Treasure Island

Hamilton Island is the hub of what has to be Australia's, if not one of the world's, most magnificent cruising grounds.

The turquoise waters combine with the picturesque islands, the consistent trade winds and the abundant wildlife to make the Whitsundays a truly memorable experience for any sailor - regardless of their sailing prowess.

It's therefore understandable that this area is home to one of the largest and exciting events on the Australian sailing calendar - the Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week.

This year, Hamilton Island Race Week, or Hammo as it's affectionately known, was host to over 200 yachts from all over Australia as well as from other countries.

Hamilton Island played host to yachts and yachties from as far afield as New Zealand, England, the USA and even Switzerland.

While we hailed from Melbourne and our boat Victory was sailed up by owner Rob Nelson, one other owner we spoke to - John Collett on his yacht Serein - had left Adelaide in April to get to Hammo. Such is the lure of the event.

Race Week is nothing if not welcoming to all manner of yachts. In fact, this year there were seven different divisions in which skippers could enter their yachts so that they'd be in comfortable surroundings for the event.

Rob had entered Victory, a Beneteau 361, in the Cruising Division. We thought that entirely appropriate for this most cruisy of areas. But for those who wanted a bit more cut and thrust, there was the Premier Cruising Class, IRC Cruising, right up to the Sydney 38s and the IRC racing for the seriously serious.

Don't get me wrong: there's plenty of competition in the Cruising Division - but it's more for a position at the bar than a position on the leaders' board.

While the IRC boats, the Sydney 38s and others get more emphasis placed on windward/leeward races, the Cruising Division gets a series of races of about 20nm around the spectacular islands of the Whitsundays.

While Hamilton Island is base and sometimes the start is just outside the safe harbour in Dent Passage, the races are also started either to the east of the island or to the south.

Starting procedure for the Cruising Division and the Classic Division is a little more relaxed than the other divisions, with a call on the radio to explain to some of the skippers what the flags on the committee boat mean: "Now chaps, today we're going to go around Cid Island, then Ann Island, then up that nasty passage around the back of Pine Island, then home to the finish in Dent Passage. Okay?"

There's always one or two skippers a bit slow on the uptake after a hard night, and the banter between the committee boat and the crews can be quite entertaining. We won't go into specifics, but suffice to say that on some occasions we thought the starter displayed the patience of an oyster while explaining for the third time where the start line was: "It's between the committee boat and that nice, red laid mark there; the same as in your race instructions, which we're sure you have onboard, don't you?"

Another great thing about the Cruising Division is that it's for everyone. From people who've sailed their boats from far and wide, to the group of club mates who've pitched in together, to the families who turn up just to enjoy the wonders of the area.

The thing is, everyone is treated with the same respect and with the same camaraderie as any other division.

Many charterboats of all sizes are on offer for people to charter for Race Week, and unlike other times when spinnakers are strictly verboten on charterboats, during Hamilton Island Race Week they are not just encouraged; they are expected.

Crews bring their own kites and sheets and braces, scrounge a pole from somewhere and off they go.

One of our mates brought an old kite up from Melbourne with a rival brewery's advertising logo on it, which was contrary to the Hahn Premium sponsorship. But in true spirit, he wasn't omitted; he was politely asked to paint out the offending name and off he went.

Unfortunately, a few days later a nasty squall came through and blew it and several other kites to smithereens. His crew was seen around Hamilton Island that night sporting natty green ties, green bandannas and green scarves - and one bloke allegedly now has a nice green car cover.

SOCIAL STRESSES
While there's plenty of racing, Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week isn't all about the cut and thrust of yacht racing. There's a social side too - a damn big one.

The restaurants on the island are great, with a variety of foods from pizza to steaks to seafood. There are also sponsored lunches and events on the laydays, such as the Moët & Chandon lunch and the Hahn Premium lunch, which can be interesting affairs.

Alternatively, you can just laze by the pool with a couple of drinks and take a spin on the dodgem-Hobies out the front of the hotel.

Then there's the big bash on Whitehaven Beach on the Thursday, which generally attracts about 150 yachts. Whitehaven beach is a pristine stretch of pure-white sand a few miles from Hammo. If you've ever seen the Qantas ad with the kids singing on the beach, you've seen Whitehaven.

