Stars cruise into Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

Superyachts, fashion designers, super models, celebrity chefs and the sailing fraternity will descend on Hamilton Island for Australia’s largest offshore yachting regatta, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week from Friday 19 to Saturday 27 August.

Model, actress and TV personality, Megan Gale, will make her first visit to the annual regatta to MC the launch of the Collette Dinnigan Cruise Collection 2011 held at the exclusive qualia resort on the northern tip of Hamilton Island. She will be joined by a number of famous faces attending the Island festivities including Collette Dinnigan, Matt Moran, Tom Williams, Catriona Rowntree, Shannon Bennett, Geoff and Sarah Huegill, Gail Elliott, Kate Waterhouse, Anthony Bell, Kelly Landry, Kylie Speers, Sandra Sully and Mark Beretta.
     
Nearly 200 yachts have entered the regatta which will run over seven days on widely varying courses around the Whitsunday Islands. Fierce competition is expected between the 100-foot supermaxi Investec Loyal and five-time Rolex Sydney to Hobart winner, Wild Oats XI.  Also, the $25 million luxury yacht Janice of Wyoming will attend the event for the first time in a spectator capacity.

To celebrate the start of the America’s Cup challenge which recently began in Europe, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week will display for the first time the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in the history of sport and yachting’s ultimate prize. The spectacular silver trophy, which was first raced for in 1851, will be celebrating its 160th birthday while at the regatta. It will be joined at Race Week by another of the world’s great yachting trophies, the Admiral’s Cup -- a symbol of world ocean racing supremacy which is currently held by Australia. These two magnificent trophies, which have never previously been seen together, will be on display at the Hamilton Island Yacht Club during the regatta.

Two sailing forums will be held during Race Week to reveal the new formula for the next America’s Cup match. It will be hosted by Hamilton Island Yacht Club Commodore Iain Murray, who is also the Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup match and CEO of America's Cup Race Management. Murray, who has contested the America’s Cup on four occasions, will be joined by Tom Ehman, from the Golden Gate Yacht Club, the club which currently holds the Cup.  And, mid week one of the world’s great sailors may be making a surprise appearance.

Service staff and supplies have been ramped up across Hamilton Island in preparation for the influx of over 3,000 visitors to the island during the prestigious regatta. Top orders for the celebratory regatta include: 2,000 bottles of champagne and sparkling wine, 500 bottles of Moet, 8,400 punnets of strawberries, 12,000 oysters and 1,500 kilos of prawns.

Boatpoint.com.au will be there to provide up-to-the-minute stories and results.