Airlie Beach Race Week will return from 12-18 August 2027, Whitsunday Sailing Club has confirmed, locking in dates for the 39th edition of the regatta.
Registration falls on Wednesday 11 August, with a lay day on Sunday 15 August and the official presentation closing the week on Wednesday 18 August. Entries and the Notice of Race will be released in due course.
The announcement follows a bumper 2026 event, when more than 120 boats took to Pioneer Bay and the waters around the Whitsunday Islands in near-perfect conditions. Sponsored by Jeanneau Yachts and presented by Mooloolaba Yacht Brokers and 74 Islands, the week delivered summer-like weather, whale watching, dolphins, turtles and dugongs, and a fireworks display to close things out.
The event draws crowds well beyond the startline. ABRW has grown into a serious economic driver for the region, pulling in competitors, families and friends whose combined spending runs into the millions each year.
Ashore, there was plenty to keep non-racers busy too. Free entertainment and live bands ran nightly at WSC, alongside food stalls, the club's own restaurant and a family movie night. The Changing Courses long lunch sold out, and sailors and visitors got a look at cruising life aboard a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 455.
The lay day wasn't just downtime. A group of competitors pitched in with environmentalists Ian and Annika Thomson to clear rubbish from Whitsunday waters, loading it onto Ocean Crusaders' barge, an ABRW tradition by now. Others spent the week collecting cans around the club, with proceeds going to WSC's junior sailing programmes.
New Zealand's presence was smaller but sharp. Five Kiwi boats made the trip in 2026. Terry Bailey, who hadn't raced in a year, needed a couple of days to find his rhythm but got there in the end, winning the off-the-beach Multihull Division aboard Teal Spirit. Others picked up race wins, and a couple of the New Zealand entries just missed the podium.
"We look forward to welcoming all in 2027," said Terry Archer, Event Chairman and WSC President. "So many owners return with their yachts year in, year out, which we appreciate and look forward to seeing them again," Archer added.
Planning for 2027 is already underway at WSC, with all of this year's winners and placegetters expected back, New Zealand contingent included.
