The Shorthanded Ocean Racing Association of Australia has opened Expressions of Interest for the Race Around Australia 2028, an event conceived forty years on from the 1988 Bicentennial race and firmly grounded in its spirit.
Spanning more than 7,000 nautical miles, the double-handed Race Around Australia runs across five legs with four stopovers, two sprint stages and two pit stops. It is the only event of its kind anywhere in the world, sending competitors through three oceans on a full circumnavigation of a continent. The fleet will leave Sydney in August 2028, heading north to the Whitsundays before pushing on to Darwin, Fremantle and Hobart, with the finish back in Sydney scheduled for November 2028.
The 1988 Bicentennial Race was won by Sir Peter Blake and Mike Quilter, racing the 60-foot trimaran Steinlager 1. Quilter offered a frank assessment of what the course demands.
"It's 7,000 miles, not a Sydney Hobart. It's as much an adventure as it is a race. It's a long way, and you're out in the back of beyond, so you've got to be self-sufficient, and you're going to have a few problems."
Safety has been central to the race's design from the outset. SHORAA Chair Guy Chester explained the organisation's approach.
"From the conception of the race, safety has been our number one priority. We have adopted stringent safety standards in line with Australian Sailing's Category 1 requirements, along with additional safety equipment, crew training and a qualifying voyage."
The race is open to monohull and multihull yachts between 40 and 60 feet, with some smaller, fast and seaworthy monohulls potentially eligible. Monohulls will race under IRC, multihulls under OMR, with PHRF handicaps running alongside both. A PredictWind Navigation Challenge will also feature, requiring teams to predict their finishing times before each leg.
Expressions of Interest that meet the eligibility requirements will be granted Provisional Entrant Status, with places filled on a first come, first served basis. Fleet size is limited by stopover logistics, so early Provisional Entrants will gain priority access to logistics planning and the opportunity to contribute to race preparation.
Behind the Race Around Australia is a group of experienced sailors who came together to establish SHORAA. Guy Chester, who chairs the organisation, has accumulated 150,000 nautical miles including two circumnavigations completed mostly solo, and ran the Louisiades Yacht Rally from 2007 to 2013. Secretary Don Cortis has Atlantic crossings to his name and serves as Commodore of Yorkeys Knob Boating Club. Treasurer Gavin LeSueur brings 100,000 nautical miles of experience and competed in the 1988 race.
The committee is equally accomplished. Ian Johnston has logged 150,000 nautical miles, sailed the 1988 race, and completed a Solo TransTasman. John Cadwallader brings 200,000 nautical miles and also competed in 1988. Kevin Le Poidevin's résumé includes 90,000 nautical miles, the Globe Solo Challenge, Melbourne to Osaka, Solo TransTasman, and a doublehanded RSHYR. Mark Hipgrave has completed Melbourne to Osaka, Solo TransTasman, the Solo Fastnet, and a doublehanded RSHYR. Bruce Arms rounds out the committee as the current fastest solo sailor around Australia.
SHORAA also draws on the experience of advisors Sharon Ferris Choat, Jon Henry and Nic Douglass.
The organisation has two patrons whose backgrounds connect directly to the ambitions of the Race Around Australia 2028. Lisa Blair OAM holds numerous solo sailing records, including circumnavigations of both Antarctica and Australia aboard her yacht Climate Action Now. Don McIntyre directed the original 1988 Bicentennial Around Australia Yacht Race, has had many extreme sailing adventures, and went on to create the Golden Globe, Ocean Globe and Mini Globe around the world races. Both patrons will offer guidance and support as the event takes shape.
