A Festival of Sail in the Whitsundays
New names join the line-up this year, including Rod Appleyard’s RP69 Moneypenny from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Dara Johnson’s silver-hulled Gunboat 68 Slingshot, and Grant Poklington’s 40-foot flyer Anarchy, racing in the Super 40 division.
The heart of the regatta, however, is the loyal fleet who make the pilgrimage year after year. Boats like Stuart Malouf’s multihull Coconuts (NSW), John and Kim Clinton’s much-loved Holy Cow! (NSW), Mark and Karen Tobin’s C’est La Vie (QLD), and Wayne Millar’s Zoe (QLD) — last year’s divisional winner — form the backbone of this great tradition.
Race director Denis Thompson expects a gentle opening day before conditions settle into the regatta’s trademark east to south-easterlies of 12–15 knots — picture-perfect Whitsunday sailing.
Festivities kick off tonight, Saturday 16 August, with the skipper’s welcome at Hamilton Island Yacht Club, followed by fireworks over the harbour to signal the start of six days of racing, broken midway by Wednesday’s lay day.
Adding fresh excitement to the programme is the Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Series, running daily from 17–20 August. Australia and New Zealand’s top 49er and 49erFX crews will duel in this high-octane Olympic class showcase, with Palm Beach CEO Mark ‘Ricko’ Richards also taking the helm of the Oatley family’s Wild Oats X before joining spectators shoreside.
The regatta enjoys the backing of a host of sponsors, with Australia’s 49er teams supported by Ord Minett, Club Car, IGA, EZGO, Buckingham Marine Services, AMEX and Steadfast. Across the Tasman, New Zealand receives backing from AG1, Palm Beach, The Sundays, Hamilton Island Air, North Sails and Hamilton Island itself.
Also on hand for the 40th celebrations is the Team Australia Challenge AC40 Simulator, giving sailors and fans alike a chance to experience the cutting-edge foiling thrills of the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona.
Founded in 1984, Hamilton Island Race Week is as much a festival of tradition as it is a regatta. Each year it draws a blend of world-class crews, first-timers, monohulls, multihulls and trailable yachts for spectacular passage racing among the islands.
This anniversary year, four decades of history are being charted in a special timeline at the yacht club, complete with trophies from the inaugural event — a living reminder that Race Week is as much about heritage as it is about speed.