Sailing on Salt
Solaris 50
I’ve recently had the opportunity to sail aboard Salt, a 2021 Solaris 50, under the guidance of James Marshall, the boat manager, and Ian Fankhanel, the owner. Both are central to how the boat runs: James keeps the crew organised, ensures everyone is in position, and calls the boat’s rhythm, while Ian shares the helming responsibilities and helps steer the team through manoeuvres. My role on board is as bow person, handling sail changes, lines, and positioning during manoeuvres — a position that’s especially critical given the boat’s high-performance sail inventory.
Our main event this season was Festival of Sails 2026, where Salt competed in the Passage Spinnaker Series, Division 1. The crew includes experts in key roles — particularly the tactician and navigator — whose decisions were critical in securing the overall victory, finishing ahead of our nearest rival by 12 points. I also had the opportunity to work closely with Peter Dowdney, whose extensive knowledge and experience proved invaluable throughout the event. While those key positions guide the strategy, every role on board contributes to operating the top-down furling asymmetrical spinnaker, symmetrical 1.5 spinnaker, Code 0, and staysail efficiently.
I also got a chance to work with Aaron Cole from North Sails, who provided insight on the new sails and their handling. His involvement, offered a useful perspective on performance trimming and sail management.
Overall, sailing on Salt has been an insightful and enjoyable experience. It’s a chance to work as part of a highly organised crew, see a modern performance yacht in action, and contribute in a key on-deck role during competitive sailing.
The Festival of Sails 2026 – Race results
Passage spinnaker series Division 1 EHC, Empirical Handicap Corrected
| Place | Sail No | Boat Name | Skipper | From | Sers Score | Race 4 | Race 3 | Race 2 | Race 1 |
| 1 | SM8699 | SALT | Ian Fankhanel | SYC | 10.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| 2 | G88 | JAC HOI | Danielle Fraser | RGYC | 22.0 | 5.0 | 14.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| 3 | G104 | TEVAKE | Chris Hannon | RGYC | 28.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 13.0 |
| 4 | N40 | MAKO | Andrew Burggraaff | NCYC | 30.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| 5 | SM46 | HOT CHIPPS | John Chipp | SYC | 31.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 15.0 |
| 6 | B888 | JUST CHILLIN | David Morrell | RBYC | 31.0 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| 7 | 13980 | VINCITORE | Peter Russell | SBSC | 32.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 13.0 | 4.0 |
| 8 | G16 | BUNDABERG | John Kint | RGYC | 36.0 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| 9 | G5 | VIVACITE | C Roger McLennan | RGYC | 36.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 17.0 |
| 10 | SM1400 | ALEX - TEAM MACADIE | Jock Macadie | SYC | 36.0 | 12.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| 11 | R500 | WHITE SPIRIT | Cyrus Allen | ORCV | 38.0 | 10.0 | 4.0 | 14.0 | 10.0 |
| 12 | 7174 | SECOND CHANCE | Tom Doherty | PYC | 40.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 14.0 |
| 13 | KA11 | KOOKABURRA | Guy Thomas | RYCV | 50.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 9.0 | 19.0 |
| 14 | SM451 | DEBONNAIRE | Philip Gomez | SYC | 54.0 | 22.0C | 2.0 | 10.0 | 20.0 |
| 15 | SM30 | REBECCA 1V | Andy Allsep | SYC | 69.0 | 22.0C | 22.0C | 22.0C | 3.0 |
| 16 | R34 | SOIREE BLEU | Douglas Lithgow | RYCV | 72.0 | 22.0C | 22.0C | 22.0C | 6.0 |
| 17 | SM91 | CIRCE | Ross Johnston | SYC | 73.0 | 22.0C | 22.0C | 22.0C | 7.0 |
| 18 | SM6038 | TRIGGER | Rowan Keast | SYC | 75.0 | 22.0C | 22.0C | 22.0C | 9.0 |
| 19 | SM1750 | CARPE DIEM | Paul Commins | SYC | 82.0 | 22.0C | 22.0C | 22.0C | 16.0 |
| 20 | SM700 | BELLE | Kylie Balharrie Richard Taylor | SYC | 84.0 | 22.0C | 22.0C | 22.0C | 18.0 |
