Superyacht for Hamilton Island

The largest yacht to ever take part in a regatta is Australia will be lining up in the fleet at the Hamilton Island Race Week which kicks off as Australia goes to the polls on August 21.
 
Kokomo, the 191.6ft (58.4 metre) sloop built for Sydney property developer Lang Walker by Alloy Yachts in New Zealand, will be almost 100 feet longer than her main rivals in the top division, the super maxis Lahana and Wild Oats XI.

Walker is having the giant yacht sailed back to the Whitsundays from Tahiti for the seven day celebration of sailing and the good life. Owners and crews aboard the more than 150 yachts from Australia and New Zealand that have entered the series will have more than just a bit of messing about in boats to occupy them.

The program lists golf clinics, tennis clinics, wine tastings, a black tie and barefoot dinner, a Moet and Chandon lunch and more wine tastings (billionaire Bob Oatley, who owns Hamilton Island, makes Robert Oately Vineyard wines).

The regatta also offers Australian yachting's richest prize -- an Audi A5 2.0 TFSI Sportback that is valued at $80,000.

Yachting experts are expectantly awaiting Kokomo's first outing on the race track. Those who have crunched the numbers on her hull length and sail area are predicting that she will hit almost 20 knots sailing upwind and easily top 30 knots running downwind.

Thus far, Walker has only cruised the luxury yacht with groups of his friends.

For the Hamilton Island races he is believed to be using many of the crew who regularly sail on his Farr 40 (also Kokomo) as well as the giant sloop permanent crew of seven.

Walker, a long time racer, is expected to take the helm himself. He is also taking a number of guests to the regatta who will have little more to do than sip drinks in the vast stern lounge.

If things get too wild and windy, they won't have to worry about having their hair messed up. At the touch of a button, glass windows rise from the deck to enclose the stern lounge.

Kokomo won't be the only huge luxury yacht at Hamilton Island; Aaron Abromowitz, who is on an 18 month Pacific cruise aboard his 49.8 metre Perini Navi ketch Perseus, will also be competing.

Perseus, however, is a big, fat and comfortable cruising yacht that is not built for speed.

Would-be voters won’t have to worry about missing the federal election either. An official polling booth is being set up in one of the island’s pubs on August 21.

Go to HamiltonIslandRaceWeek.com.au for more information.