Beneteau First 50
Owner: Steven Fahey
Royal Brighton Yacht Club (RBYC)
Cartouche, a Beneteau First 50 owned by Steven Fahey and sailed out of Royal Brighton Yacht Club. My time on board has included club racing, Wednesday and Saturday races, ORCV one-day ocean sprint races out of Queenscliff, longer ORCV passage races, and major regattas including the Festival of Sails in Geelong and the Lipton Cup Regatta at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, which I’ve competed in on Cartouche over the past 2 years.
Sailing with Steven, alongside his sons Damon and Nick, has been especially valuable. The Fahey family bring deep offshore knowledge to the boat, with extensive experience including multiple Sydney to Hobart campaigns. Racing in a family-run program creates a strong culture of trust, shared responsibility and calm decision-making, and I’ve learned a great deal simply by being part of a team that works so cohesively across club, regatta and offshore events.
Racing Cartouche at the Festival of Sails 2025 was a particular highlight. As Australia’s largest keelboat regatta, the event brings together large, competitive fleets and a wide mix of conditions over several days of racing on Corio Bay. The format rewards consistency, good communication and the ability to stay sharp across multiple races, making it an excellent environment to refine boat handling, teamwork and tactical awareness within a big-boat program.
Learn more about The Festival of Sails
Learn more about The Lipton Cup Regatta
Beyond racing, I’ve also been involved in Category 2 compliance audits and offshore preparation on Cartouche, gaining hands-on exposure to the practical requirements of offshore campaigning. Time spent on this platform has been particularly beneficial, as the Beneteau First 50 is the same design as White Spirit, the yacht I later completed the Rolex Sydney to Hobart on. Sailing Cartouche helped reinforce familiarity with the layout, systems and handling characteristics of the First 50, making it a highly relevant and valuable part of my offshore sailing development.
Blogs
Fast Forward – Sydney 38
Faster Forward isn’t just a respected Sydney 38; for me, it represents the heart of sailing culture. After the Melbourne to Hobart, I was adopted into this tight-knit team, learning that success is built as much through shared dinners and crew camaraderie as it is through miles on the water.
Alex Team Macadie
Alex is a boat with a massive reputation, especially for its legendary double-handed feats. Racing with Jock MacAdie provided a firsthand look at how this Hart 14 has stayed competitive for decades. It’s a platform built on grit and offshore history, where the focus is always on high standards and coastal discipline.
Wings
The 1,100nm delivery of Wings from Hamilton Island to Sydney was a lesson in persistence. Most of the trip was spent punched into 18 to 25-knot headwinds and heavy seas. It was a great chance to get some serious hours on the helm at night and see how offshore routing actually works in the real world.
Unprecedented
Sailing out of Safety Beach on this modern Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 was a shift in perspective. Lighter and more responsive than most cruiser-racers, the boat is purpose-built for efficiency. Managing the running backstays and highly loaded rig highlighted the technical precision needed to keep such a performance-focused platform moving at its best.
Airlie Beach Race Week 2024
The Whitsundays definitely showed their teeth during the 2024 regatta. Working the bow on a Hanse 430E, I spent the week wrestling with 30-knot gusts and complex island tides. It was all about staying one step ahead of the next sail change while navigating the narrow, choppy channels that define racing in this part of the world.
Hot Chipps
Club racing on Port Phillip Bay provided the perfect introduction to the Dehler 46 platform. Spending time on this versatile yacht was great preparation for a later coastal delivery, offering hands-on experience with its systems and deck layout. Assisting with a new mainsail setup also gave me a more technical look at the boat’s performance beyond just pulling ropes during a race.
Arcadia
Sailing on this Archambault 40RC across club and ORCV races has been a masterclass in team efficiency. PJ and the crew operate with a calm, quiet precision that makes even complex sail changes look routine. It’s a great environment to observe how a cohesive team relies on clear roles and consistent repetition rather than noise to maintain performance under pressure.
Adams 10.6
Sailing aboard Cloud 10, an Adams 10.6, provided a classic club racing experience out of RMYS. This 35-foot Australian design is a staple of the local fleet, known for its one-design competition. Getting time on this platform was a practical way to broaden my experience across a different style of local yacht.
RYCV Lipton Cup
The Lipton CupNorthern Port Phillip’s Premier RegattaIf there is one weekend that perfectly captures the spirit of sailing in Melbourne, it’s the Lipton Cup. Held annually at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, this regatta is a massive multi-class celebration that...
Melbourne to King Island 2025
ORCV Melbourne to King Island 202554th Melbourne to King Island Ocean RaceThe 54th Melbourne to King Island Ocean Race was one of those events where the conditions aligned, the fleet was competitive, and the crossing of Bass Strait did everything it was supposed to...
It’s not just sailing
Racing the Dufour 40 near the Yarra River mouth keeps us on our toes. Beyond the technical challenges of Port Phillip Bay, sailing with Peter’s team highlights the social side of the sport. Post-race drinks in the galley are as vital as the racing, cementing the camaraderie that makes club sailing worthwhile.
Jarkan 925
Short-course racing at SYC on this 30-foot cruiser-racer. Handling the Jarkan 925 in a tight fleet provided plenty of practice with various spinnaker pole setups and quick sail changes. It was a solid, hands-on way to refine timing and coordination on a more traditional deck layout.