| 21 | 9211 | VAMONOS | Ross Hines | RMYS | 87.0 | 22.0C | 22.0C | 22.0C | 21.0 |
Passage Rating Series Division 1
| Place | Boat Name | Sail No | Skipper | From | Sers Score | Race 4 | Race 3 | Race 2 | Race 1 |
| 1 | IKON | H1010 | Bruce McCraken | HBYC | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 2 | REVERIE | B26 | Alan Woodward | RBYC | 15.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| 3 | TEAM HOLLYWOOD | AUS8888 | Raymond Roberts | CYCA | 18.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 |
| 4 | LARRIKEN2 | AUS5585 | Bradpetejim Snatchjondaz | RGYC | 20.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| 5 | GNET | R999 | Duncan Russell | RYCV | 23.0 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 |
| 6 | CHUTZPAH | R33 | Bruce Taylor | RYCV | 26.0 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 |
| 7 | FARGO | SM37 | Ari Abrahams | SYC | 28.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 4.0 |
| 8 | MOANA | 1545 | Mark Buckley | RBYC | 31.0 | 12.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 |
| 9 | COOL C4TS | AUS7771 | Scott Mutton | RSAYS | 35.0 | 5.0 | 13.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 |
| 10 | SHAW THING | G8710 | Cam Rae | RGYC | 36.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 |
| 11 | PHOENIX49 | AUS49005 | Brenton & Jennifer Carnell | RGYC | 41.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 |
| 12 | PP1 | AUS40 | Damian Thomas | SYC/PPYC | 43.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 12.0 |
| 13 | VELOCE 4 | SM40 | Phil Simpfendorfer | SYC | 44.0 | 13.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 |
| 14 | MOJO | SM499 | Leigh Maddison James Billson | SYC | 59.0 | 15.0C | 15.0C | 15.0C | 14.0 |
Passage Rating Series Division 2
| Place | Boat Name | Sail No | Skipper | From | Sers Score | Race 4 | Race 3 | Race 2 | Race 1 |
| 1 | GINAN | M111 | Nigel Jones Cameron Mckenzie | MYC | 8.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 2 | BKT JAMHU | B2 | Ken Christensen | RBYC | 9.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| 3 | WICKED | SM4 | Mike And Mark Welsh | SYC | 20.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 5.0 |
| 4 | ANOTHER CHAPTER | B71 | Greg Clinnick | RBYC | 20.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| 5 | HOW BIZARRE | S13 | Scott Robinson | RMYS | 27.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 11.0 | 2.0 |
| 6 | CLOCKWORK | 3838 | Andrew Lloyd And Mary Ann Harvey | CYCSA | 27.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| 7 | NICHE | SM4000 | Peter Jackson | SYC | 30.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 14.0 | 4.0 |
| 8 | QUIXOTIC | R7779 | Andrew Middleton | RYCV | 30.0 | 8.0 | 12.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| 9 | ARCADIA | S17 | Peter Davison | RMYS | 33.0 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
| 10 | FASTER FORWARD | R6155 | Matt Fahey | RYCV | 38.0 | 16.0C | 7.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 |
| 11 | KRAKEN SAILS TOECUTTER | R1111 | Robert Hick | RYCV | 40.0 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 12.0 |
| 12 | ADRENALIN | R138 | Peter Little | RYCV | 46.0 | 11.0 | 14.0 | 7.0 | 14.0 |
| 13 | PLAYGROUND | G6276 | Gary Foley | RGYC | 48.0 | 13.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 |
| 14 | SCHUSS | B63 | David Rutter | RBYC | 50.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 |
| 15 | ESPRIT | SM477 | Garry Anderson | SYC | 59.0 | 16.0C | 16.0C | 16.0C | 11.0 |
Blogs
Celebrating Legacy and Grit at the 2026 ORCV Awards
Go behind the lens at Sandringham Yacht Club for the 2026 ORCV Annual Awards. This photo-driven retrospective captures the grit and triumphs of the offshore season, celebrating champions like Matt Setton and Nigel Jones while tracing the historic continuity and community defining Victorian ocean racing.
