Seven days. Forty years. And a regatta that, once again, proved it is about far more than getting around the marks first.
Hamilton Island Race Week celebrated its 40th anniversary in the Whitsundays with an edition that had everything the event is famous for: light-air frustrations and powering trade wind runs, line-honours glory and handicap drama that went down to the wire, and through it all, the irresistible atmosphere of a sailing festival that sailors keep finding reasons to return to.
The event has its roots in 1984 and has since grown into one of the Southern Hemisphere's most significant winter regattas. The secret to its staying power is a blend that few events manage to get right: genuine grand prix competition sitting comfortably alongside island hospitality and a culture that values personality as much as podium finishes. Bob Oatley's fingerprints remain on all of it. Inspired by his love of Race Week, he bought Hamilton Island in 2003, and his legacy shaped what the event has become.
Several boats were making their Race Week debuts in the 40th edition. Rod Appleyard brought the RP69 Moneypenny, Dara Johnston arrived in the futuristic Gunboat 68 Slingshot, and Grant Poklington entered Anarchy. They joined a cast of familiar faces, including Holy Cow!, Coconuts, and Wayne Millar's Zoe, which had taken divisional honours as recently as 2024. The anniversary also brought new features designed to broaden the event's reach. Wingfoil demonstrations ran throughout the week, an AC40 simulator gave the public a hands-on taste of America's Cup technology, and for the first time, Olympic-class 49er skiffs raced in Dent Passage as part of the Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Exhibition Series.
That debut drew packed balconies at the Yacht Club over three days of competition involving 13 Olympic teams. Palm Beach Motor Yachts founder Mark Richards described it as "a spectacular success." New Zealand's Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush took the men's 49er title, while Australia's Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot won the 49erFX to delight the home crowd. Streamed live and shared around the world under the name the "Wetisloe Cup," the series offered an early glimpse of what Brisbane 2032 might look like.
Opening day tested the patience of every crew in the fleet. Dent Passage was glassy calm, and sailors nursed coffees and watched humpback whales breach offshore while waiting for a breeze that arrived only late in the afternoon, light enough to force shortened courses across most divisions. It was a gentle shakedown for the majority, though Ron Epstein's Bacchanal, a JPK1180 competing in Rating Division 2, made the most of conditions to record a first-race win. That evening the Yacht Club filled for the official welcome, where Hamilton Island CEO Nick Dowling reminded the crowd of the regatta's direct connection to the island's modern story: it was during Race Week 2003 that Bob Oatley first decided to buy the island.
The south-easterly trades arrived by Day 2, filling spinnakers and sending fleets converging off Denman Island in a spread of colour that looked like the Whitsundays at their best. Racing sharpened considerably. In the Super 40s, Gerry Hatton's Bushranger established an early advantage, while in Rating Division 1, Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan, helmed by New Zealander Gavin Brady, got the better of Highly Sprung. Brady noted a friendly relationship with Karl Kwok's Beau Geste, which had recently completed the Admiral's Cup, describing it as "good cooperation" between the two sisterships.
Racing's human side was never far from view. Chris Noble's Obsession, a Ufo 34 Mk II in Orange Division, quickly became one of the week's most talked-about boats. With most of their crew nursing injuries and only one person fully fit, the team hoisted a 1970s blooper sail and sailed on anyway, drawing laughter and a flurry of phone cameras from nearby competitors. Their red shirts earned them the nickname "the other red shirts," a reference to the crimson-clad crew aboard Wild Oats X. It was exactly the kind of moment that defines Race Week's character.
Tuesday's Nautilus Marine Classic brought the long island passages that sit at the heart of what Hamilton Island Race Week does best. Grant Wharington's Wild Thing 100, which had already taken line honours in the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race, stormed through for another gun. On corrected time, Hooligan came out on top once more, with Blackmore's campaign now tracking toward a sixth Race Week title. In Rating Division 2, David Hamilton's Seeking Alpha ground out another win by just seven seconds. The multihulls served up their own highlight as Slingshot hit 19 knots across Whitsunday Passage. First-timers Terry and Amy Robinson celebrated line honours aboard their new Cure 55 Miyu, and Tasmanian sailor Ben Davidson's Sea Fever, sailed up 1,400 nautical miles from Hobart, rewarded that commitment with a divisional win. In the Super 40s, Sam Haynes' Celestial was climbing the Cape 31 one-design standings, though Ray Roberts' Team Hollywood remained the benchmark.
