Multi Award Winning Regatta
Preparations for the next Audi Hamilton Island Race Week begin as soon as the final boat crosses the line.  The land to the left of the marina entrance, that was recently simply a sand patch, has been transformed into a construction site as the swish new Great Barrier Reef Yacht Club begins its rapid march towards completion in time for the 2009 regatta.  Bob Oatley and his frighteningly fast Reichel Pugh 66 Wild Oats are usually one of the first yachts to register each year.  Not surprising really, considering his passionate yachting family purchased Hamilton Island in 2003 and have concentrated on maintaining the resort island firmly focused on world class yachting.  Justifiably so, Race Week has been showered with accolades since its inception in 1983, having won 'Best Significant Event' at the annual Queensland Tourism Awards three times.

What makes Race Week so alluring?  Well its special attraction is primarily the challenging and exciting racing that takes place amongst the breathtakingly beautiful, mostly uninhabited Whitsunday Islands.  Southern sailors looking to escape blustery winter racing flock to tropical Hamilton Island each year.  Consistently fresh trade winds and powerful tidal streams create challenging conditions that provide exhilarating sailing.

Sail all Day, Party all Night
Part of Race Weeks attraction is that it combines earnestly competitive racing, across all divisions, with enthusiastic partying, and nowhere is this more apparent that on the Sunsail dock.  For ten days Sunsails normally sedate bareboat cruising fleet is transformed into headquarters for the cutthroat Cruising Division.  But don't be fooled into thinking that the Cruising Division is all cocktails and matching twin sets. This division usually makes up the largest fleet. Even the non-spinnaker boats put their reputations on the line.

With almost 30 yachts ranging in size from 32 to 50 foot, earnest match racing takes place amongst the identical Sunsail fleet of Beneteaus and Jeanneaus.  Forget the maxi end of town: these crews take this regatta even more serious than some of the big sponsor-driven campaigns.  Sunsail create their own competition within the official divisions, giving each charter crew the chance to take home their share of the booty.  Ken Dryburgh, who last year chartered a Cyclades Beneteau 43, and has chartered the same yacht again this year, says there are two ways of looking at chartering a cruising yacht.  Ken observed that 'while last year we didn't set the world on fire', they still managed a credible fourth in their division.

Ken expects to have some tough competition this year as another crew from his yacht club have chartered a similar boat to their Turn Twelve.  Racing his own Northshore 27 with the Jervis Bay Cruising Yacht Club, Ken has mustered most of his regular crew together for Race Week, who bring their partners along as well.  This year the crew is a mix of males and females, with the yacht becoming their hotel room after each days racing is finished: speed is somewhat compromised by the comfort of three double cabins and three heads.  Ken says 'Chartering a yacht from a cruising company has its advantages and disadvantages.  Primarily it is a race in a cruising yacht, which means the boat is clean and tidy and has plenty of room.  On the other hand it means a heavy boat, with cruising sails, that is generally not competitive, although handicaps sort themselves out after a few days.'

Cost Effective Chartering
Chartering can be quite cost effective too, without the burden of sailing or transporting your yacht to Hamilton Island.  Costs start from $7700 for a 32 footer surveyed for six crew, and up to $16,000 for a 50 footer with 10 crew.  Charter fee includes airport transfers for all crew, fuel, race levy, public liability insurance, marine park fees and marina berth for ten days.  Splitting the costs between the crew means that nine nights on a Race Week charter yacht costs as little as $1300 per person.  Race entry fees are an additional cost.  Chartering a yacht has the added bonus of having skilled dock staff available during the entire regatta.  For the yacht technicians and dockhands, who are predominatly passionate sailors themselves, this is their busiest time of the year.  They are on hand to conduct briefings, clean and provision the yachts, attend to any breakdowns or mishaps, smile all day, and generally do their utmost to ensure all yachts are prepared in time for the next days racing.

Dean Corbett is another regular Race Week sailor who has both campaigned his own yacht Crews Control in 1998, as well having chartered for the past three years. With a group of up to 15 sailors who come and go TA (or Team Arse as they call themselves) have been sailing together on and off since 1998.  Having experienced the serious intensity of Mumm36 racing, Dean considers the racing at Hamilton Island simply a sideshow to the real reason they keep coming back.  That is, to put some fun into the serious business of yacht racing.  However, that's not to say they're not competitive.  Dean and his crew have taken home the Sunsail trophy each time they've entered, as well as achieving respectable results in official divisions.  Dean considers their strength to be not their aggressive starting tactics, but their very cunning strategy of lightening the boat as the race progresses.  By ensuring every crewmember (except the Helmsman of course!) consumes a beer at each mark rounding, they get faster as the boat gets lighter!  As Dean says 'If you don't drink, Race Week is not the place to be.'

Not Interested in Sailing?
Clearly, Race Week is not just about how fast you can sail around the course.  In fact some visitors who wouldn't be seen dead in a matching team polo shirt, don't even bring pack their deck shoes and fingerless gloves: sailing is the last thing on their minds as they partake in the exacting social agenda onshore.  Race Week organisers realise that in order to attract world-class competitors, they also need to entertain the families and friends who accompany the sailors: this they do particularly well.  Naming sponsor, luxury German carmaker Audi, will offer driving demonstrations, Collette Dinigan hosts a fashion parade and Todd Woodbridge runs a tennis clinic.

Wendy Gilbert, who sailed on Turn Twelve last year, intends to take advantage of a layday or two this year and explore the mainland town of Airlie Beach.  'Our crew enjoy a fairly relaxed approach to racing, which tends to reduce tension if things get a bit tough out there' Wendy dryly observes.  Non-sailor Debbie Dryburg, who will be 'doing Race Week' her own way, has little intention of letting the racing interrupt her holiday.   'The morning is fun with communal breakfasts followed by the bustle of the crews getting ready for departing the harbour around 9.30am.  Then I have about four hours to myself for relaxation and indulgence beside the cocktail pool, before they all come back in and we catach up over drinks and nibbles,' is how Debbie fills in her day which she likens a little to being onboard a cruise ship.

The charismatic Barefoot Bar of old, reminiscent of a grungy scene out of Pirates of the Caribbean with its bevy of drunken sailors, has been replaced with the modern three story Marina Tavern as stylish entertainment headquarters.  Each evening Front Street is cordoned off to buggy traffic, as food stalls and live music ensure a party atmosphere on the marinas edge.  Legendary Whitehaven Beach day, held on the Thursday lay day, grows in stature each year.  Quite possibly the worlds biggest beach party takes place as hundreds of vessels, and thousands of party goers, converge on this usually pristine haven of tranquillity. In 2009 the Great Barrier Reef Yacht Club is scheduled to open.

From its early days of conception 24 years ago, Race Week just keeps getting bigger, better and more fun each year.  What began amidst the yachting euphoria of Australia snatching victory in the 1983 Americas Cup has developed into Australia's most significant offshore yachting regatta.  See you there!