Brass Monkey Winter Pursuit
A thick winter fog at Safety Beach couldn’t stop the Shimmer campaign. With five of eight crew members aboard, the team used Race 4 of the Brass Monkey series to test a new TP52 staysail in light air. A second-place finish secured Shimmer the overall series lead, building critical momentum for the 2026 Rolex Sydney to Hobart.
Smoke, Sparks, and 25 Knots
Before racing the ORCV Winter Series opener, the crew aboard Shimmer stepped onto the swim platform for a spectacular, 25-year-old tradition: a live marine distress flare drill off Sandringham. From orange day smoke to high-altitude rockets and brilliant handheld red pyrotechnics, this vital safety training offered a rare, firsthand look at handling hot emergency ordnance on the water.
Time Out goes north
Follow the delivery of the stunning Hanse 458, Time Out X2, on her maiden winter passage under the new owner John Corrie as it leaves from Martha’s Cove to Bermagui. This coastal adventure captures everything from navigating the Rip and anchoring at Refuge Cove to spectacular encounters with breaching whales along the Australian coast.
Port Douglas Race Week 2026
Working the bow aboard Y Knot at Port Douglas Race Week 2026, racing for the iconic Clipper Cup on the Coral Sea. Five days of tropical sailing — from glassy Day One conditions to 25 knots of south-east trade wind. Shaun McKenna reports from one of Far North Queensland’s sailing events.
North by Northwest
Pinned in Nelly Bay by the south-east trades, we waited four days before heading north aboard YKnot, a Hanse 430. What followed was 199 nautical miles of downwind sailing — island anchorages, unexpected hospitality at Dunk, a sea turtle at Fitzroy, and a tide-dependent entry into Port Douglas. The difficult days are always worth it.
ORCV Coastal Sprint #3
Sam Backwell’s first ocean race. Six yachts crossing ahead of an inbound cargo ship. Ginan sweeping all three handicap divisions. The third ORCV Coastal Sprint packed a full season’s worth of sailing into 27 nautical miles off the Mornington Peninsula — and Shimmer was right in the thick of it.
Luxury cruising
Some boats are built for the marina. Others are built to move. Shooting Baruch — a 2019 Nautitech 542 — for Inspire Marine, it was clear from the first frame which one she is. Fast, refined, and strikingly photogenic, she’s a French multihull design that earns its reputation both offshore and at anchor.
Shimmer
Shimmer, beautifully maintained by Steve Twentyman, is sailed regularly from Safety Beach Sailing Club. With a versatile sail inventory including J0, Code 0, and asymmetric spinnakers, I’ve gained experience across bow, trimming, and helming roles. Calm leadership and preparation make her a reliable platform for club racing, ORCV coastal events, and Category 2 offshore races.
S2H 2025
White Spirit – 80th Rolex Sydney to Hobart
I completed the 2025 Rolex Sydney to Hobart as 2IC and Navigator aboard White Spirit (Beneteau First 50), skippered by Cyrus Allen. Responsible for routing, weather analysis and sail strategy, I supported the helm and watches through a demanding, multi-system offshore race.
Cabbage Tree Island Race
As part of White Spirit’s Hobart preparation, I helmed through extreme conditions in the Cabbage Tree Island Race, sailing into a rapidly building southerly front with apparent winds peaking at 74 knots. The execution and boat handling through the system resulted in my appointment as Second in Command for Hobart.
Airlie Beach Race Week 2025
Airlie Beach Race Week tested sail handling, coordination, and timing across long island legs. On Y Knot, managing the bow meant staying ahead of multiple sail changes under shifting trade-wind breezes. The combination of fast offshore conditions, complex courses, and a skilled crew made it an intense and rewarding experience.