A brief note on the Super 40 fleet: it is not a single design class but a collective for high-performance yachts of around 40 feet. Fast 40s, IC37s, MC38s, and custom one-off builds all race together under handicap systems such as IRC. The variety is part of the appeal, with older designs regularly mixing it up against the newest builds.
Thursday marked the start of the regatta's decisive phase, with trade winds of 13 to 18 knots pushing crews through a mix of short courses and island passages. Hooligan extended its Rating 1 lead, and Seeking Alpha moved into clear control of Rating 2. One of the week's more pleasing stories came from Airlie Beach, where Wazza Red Boat, crewed by six women in an eight-person team, surged into second overall on the back of a win and a third place. It was a sharp reminder that boat culture and teamwork can count for as much as raw speed. Passage honours went to Fidra (Hanse 370e), Popeye (Beneteau First 47.7), Merit (VO60), and Thylacine One (Beneteau Oceanis 43).
Onshore, the Prix d'Elegance delivered the colour and comedy that Race Week regulars look forward to all year. Crews paraded past the Yacht Club judges in full costume, ranging from Barbie and Ken to storm troopers and togas. Neil Young's Carbontest.au embraced the Barbie theme with commitment, while Gary Donnellan's Matilda V featured a SheSails-inspired female crew. Race Week at its most theatrical.
Friday's lighter winds were enough to confirm some champions while leaving others unresolved until the final day. Hooligan wrapped up its sixth Race Week victory. Seeking Alpha was untouchable in Rating 2. In Multihull White, Graeme Etherton's 36-year-old The Boat finished level on points with the modern Gunboat 48 Mololo, a satisfying outcome that spoke to the integrity of handicap racing. Team Hollywood held its lead in the Super 40s, while Celestial sat on top of the Cape 31 one-design standings. In Hamilton Island Pink, Bobby's Girl and Zoe were locked together on equal points with Kerazy breathing down both their necks, meaning the division's champion would only be known after the final race. A marriage proposal on the Bommie Deck gave the penultimate evening an extra touch of occasion.
Saturday delivered ideal conditions for the final day, with 11 to 15 knot south-easterlies providing a clean run around the islands. Across the divisions, the results were settled.
Hooligan capped a commanding week in Rating Division 1, its series of firsts and seconds leaving First Light and Highly Sprung to fill out the podium. Wild Oats X placed fourth, with Kiwi entry V5 finishing eighth.
In Rating Division 2, David and Theresa Hamilton's Seeking Alpha completed the week without recording anything outside firsts and seconds, a near-flawless campaign that left Bacchanal and Wazza Red Boat to take the remaining podium places.
Ray Roberts' Team Hollywood dominated the Super 40 division overall, while Sam Haynes' Celestial claimed the Cape 31 one-design title with six wins from eight races. Trex and Game On31 followed.
In the multihull racing fleet, Stuart Cox's Cut Snake emerged as champion ahead of Slingshot and Coconuts. Social Platform took Multihull Black, and Mololo secured Multihull White.
Across the remaining divisions, GCCM Arctic Blond won Yellow, Triton took Light Blue, Salty claimed Orange, and Kerazy edged out Zoe on countback to take Pink. Karma Kaze won Trailer Yachts, and Thylacine One took Non-Spinnaker.
Regatta director Denis Thompson, who has guided Race Week since 2007, reflected that while the week had started in unusually calm conditions, it had finished in classic Whitsunday style. Handicapping held up under scrutiny, protests were rare, and results across almost every division went to the final races, all of which he regarded as the marks of a well-run regatta.
From Olympic 49er skiffs slicing through Dent Passage to a 36-year-old multihull sharing a trophy with a modern Gunboat, from Hooligan's sixth title to Obsession's blooper sail, the 40th Hamilton Island Race Week was a reminder of what makes this event worth the journey. It is competition, but it is also community. It is racing, but it is also a festival. Forty years after the first boats lined up in the Whitsundays, that combination remains as compelling as ever.
