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Saturday delivered exactly what the forecast promised: a bone-chilling 12°C, with a wind chill factor making it feel closer to 5°C. Early racing began in lighter-than-expected conditions, with A rigs in play. But the south-westerly front arrived in dramatic fashion by mid-afternoon, throwing the fleet into disarray. B rigs became essential, though even they were overpowered at times as boats nose-dived and skidded out of control. C rig conditions loomed, but few made the switch. Driving rain only added to the chaos, soaking sailors and challenging concentration.

Despite the wild weather, Sean Wallis opened his campaign in dominant form, notching up two early bullets before Glenn Dawson and Rob Mews claimed races 3 and 4. Wallis then added another pair of wins to stamp his accendancy before adding another two to round out the day with six wins from twelve races, establishing a six point lead heading into Sunday. Among the contenders was Queenslander Dug Allen, debuting a newly acquired V12 from designer Ian Vickers. It wasn’t long before he claimed a race win of his own and signalled his intent to challenge.

Local sailor Greg Westerburg made the most of his home waters, claiming a memorable win by navigating cleanly around a chaotic bottom mark while others struggled for control. Albany’s conditions proved too much for some, with four boats unable to complete the full day due to gear failure—a testament to just how tough the racing was.

Sunday dawned clearer but no less chilly, with the first warning signal sounding at 8:30am sharp. B rigs were the go once again. Wallis continued where he left off, posting 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1 in the opening seven races of the day—making it clear he was in no mood to let this one slip. His consistent, composed sailing across both days left the rest of the fleet to scrap over the remaining podium spots.

Peter Buchanan, who had been solid on Day 1, saw his grip on second place begin to slide, while Glenn Dawson stepped up with more consistent results to climb the leaderboard. Dug Allen looked to take advantage of Buchanan’s stumbles but couldn't quite put together the consistency needed to move up. Edgar Vitte showed strong boat speed, picking up four wins across the weekend, but left his charge too late to feature on the podium.

With fifteen races completed on the second day, and the regatta result beyond doubt, racing concluded slightly early on Sunday, giving visiting sailors time to pack up and hit the road to arrive back in Perth before nightfall.

In the end, it was a masterclass from Sean Wallis—measured, fast, and in control across all conditions. The Great Southern Regatta once again delivered testing winter sailing and close competition, proving that even in the coldest corner of the state, the racing can be red hot.