Rotary Solas Charity Regatta | Rotary Club of Sydney Cove

The Rotary SOLAS Charity Regatta

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WHAT IS IT?

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What is it?

Join the Rotary Club of Sydney Cove on 22 November 2024 for a spectacular day’s yacht racing on Sydney Harbour, entertaining customers or staff ahead of the busy Christmas period. This year we are celebrating our 30^th annual regatta, hosted by our long-term partner, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), home of the Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race.

Our Charity Regatta provides something for everyone, whether seasoned yachty or sailing for the first time. Experience the thrill of racing aboard some of Australia’s finest yachts, enabling team building and getting the competitive juices flowing. The CYCA generously provides access to the pride of its fleet including such legendary yachts as Wild Oats X, Ichi Ban, Quest, and Sydney. Our 2023 regatta also included 100-foot supermaxi Andoo Comanche.

As well as being an amazing experience, the Regatta is also an opportunity to lend your support to some very special charities. The main recipient of funds for the 30 years since inception is the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF) which is dedicated to providing a better future for sick kids. We also support Safety of Lives at Sea (SOLAS) for families of those lost at sea, and various Rotary charities.

Sponsors can choose from a range of sailing packages catering for six to twelve people, racing under the guidance of an experienced crew. All packages are 70% tax deductible. Depending on preference, you can enjoy a bronze package (6 people), silver (8 people) or gold (10 people) together with a delightful picnic lunch in Rushcutters Park adjoining CYCA. We also have a platinum package (12 people), which incorporates a sumptuous lunch in the CYCA club rooms overlooking the marina.

After the race we welcome all participants back to the CYCA for drinks, a sausage sizzle and prizegiving. With three racing categories, there is an opportunity for any competitor to take home a trophy.

To register, click here for the Registration Form and for further details, or call Rebecca Murray 0419633346 or Fiona Lavan 0414781186 for any queries and for more information.

Testimonials

Captain Cook Cruises has been closely associated with and a proud supporter of the Rotary SOLAS Charity Regatta each year since its inception way back in 1995. Few events of this nature endure and prosper for 30 years, congratulations to the organisers, the Rotary Club of Sydney Cove. We look forward to continuing our long association supporting your event and all that it achieves for your various Rotary causes.

Nick Lester, General Manager

Congratulations Rotary Club of Sydney Cove on 30 consecutive years of the Rotary SOLAS Charity Regatta. We are relative newcomers to the event and love it. What’s not to like about a yacht race on Sydney Harbour aboard some of Australia’s best known blue water ocean racing yachts to entertain our clients and guests! We are looking forward to this special year and many more to come.”

Leigh Hartog, Managing Director, J K Williams Group

Aon has been a proud supporter of the Rotary SOLAS Charity Regatta since its inception way back in 1995. It continues to be a wonderful event for our clients and guests, at the same time supporting the SCHF and Rotary’s work in the community.

John Carroll, CEO Aon Reinsurance Solutions

Sydney City Lexus & Toyota congratulates the Rotary Club of Sydney Cove on achieving 30th consecutive years of their annual Rotary SOLAS Charity Regatta. Having been long standing supporters of this event as well as the principal beneficiary, the SCHF we have seen firsthand the difference these events have made to the lives of many children and their families through the outstanding work of the doctors, nursing staff and volunteers involved. The event is a fixture at the end of year calendar that our clients and staff look forward to, which is hard to beat. It doesn’t get any better than spending an afternoon yacht racing on our beautiful Sydney Harbour while supporting such a great cause.

John Roca, Managing Director and Dealer Principal, Sydney City Lexus

Our History

The history of the Rotary SOLAS Charity Regatta stems from the genesis of the Rotary Club of Sydney Cove itself.

When chartered in 1988, the founders of the Club selected Sydney Cove as the Club’s location. It was a fortuitous choice. Among the charter members was the late Captain Trevor Haworth AM, founder of Captain Cook Cruises, which operated its vessels from Circular Quay. Trevor generously offered John Cadman II for the Club’s weekly breakfast meetings. This distinctive choice of meeting on a boat set the Club apart, placing it in a nearly unparalleled position among Rotary Clubs worldwide.

What a spectacular location within direct eyeshot of Sydney’s most iconic structures; the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Captain Cook vessels have also provided a wonderful lunch venue for those who wish to follow the regatta, but not participate in the sailing.

In the early years the Club was casting around for a method of raising funds to support its charitable causes. An event associated with Sydney Harbour seemed an obvious starting point. In 1995 incoming President David Brawn had heard about a Corporate Charity Regatta on Auckland Harbour and decided that this would work well in Sydney.

The first three regattas were held at Middle Harbour Yacht Club, but in 1998 an enduring partnership commenced with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) that has continued to this day – some 26 years later. The wonderful location of the CYCA in Rushcutters Bay and its magnificent Club House make it an exceptional venue to hold the regatta, and we are very thankful to the officers and members of the Club for their generosity in making the premises available along with access to some of the finest racing yachts in Australia.

From the very beginning, the Rotary Club membership and the CYCA were keen to dedicate a significant portion of funds raised from our regattas to supporting sick kids. Over the years we have donated funds to Westmead and Randwick Children’s Hospitals. Now both receive support through the Sydney Children’s Hospitals’ Foundation, and since inception some $2.5 million has been donated.

Funds are also donated to Safety of Lives at Sea Trust (SOLAS), which was established by the CYCA following the tragic loss of six lives during the 1998 Sydney Hobart race. The funds are used to support the immediate needs of families of those lost at sea during Australian Sailing sanctioned races, assistance to search and rescue organisations, and to foster research and training to improve procedures and equipment for use at sea.

Some of the funds raised are also used by the Rotary Club of Sydney Cove to support our charitable projects such as Early Bird Café, which provides breakfasts to the homeless in Sydney CBD six days a week.

We are deeply grateful to sponsors who have supported the Rotary SOLAS Regatta over the past 30 years, creating a strong platform for future regattas to support our great charitable causes in the years ahead.