The Port MacDonnell Sailing Club had a break in sailing on the weekend to attend the Western Region Regatta in Portland.

Local boats Farmer, skippered by Dave Evans and crew Mac Ferguson and Graham Mackay, and Minty, skippered by Stephen Dyble and crew Nick Watson, entered the event.

Racing kicked off on Saturday afternoon and comprised three races held in succession with the start and finish in Portland Harbour and another couple of legs out to the north-west of the main rock wall.

Blustery conditions proved testing for all boats with winds ranging from 15 to 22 knots throughout the afternoon.

The last race for Saturday was completed around 5pm with competitors getting off the water and heading to the Portland clubhouse directly on the edge of the water and boat ramp facility for a well-deserved drink and a dinner catered for by the hosting club.

With a briefing set for 9am on Sunday it was an early night to rest some sore muscles as for the majority of skippers and crew it was the first outing of the year due to some poor weather over the district in the early part of the season.

The two races scheduled for Sunday were held in trying condition with cold temperatures and winds of 20 to 22 knots, which were a little more consistent than Saturday but put everybody to work.

It was a great effort from both Port MacDonnell boats with Farmer finishing third in the trailable yacht class and Minty going one better with second in the same class.

This Saturday will see Port MacDonnell back to normal racing with two races around the buoys from 1pm.

Port MacDonnell will host a round of the Western Region Regatta the following weekend, with racing commencing on the Saturday afternoon and concluding in the early afternoon of Sunday.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend and have a look at many different classes of boats that are sailed all over the district.