The Shorthanded Ocean Racing Association of Australia (SHORAA) has confirmed the Race Around Australia will return in 2028, reviving one of the most ambitious offshore racing concepts ever staged in Australian waters. Forty years on from the 1988 Bicentennial race, the Race Around Australia 2028 (RAA) will be sailed in the same spirit of adventure that shaped the original, updated for modern standards in safety, sustainability, and communication.
Covering more than 7,000 nautical miles around one of the world's most demanding coastlines, the RAA is a double handed offshore yacht race structured across five legs, with four stopovers and two sprint stages featuring pit stops. The fleet departs Sydney in August 2028, heading north through the Whitsundays to Darwin, then west to Fremantle, south to Hobart, and back across Bass Strait to finish in Sydney, with the conclusion expected in November 2028.
SHORAA Chair Guy Chester says the course reflects the full scale and challenge of sailing around Australia.
"The race passes through three oceans and some of the most remote coastline anywhere in the world," Chester said. "From the trade winds of the Great Barrier Reef, past Cape York and Arnhem Land, down the north west coast, around Cape Leeuwin, across the Great Australian Bight and into the roaring forties before Tasmania and Bass Strait. It is a true test of seamanship, preparation, and endurance."
Safety has been central to the race design from the outset. The event will be run to Australian Sailing Category 1 regulations, with additional requirements covering enhanced safety equipment, crew training standards, and a mandatory qualifying voyage before the start.
The 1988 Bicentennial Race was won by Sir Peter Blake and Mike Quilter aboard the 60 foot trimaran Steinlager 1. Quilter was direct about what competitors should expect.
"Seven thousand miles is not a Sydney Hobart," Quilter said. "It is as much an adventure as it is a race. You are a long way from help, and you need to be self sufficient."
Interest from past competitors is already strong. Bicentennial racer Dr Gavin LeSueur has confirmed his intention to return.
"Around Australia with two people is the ultimate adventure sail," LeSueur said. "I was there in 1988 and I will be there again forty years later in 2028."
The race is open to monohull and multihull yachts between 40 and 60 feet, with IRC and OMR divisions and PHRF style handicapping. A PredictWind Navigation Challenge will add a tactical layer, while live tracking and regular onboard updates will allow followers ashore to watch the fleet's progress in real time.
"With patrons Lisa Blair OAM and Don McIntyre, we will honour the legacy of 1988 while delivering a contemporary offshore event," Chester said. "This will be a race for sailors who value adventure, self reliance, and serious ocean racing."
The Preliminary Notice of Race is now published. Expressions of interest open in March 2026, with the full Notice of Race due for release by 1 August 2026. The race gets underway in August 2028.
