This Easter, the ORCV invites you to join the Race or Rally heading to Port Fairy.

The race fleet will leave some hours after the Rally fleet and will race the 135 nm along the coast to Port Fairy.

The Rally is designed to build confidence through experience for boat owners and their crews, providing a pathway to sailing further afield and in Bass Strait.

The Rally is also focused on providing participants with a wonderful experience and as a result will be heavily weather dependent. Subject to favourable conditions the rally will depart from Queenscliff in the late afternoon of 1st April, some 6 hours ahead of competitors in the Port Fairy Race. The rally fleet will have the support of the ORCV's Race and Incident Managements Teams and a well equipped and crewed support boat which will chaperone the fleet through Port Phillip Heads and during both the outbound and return passages, providing advice to new vessels and acting as a central point of communication.

The Rally fleet will muster in the vicinity of Drapers Reef which is between Shortland Bluff and the Queenscliff harbour entrance (Appendix D) before motor sailing out through the heads. The Rally Leader will communicate with Lonsdale VTS on shipping movements and advise the fleet when to begin.

As we will be sailing along the coast, we be using the VHF repeater networks for communication and therefore you will not need HF or Sat phone for this Rally.

Sheltered moorings and generous hospitality of the Port Fairy Yacht Club and township await the fleet on arrival at Port Fairy Harbour. The Port Fairy Yacht Club will guide you to your berthing location.

The Rally yachts will arrive Port Fairy on Friday night and, subject to weather, depart early Monday to arrive back in through the heads on Tuesday afternoon.