Palm Beach Motor Yachts has signed on as the naming rights sponsor of the Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Series, a new event making its debut at Hamilton Island Race Week as the regatta celebrates its 40th edition in August.
Scheduled across three days from 17 to 19 August, the series will bring together 13 teams from Australia and New Zealand, racing in both the 49er and 49erFX classes on the same racecourse at the same time. Hamilton Island Race Week has long been synonymous with the pinnacle of Australian sailing, and Palm Beach Motor Yachts was built on those same values of competition and the pursuit of excellence, making this a fitting partnership.
The brand was founded in 1995 by Mark Richards, an Australian ocean-racing champion who also serves as its CEO and chief designer. In 2025, Richards is marking 30 years of boatbuilding, and he views this sponsorship as deeply personal.
"We are thrilled to sponsor this exciting new event at Hamilton Island Race Week," Richards said. "This event is a favourite of mine and a natural home for Palm Beach Motor Yachts to explore the idyllic cruising grounds of the Whitsundays. I've been coming to Hamilton Island Race Week for 40 years and the principles that I took away from the competition here drove me to create Palm Beach Motor Yachts."
Palm Beach Motor Yachts is internationally renowned for its unmatched efficiency, technology, and performance, qualities that make it a natural partner for Julian Bethwaite, the Australian sailor and naval architect who designed the 49er based on the International 14 and the famous Aussie 18ft skiffs.
The 49er was chosen as the Olympic skiff class for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Its sibling, the 49erFX, a variant with a smaller rig designed for female sailors, was subsequently selected for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Both remain the current Olympic skiff classes today, continuously refined through technological development. Competing in identical boats, crews must chase every advantage through intense teamwork, physical demands, split-second decision-making, and top-line boat handling.
The list of sailors who have come through the 49er and 49erFX programmes and reached the very top of the sport speaks for itself. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke of New Zealand won two Olympic Golds and a Silver in the 49er, have taken three America's Cups, and are central to the Black Foils NZ SailGP team. Australia's Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen secured Olympic Gold and Silver in the 49er before going on to multiple professional sailing projects, both together and separately, across the America's Cup and SailGP, with Outteridge winning the most recent America's Cup as Peter Burling's co-helm. Brazil's Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze claimed two Olympic Golds in the 49erFX and moved into professional offshore and foiling sailing, with both competing in SailGP and Grael becoming the first female helm in the league. Britain's Dylan Fletcher took Olympic Gold in the 49er before stepping into SailGP and the America's Cup, while Spain's Diego Botin and Florian Trittel combined an Olympic Gold in the 49er with victory together in SailGP Season Four.
"We couldn't be more pleased to support sailing talent in the 49er and 49erFX classes," Richards said. "They will be sure to put on a brilliant show during The Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Series."
Several notable combinations will be among the 13 teams on the start line at Hamilton Island Race Week. Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot, competing in the 49erFX for Australia, were both crew members of the first ever Australian Women's America's Cup team in 2024. Harry Price and Max Paul will represent Australia in the 49er: Max Paul raced for the Australian Youth America's Cup team in 2024, while Harry Price coached both the Youth and Women's America's Cup teams. Carrying the New Zealand flag will be Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie, Olympic Silver medallists at the Paris 2024 Games.
All three days of racing can be followed from the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, with each day's competition beginning at around 3:30 pm once the main programme has concluded. Three races will be held across the series, with the final race on 19 August carrying double points to give the series conclusion maximum weight. A Prizegiving Ceremony on Front Street will follow that deciding race, marking the end of the series with a celebration of skill, efficiency, and rising talent.
The 2025 Hamilton Island Race Week, presented by American Express, runs from 16 to 23 August.
