Wyndham Harbour Sponsors 2015 Cock of the Bay and Melbourne to Hobart Westcoast Yacht Races.

The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV) is delighted to announce Wyndham Harbour as a new naming rights sponsor for the forthcoming 2015 Wyndham Harbour Cock of the Bay race and the blue water classic Wyndham Harbour Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster ocean race.

Wyndham Harbour is an exciting new development which enhances yachting facilities on Port Phillip Bay for visitor and permanent berths. The $440 million dollar marina development located in Melbourne’s west, is only 30 minutes from the Melbourne CBD. The Wyndham Harbour estate is a thriving community, with residents now occupying a range of premium waterfront homes, apartments and terrace homes.

In the summer of 2016, the first stage of Wyndham Harbour’s Marina will be operational, emerging as a world-class boating and lifestyle destination. Once all stages are complete, it will feature up to 1000 wet berths and dry boat storage for up to 390 boats – making it the largest marina in Victoria and the second largest in Australia. This will provide access to Port Phillip Bay for residents and the general public, extensive boating facilities including maintenance and servicing facilities and a refuelling dock.

The Wyndham Harbour Cock of the Bay race down Port Phillip, is held each year on Boxing Day and, with a course designed to sail past major bay side locations, it is popular with sailors and spectators alike. Some say there is no better way to work off the excesses of Christmas the day before. The 34 nautical mile classic starts at Port Melbourne at the Northern end of Port Phillip Bay. Spectators can get up close and personal with the fleet from vantage points as yachts round marks close to Brighton and Sandringham, before heading south to Blairgowrie. Competitors are once again looking forward to great hospitality at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron in their brand new club house that has just opened.

The Wyndham Harbour Cock of the Bay race event serves as a feeder for the ORCV's blue-water classic Wyndham Harbour Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster and Rudder Cup Melbourne to Devonport races which start from Portsea on 27 December, 2015.

Arguably Australia’s most challenging ocean race, the Wyndham Harbour Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster starts from Portsea Pier on 27 December each year. The course takes the competitors out of Port Phillip Bay, across Bass Strait, travelling down the rugged West Coast of Tasmania and rounding the southernmost tip of Australia before heading up the Derwent River to the finish in Hobart.

The 435 nautical mile blue-water classic is a race run for yachties by yachties. It presents an amazing challenge to the participants and is run with a level of spirit and camaraderie not often seen. There are no fat wallet boats here just great sailors working hard to earn the right to wear the yellow cap of a Westcoaster racer.

The ORCV are looking forward to visiting Wyndham Harbour Marina development and anticipate using the facility as a race destination in 2016.