The Victorian WASZP 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.

Above image: Liam Edleston sailing the Waszp in last year's Sail Sandy Regatta. Photo Nicholas Duell

Hosted on 12-13 October, the Sail Sandy event will see a fleet of more than 20 WASZPs as they prepare for a big season ahead, which includes the national championships at the Port Stephens Sailing and Aquatic Club from 24-28 January.

Headlining the WASZP fleet at Sail Sandy will be Jack Felsenthal, who has had a big year so far in the class with success at the recent European Championships on Lake Garda in Italy.

“Having done a lot of sailing out of Sandy over my sailing career, it is going to be great to get back out there in the WASZP,” Felsenthal said.

“This is a really important event – for us to start the season with good numbers means it will flow on for a big 2019/20 season.

"There is a strong Victorian contingent heading to the 2020 Nationals in Port Stephens and the 2020 International WASZP Games in Italy. These events all add up and are important to fine tune or set-ups.”

WASZP Global Sales Manager Marc Ablett said the WASZP had a solid foothold in Victoria, with the headquarters based in the bayside suburb of Cheltenham and ongoing support regularly given to local sailors that is second-to-none.

"There is a solid event schedule set up around Port Phillip Bay for the 2019-20 season with the plan to see visitors from New South Wales and Western Australia throughout the season and a strong Australian contingent heading overseas for the 2020 International WASZP Games in Italy," Ablett said.

"The ease of getting boats around Australia and also the world has helped build a great culture within the fleet."

The first of the state’s major interclub off-the-beach events, Sail Sandy brings together hundreds of 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 WASZPs 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.

For more information about the Waszp class, head to www.waszp.com, email sales@waszp.com or call the office on (03) 9585 3585.