Hamilton Island Race Week 2016 attracts record fleet

Hamilton Island Race Week 2016 has broken into exciting new territory with the number of entries surging past 227 — the highest number in the regatta’s 33-year history.

Not since the 25th anniversary series in 2008 has Race Week seen such impressive numbers, and with there being plenty of time for more entries to be lodged, it is possible the final fleet will be close to 240, organisers say.

Sponsored by Audi for the 11th consecutive time this year, Hamilton Island Race Week 2016 will be staged from August 20 to 27 around the tropical islands and passages of the Whitsundays in North Queensland.

"The remarkable list of entries we have already achieved for this year’s regatta is a tribute to everyone who is part of the event, none more so than the participants and their supporters," said Hamilton Island’s CEO, Olympic and world champion sailor, Glenn Bourke.

"We recognise the effort everyone makes to be part of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week; a fact that sees us working to make it bigger and better each year. There is no regatta in the world like it, and we plan to keep it that way."

The record-breaking 228th entry for this year hails from Hobart: the Beneteau 42.5, Pretty Woman, owned by real estate agent, Brian Watchorn, and entered in the non-spinnaker cruising class. The yacht has cruised extensively in Tasmanian waters and participates in the popular twilight racing staged by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. Watchorn has been casually cruising north through Queensland waters in recent weeks towards the Whitsunday islands.

"Cruising Australia’s east coast and competing at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week are two things I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and this is the year," Watchorn said from his yacht, as it was anchored off Great Keppel Island. "It’s nice to know Pretty Woman was the yacht that broke the regatta record, but that was a fluke. I just hope we can see similar flukes on the race course at Hamilton Island."

Watchorn added that once Race Week was complete he planned to spend time cruising among the 68 uninhabited islands that lie within a 20-nautical-mile radius of Hamilton Island before returning south to Hobart.

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week will also see a record number of multihulls of all shapes and sizes participating this year. One of the more spectacular entries among the 45 multis already entered is the remarkable Tag 60 fast cruising catamaran, Stardust, owned by Eric Cook.

Now a resident of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, 74-year-old Cook represented South Africa in the Tornado catamaran class at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Stardust, which is all-carbon fibre and weighs just 20 tonnes, is seen by him to provide the best of both worlds — considerable cruising comfort and great speed.

Stardust has already been clocked at 24.5 knots, and with almost all sailing controls being hydraulically operated, will require only four crew on-board for Race Week.

The Notice of Race and entry form for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2016 are now posted at www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au.

This year's Hamilton Island Race Week 2016  — Australia’s largest offshore sailing series — caters for sportboats and trailables through to Grand Prix level keelboats, maxi and supermaxi yachts, cruising yachts of all sizes and configuration, and multihulls.