Around Australia Race
World's longest coastal yacht race to go ahead in 2014Ocean Events has announced that the inaugural Ocean Race Around Australia will go ahead in 2014. The announcement came on the eve of the start of the last around Australia race in 1988.
The race is open to both monohull and multihull boats from Australia and around the world and will have both fully-crewed and two-handed categories.
Expected to take nearly three months, the format of the ISAF Category 1 event includes four start/finish ports, making it easier for competitors.
Touted as the world's longest coastal yacht race, the epic will extend 7200 nautical miles across three oceans and four seas.
Competitors have the choice of the following start ports and times:
•Fremantle: start early July, finish early October
•Port Lincoln: start mid July, finish mid October
•Melbourne: start, third week of July, finish late October
•Sydney: start end of July, finish early November
The race, which will permit crew changes at its 10 stopover ports and will incorporate an existing east coast race and regattas in the Whitsunday Islands. Prizes and trophies will be awarded in both monohull and multihull divisions.
Champion New Zealand sailor, the late Sir Peter Blake, won the challenging 90 day 1988 race, which was a resounding success for the event and sponsors.
With new technology and the advent of social media, not available in 1988, this race will have GPS, yacht tracking, mobile phones, the web, on-board cameras, all of which will help with media coverage and make the event an attractive proposition for sponsors.
For more information, entry forms and Notice of Race go to:
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