The 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail was originally planned to include an international youth regatta, which, due to the impact of travel and border restrictions (both interstate and internationally) relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic, was no longer feasible. With great support and guidance from key stakeholders including the City of Perth, Royal Perth Yacht Club, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and the Warren Jones Foundation, the event was pivoted to a state based youth regatta which would be delivered even with border restrictions, with the ability to then include travelling teams nationally or internationally if the environment were able to change to accommodate this.

Above image credit: Drew Malcolm Photography

A snap lock-down enforced on 31 January 2021 meant that the 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail was postponed from the original dates of 01-05 February 2021 to 06 – 15 April 2021. When it was finally time to execute the event, it went off without a hitch, proving once again how successful and vibrant sailing in Perth Waters can be!

The 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail encompassed a number of diverse events relating to the sport of sailing in order to encourage an increased level of engagement between the sport, the local community and the global sailing community. By using smaller, targeted events as a way to engage and introduce the sport (and its’ diverse range of benefits) and Perth as a destination to a diverse range of audiences, these being local and global, Perth was put up in lights as a vibrant, engaging and community centric city.

The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta was replaced by the inaugural City of Perth Youth Cup – a locally focused sailing regatta spanning three days, still held in the heart of the city, in Perth Waters, just outside Elizabeth Quay. This regatta was the final of five held locally in Season 2020/21 to benefit and develop the local youth sailing cohort in order to allow a productive break from competing around the world. Over 45 talented, aspiring local youth sailors took to the fleet of Foundation-36 yachts over the summer sailing season where Swan River Sailing, with the support of the Warren Jones Foundation, held the WA Tour & Development Program, which encouraged and enabled the sailors to develop as individuals and teams, both on and off the water.

A Celebration Evening was held on Friday, 9 April 2021 which included the presentations of the inaugural City of Perth Youth Cup and the overall presentations of the Season 2020/21 WA Tour & Development Program along with a celebration of once again the Festival of Sail returning to the City of Perth in 2021.

On Wednesday, 14 April, BGC Australia were excited to be a part of the 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail by hosting over 60 of their employees for a sunset Corporate Sailing Regatta out of Elizabeth Quay in Perth Waters then returned ashore to The Island for some fantastic social hospitality.