit the state website for the class. (https://victorianintcadet.sailhive.com/)