There's a race for the big boats in the morning that finishes near Whitehaven. The rock stars then head over to the beach, presumably to wash their crew shirts and redo their nail polish. 

Other non-racing boats are encouraged to cruise up and join in the fun with a picnic on the beach, a few chilled articles and a swim in the crystal Whitsunday water. All good, clean fun.

There's a wild and weird Mardi Gras on Friday that always brings out a few interesting costumes and floats. I was too scared to go there for fear of being caught up in the excitement and perhaps getting injured and not being able to race the next day - well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I'm told it was great fun. Our fore-deckie got back to the boat about 5.00am and didn't wake till the five-minute gun before our race.

Being in the Cruising Division, we got two laydays. Whether that's a good or a bad thing we're still not sure. I met a fellow club member on the Friday who reckoned that laydays were far more destructive to mind and body than race days. He could have a point there.

BOUNTIFUL BOATS
It seems that Hamilton Island Race Week is quickly becoming not only a regatta but also its own boat show.

Every new production yacht that was at the Sydney Boat Show was up there - the new Beneteau 44.7 (which did very well, incidentally), the Bavaria Match Series, the Jeanneau designs including the lovely 52, the new boats from Sydney Yachts... it was all there.

But wait, as the ad says, there's more! Consider nine, yes nine, Beneteau 47.7s, which actually made up their own division in Premier Cruising. If that's not enough, try the 57.7 or some of the bigger cruising boats like Laurence Freedman's Farr-designed 17m Espresso Forte or even the flock of Swans including the massive Medina from Sydney.

However, the mother of all cruising boats was Mystery - the 118-footer that was used as a start boat for a couple of races before unfurling its massive sails on Saturday to enter the Lindeman Island Race. What an impressive sight!

If classic yachts are more your go, then there was none better than the big William Fife 86ft schooner Astor from California. We watched it slide gracefully around the course followed by the classy Sydney sloop Koomooloo - still in fantastic condition after nearly 40 years of racing.

Then, of course, there's the quick things. Who could not be impressed by the likes of Skandia and the equally impressive 90-footer Konica Minolta from New Zealand?

But then there was George Snow's Brindabella, Hamilton Island owner Bob Oatley's Wild Oats and some of the other fast ocean racers like Heaven Can Wait and Sandy Oatley's Another Duchess, the new XLR8 and another New Zealander Hydroflow, which kept everyone entertained on Friday by running aground in the marina. 

FAMILY FEEL
One thing I did notice this year about Hamilton Island Race Week was the feeling of 'family' among owners of the different brands of boats.

This was initiated by Beneteau in the past and has since also been adopted by the Bavaria guys; and to a lesser extent, Jeanneau.

Beneteau has its traditional drinkies after the races at the 'shipwreck', and this year Bavaria had a lavish function for owners above the Yacht Club and some other events as well.

It's great to see this sort of promotion, as it gives owners a chance to get together and see how they're going against similar vessels. Brendon Hunt from Vicsail Beneteau actually made speeches after the events to let people know how the Beneteau yachts were performing in each division. It was interesting and informative.

GOING NEXT YEAR?
You bet. I can't see the Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week getting anything but bigger. For me it was a blast - a break from the chill of the Melbourne winter and a hint of the summer to come.

The scenery is spectacular, the sailing on the flat waters of the Whitsundays with the lovely trade winds is fantastic, and the camaraderie and the partying are second to none.

I'm thinking of sticking my hand up for the Berocca and Neurofen franchise on the island for next year to offset some of my drinks bill. Then I'm going to pack fewer clothes so I can take a carry-on bag to ensure Jet Star doesn't lose my bag again - and I'm there!

For me it was a really enjoyable regatta that could be taken at any pace. From flat-out racing to idle cruising; from full-on partying to gourmet dining.

I just wish they'd keep us out of that bloody frustrating tidal flow at the northern end of Pine Island...

