By Molly Magennis
The 2022 Festival of Sails will kick off on January 22, with the Passage Race from Melbourne to Geelong departing from Williamstown.
More than 200 boats will depart from Williamstown at 9.30am, beginning their 32 nautical mile passage race, the official curtain raiser to the 2022 Festival of Sails.
The opening Passage Race fleet will consist of Grand Prix racing yachts, cruiser/racer keelboats, multihulls, classic yachts, and trailer sailers.
According to Festival of Sails chair Roger Bennett, the 2000 sailors descending on Geelong for the five-day program are excited to finally reunite after a two-year hiatus, and get back on the water.
“We’re presenting two championship series, being the Melges 24 National Championship and the Double Handed Victoria Championship, along with at least a dozen other class series for boats of just
about every shape and size,” he said.
“The past two years have been a significant challenge for major events like the Festival of Sails and in 2022, we’re delighted to be welcoming local and visiting crews back to our event.”
The festival will run from Saturday, January 22 to Wednesday, January 26.
