Alison Stock’s Northshore 38, Selkie, claimed overall honours in the Short Handed Division at the 2026 Geographe Bay Race Week. Photo © TP72 Nautical Imagery | Tim Putt.
Sailors were treated to a fantastic week of racing at Geographe Bay Race Week, held February 14–20, 2026 off Busselton, Western Australia. With steady sea breezes, warm sunshine, and a mix of long and short inshore courses, the regatta once again showcased why it is one of WA’s premier sailing events. It was great to see many UK Sailmakers Fremantle customers on the startline once again this year.
Geoff Bishop from UK Sailmakers Fremantle joined in the fun, sailing onboard Electric Tram on the Monday and helped out Selkie on the Tuesday, who had just unveiled their new X-Drive mainsail and headsail.
Conditions across the week ranged from moderate to fresh afternoon winds, allowing race officials at Geographe Bay Yacht Club to run a full and varied schedule. From tactical inshore legs to longer offshore passages stretching toward Cape Naturaliste, crews were tested on boat speed, sail selection, and strategy.
Selkie and Prime Factor at the 2026 Geographe Bay Race Week. Photos © TP72 Nautical Imagery | Tim Putt.
Selkie Wins Short Handed Division
A highlight for UK Sailmakers was Selkie, the Northshore 38 skippered by Alison Stock and Brad Skeggs of Geographe Bay Yacht Club, who secured overall honours in the Short Handed Division. Racing short-handed all week, Selkie delivered a consistent and disciplined performance to take the win against strong competition. Congratulations to Alison and Brad on an outstanding result with a winning combination of X-Drive sails and Matrix spinnakers.
Congratulations are also due to Abi Paterson and Steve Davies, racing Kwilena, a SunFast 3200, who placed third in this division, and were the only boat sailing double-handed throughout the event.
Prime Factor Fourth in Division 1 IRC
In the highly competitive Division 1 IRC fleet, Prime Factor, skippered by Max Palleschi from Fremantle Sailing Club, sailed a solid regatta to finish fourth overall. With tight racing throughout the division, it was an impressive showing against some of the region’s top programs.
UK Sailmakers Fremantle customers having fun and looking fabulous at the 2026 Geographe Bay Race Week. Photos © TP72 Nautical Imagery | Tim Putt.
Toravean 3rd in Division 4 Mixed Fleet
Jon Wallwork sailed his Farr 9.20, Toravean, to a well deserved, 3rd place overall in this very competitive fleet.
A Strong UK Sailmakers Presence
It was also great to see many other UK Sailmakers customers on the start line, including Fortuosity, Witchy Woman, Itinerant, Farrlap, Sagacious IV, Arajilla, and Solstice. Having so many familiar boats competing across the divisions made for an exciting and well-represented week on the water. Geographe Bay Race Week continues to build momentum as a must-do regatta on the Western Australian calendar, combining competitive racing with a welcoming shoreside atmosphere.
Edited March 2, 2026: An earlier version of this article contained errors regarding Selkie’s crew and Kwilena’s performance in the Short Handed fleet. We appreciate Abi Paterson and Steve Davies for bringing this to our attention, and the article has been updated to reflect their result.