Skandia takes IRC crown
In the prestigious and hard-fought IRC class of the Hamilton Island Race Week, the two 98ft super maxis - Victorian Grant Wharington's Skandia and Stewart Thwaites' Konica Minolta (Zana) - stole the show. Overwhelming in sheer size and power, even to their smaller counterparts on the start line each day, the two battled throughout for line-honours pre-eminence.

Skandia came to Hamilton Island unbeaten for line honours in its 25 races. But that all changed in race four of the Hahn Premium series.

Skandia gave Konica a near four-minute beating in race one. Then margins got closer - just over three minutes in race two; and by race three, on the first of three windward/leeward courses, it was under one minute.

Race four came around and Konica reversed its fortunes, beating Skandia by 29 seconds - a shock for the yacht that had scored 28 successive victories.

More was to follow after both used the Hamilton Island Convention Centre as a sail loft. Thwaites used his time to re-cut his mainsail, saying: "I was never really happy with it". Onboard too, both had their designers sailing with them. Victorian Don Jones with Wharington, and Kiwi Brett Bakewell-White with Thwaites.

Race five, and it was Skandia by one minute 40 seconds. In race six, the 15nm Whitehaven Race, Skandia again was the victor by just under four minutes, taking its overall series lead from Prime Time that day.

But the 30-mile Baynham Island Race the next day changed everything. Konica gave Skandia more than a five-and-half-minute thrashing on flat water in mixed conditions, causing one wag to quip: "Put away your stopwatch and get out your calendar".

The gloves were off in the final race. Both had a lot to prove - Wharington with the added worry of maintaining his overall lead to win the series.

Wharington did not win line honours, but he did hold on to win the series overall by the narrow margin of four points over Sydneysider David Mason's Prime Time - the brand new Beneteau 44.7, with gun America's Cup and match racer Nev Wittey being his secret weapon. Colin O'Neill, a Pittwater yachtsman with his Davidson 59 After Shock, finished third - just one point behind Prime Time. Such was this closely battled series.

However, that final thrilling race belonged to Thwaites and his crew on Konica Minolta. The 22nm Lindeman Island had the two super maxis going tack for tack up the beat to the island, it was so close that it was impossible to say which yacht had the lead. However, as soon as both eased away before setting spinnakers, Konica Minolta slipped away on flat water in light air and only increased its lead once it set a kite. It was not to be caught - the margin was 14 seconds short of three minutes.

Thwaites, a quietly spoken property developer from Wellington, later commented: "I will make changes to my yacht when we return home. Yes, it's obvious we need a canting keel, canard and pod to beat Skandia come Hobart time. I now realise that it's important to have a 'local' onboard at any event. We didn't have a local at Hamilton Island."

Wharington, from the Mornington Yacht Club in Victoria, was pleased with his result and not too phased that Konica had beat him on line a couple of times.

"We are really pleased to have gone so well on handicap - we are learning more and more about the boat all the time and we still think we have the fastest maxi in the world," he said.

Will Oxley, Wharington's navigator, echoed his thoughts, adding: "We weren't sure that we had it (the handicap win). After Shock and Prime Time were in there. It was so close; we didn't know until we came ashore. But we're rapt with our win."

For Prime Time it was a fight to the finish for its proud owner David Mason: "This is my brand new boat and my first time in the competitive IRC class," he said. "We've had a wonderful regatta, really wonderful. I am absolutely stoked.

"We came up against the big boats and came away with a second - could anyone be disappointed with that? I could not have done this without Nev Wittey. Apart from the boat, he is the main reason we did so well."

Colin O'Neil's Davidson 59 After Shock came from behind to take third place, just one point behind Prime Time. After Shock came straight from its well-deserved win at Hog's Breath Race Week at Airlie Beach, so it was favoured for the title, which came down to the final race between the top three finishers.

Both Bob and Sandy Oatley also had their chances at times, finishing fourth and sixth overall respectively: Bob with his Reichel Pugh 60 Wild Oats and Sandy with Another Duchess - the near-identical sister ship of After Shock.

All who sailed were united in saying that this was the best Hamilton Island series ever - a compliment to Bob and Sandy Oatley, who are making their own contributions to make the island a friendlier place. Race Director Warwick Hoban and his crew once again did a brilliant job. - Di Pearson