Around 200 boats heading to the Whitsundays next month signals something notable: Hamilton Island Race Week is back in serious form. With 194 entries confirmed for the 16–22 August regatta, the fleet is well up on the 145 boats that competed last year, and organisers say it is shaping up as one of the strongest in the event's 41-year history.
The headline story ahead of racing belongs to Australian offshore sailor Stacey Jackson. She had been set to compete aboard Indigo II before that yacht suffered rudder damage during the GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race, and she has since found a berth on Touche 42 in the Super 40 Plus class. "I've joined Touche 42 at the last minute. I've raced on the boat before, when she was Not a Diamond, but it's a new team for me," Jackson said. "I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone and getting out there in what should be a very competitive Super 40 Plus class." She believes this year will be her 15th appearance at Race Week, though she admits she has lost count.
Jackson arrives off the back of a remarkable run. She sailed with Yacht Club de Monaco's winning Admiral's Cup team aboard Jolt, then in January crewed The Famous Project CIC to a women's reference time for the Jules Verne Trophy course. The voyage, completed in 57 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes, made her the fastest Australian, male or female, to complete a non-stop circumnavigation, as part of the first all-female crew to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world. "Winning the Admiral's Cup and then adding the Jules Verne record made for a pretty incredible year of sailing," Jackson said. "I'm incredibly proud to have been part of that team of eight women."
Race Director Denis Thompson was pleased Jackson had found another boat after the Indigo II setback. "Stacey is one of Australia's most accomplished offshore sailors, so it is terrific that she has been able to find another opportunity to compete at Race Week following the disappointment for Indigo II," Thompson said. He also flagged Super 40 Plus, with ten boats entered across a wide spread of designs, as one of the divisions to watch.
The TP52 class deserves attention too. First Light (Peter White) and Gusto (Lee Hawksley) have joined Highly Sprung, Quest and Virago to bring that division to five boats. "They're incredibly competitive yachts and that class should produce some of the closest racing of the week," Thompson said.
The broader fleet tells its own story. Four Sonata 26s will make the design's regatta debut in the Trailable Yachts Class, with Victoria's Serenata, Tempo and Jacana joined by South Australia's 5 O'Clock Somewhere. Victoria has recorded the largest increase in participation, sending 40 boats compared with 25 last year, while New South Wales remains the largest state contingent with 73 entries, ahead of Queensland's 57. American sailors Barry and Susie Parkin, currently competing in the Oyster World Rally, will make their Race Week debut aboard the Oyster 825 Viva La Vida. It is, all told, a fleet that rewards a closer look at the entry list.
The regatta officially begins on Saturday 15 August with the Nautilus Marine Insurance Skippers' Welcome at Hamilton Island Yacht Club, with racing running from Sunday 16 August through to Saturday 22 August.
One added dimension this year is the water itself. The regatta falls during humpback whale season in the Whitsundays, a region recognised as a Whale Heritage Area in 2024, and additional marine mammal protection rules apply to all vessels on the water during the event.
