Hamilton Island Race Week 40th: Champions, Close Calls
However Race Week is about more than podiums. Success can be measured in moments as well as in points. On the Bommie Deck of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, one sailor’s afternoon ended with an entirely different kind of victory: a marriage proposal met with a resounding yes. The bride-to-be, fresh from a day out on the water watching the fleets fly through the Whitsundays, was caught completely off guard. The crowd’s cheers proved once again that Race Week is as much about people and connections as it is about racing.
Hooligan on course for glory
On the water, though, the serious business of winning carried on in tricky 12–14 knot south-easterlies. Marcus Blackmore’s TP52 Hooligan, skippered by Gavin Brady, put in a near-flawless display. A fourth corrected-time victory gives Blackmore the commanding position he has craved – a near-certain sixth Hamilton Island Race Week title. For Blackmore, whose history at the regatta runs deep, another win at the 40th anniversary is more than just another trophy; it’s legacy.
Rating 2 domination
In Rating Division 2, Sydney’s David Hamilton has made his intentions clear. His Farr 40 Seeking Alpha has been the class act of the division, sailing with polish and precision to put the title within touching distance. With another consistent showing expected tomorrow, Seeking Alpha looks almost untouchable.
The Boat punching above its weight
Yet amid the glamour yachts and cutting-edge carbon flyers, one of the most compelling stories belongs to the smallest, scruffiest warrior in the fleet. Graeme Etherton’s Windspeed – affectionately called The Boat – is a 36-year-old Crowther 32 catamaran that has no right to be mixing it with the multimillion-dollar giants of the Multihull Hamilton Island White division. And yet, against all odds, Etherton sits tied for first on points with the slick Gunboat 48 Mololo.
Travelling all the way from Townsville to take part, Etherton’s old-school 32-footer is proof that Race Week handicapping levels the playing field. “It’s good to race against the quality of boats here; and it’s challenging with the current and tides,” he said dockside. “Everyone’s very gentlemanly on the start line – it’s refined racing. Of course, they go past me pretty quickly!” he laughed.
On paper, Windspeed should never be able to compete with something like Terry Robinson’s Cure55 Miyu – a lightweight carbon-fibre rocket barely six months old – but that’s the magic of handicap racing: the smallest boat can still have the loudest story.
Hollywood script continues
At the other end of the size spectrum sits a boat that has made Race Week its stage for decades. Ray Roberts’ Botin 40 Team Hollywood looks set to add yet another Hamilton Island triumph to its long list of victories, leading both under IRC and Super 40 handicap.
Roberts, who first raced here in 1984, admits he’s lost count of how many Race Week wins he has chalked up. What matters more is the enduring allure of the regatta and the chemistry of his team. “This boat suits the conditions here, and if you sail it well it pays you the results,” he explained. “We’ve had really good competition this week with Veloce and the Cape 31s.”
Navigator Steve Taylor, new to the Hollywood programme, has been impressed by the operation’s precision. “The culture is discipline and perfection,” he said. “When you’re the highest-rating boat in the fleet, you have to race against yourself as much as your rivals.”
Commodore’s Cape
Close behind is Sam Haynes’ Cape 31 Celestial, representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Haynes, twice winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart with his other Celestial campaigns, currently sits second in the Super 40 division behind Team Hollywood and leads the Cape 31 class. “When you get the Cape tuned up, they’re very responsive,” Haynes said. “But very wet!”
Pink division set for fireworks
Elsewhere, the Hamilton Island Pink division is set for a finale to remember. With Bobby’s Girl and Zoe tied on points, and Kerazy only a single point behind, Saturday’s passage race will be a head-to-head-to-head brawl for the title. Expect no quarter given.