The Shorthanded Ocean Racing Association of Australia Inc (SHORAA) is launching the Race Around Australia 2028 (RAA), a doublehanded yacht race, forty years after the 1988 Bicentennial race.
The RAA will traverse over 7,000 nautical miles across five legs, including four stopovers and two sprint stages with pit stops. The race will commence in Sydney in August 2028, with participants navigating to the Whitsundays, Darwin, Fremantle, and Hobart, before returning to Sydney in November 2028.
SHORAA Chair Guy Chester emphasised that the race will challenge sailors to navigate through three oceans around Australia’s rugged coastline. Sailors will experience the trade winds of the Great Barrier Reef, pass Cape York and Arnhem Land, traverse the desolate northwest coast, and navigate past Cape Leeuwin. The anticlockwise journey will cross the Great Australian Bight, tackle the roaring forties, and lead into Hobart, Tasmania, before crossing the infamous Bass Strait back to Sydney.
“Safety has been our top priority from the inception of the race. We are implementing strict safety standards that align with Australia Sailing’s safety Category 1, alongside additional safety measures, crew training, and a qualifying voyage,” said Chester.
The original 1988 Bicentennial Race was won by Sir Peter Blake and Mike Quilter aboard the sixty-foot trimaran Steinlager 1.
Mike Quilter remarked, “Yeah, 7,000 miles, it’s not a Sydney Hobart, you know, it’s as much an adventure as it is a race. It’s a long way, and you have to be quite self-sufficient, as you will encounter various challenges.”
Dr Gavin LeSuer, another racer from the Bicentennial race, stated, “Catherine and I raced ‘John West’ around Australia in 1988. We plan to take on the challenge again in 2028, this time with Catherine as land crew and one of our children as co-skipper.” He expressed excitement for the adventure ahead, acknowledging the diverse sailing conditions from the tropics to the roaring forties.
The race will welcome both multihull and monohull yachts between 40-60 feet in length, with some smaller, fast, and seaworthy monohulls potentially qualifying. Participants will compete in IRC (Monohull) and OMR (Multihull) divisions, with PHRF handicaps included.
Navigation Challenge
Additionally, a unique PredictWind Navigation Challenge will be held across the fleet, where competitors can predict their finish times for each leg. All yachts will be equipped with trackers and are required to submit regular images and videos to provide live updates to fans.
“It has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm in establishing SHORAA,” shared Guy Chester. With Lisa Blair OAM and Don McIntyre as Patrons, the event will honour the 1988 race while adopting modern safety standards and communications to enhance the experience for competitors and fans alike.
The Preliminary Notice of Race is now published, with a formal Notice of Race scheduled for release in August 2026.
Expressions of interest are set to open in March 2026, and yachts that meet the stringent eligibility criteria will be granted provisional entrant status.
“Doc Gav, SHORAA’s treasurer and a 1988 racer, is already nominated as entrant number 1, actively seeking the right boat for the race!” Chester concluded.
Expression of Interest opens in March 2026; Notice of Race to be published by 1 August 2026; the race starts in August 2028.
For more information, visit www.racearoundaustralia.au and www.shoraa.org.
More information on SHORAA
A group of experienced sailors recently formed the Shorthanded Ocean Racing Association of Australia. They are: Chair – Guy Chester (150,000nm, two circumnavigations mostly solo, ran the Louisiades Yacht Rally 2007-2013); Secretary – Don Cortis (Atlantic crossings, Commodore Yorkeys Knob Boating Club); Treasurer – Gavin LeSueur (100k nm,1988 Race); and the committee: Ian Johnston: (150k nm,1988 Race, SoloTransTasman), John Cadwallader (200k nm,1988 Race); Kevin Le Poidevin (90k nm, Globe Solo Challenge, Melbourne to Osaka, SoloTransTasman, RSHYR Doublehanded), Mark Hipgrave (Melbourne to Osaka, SoloTransTasman, Solo Fastnet, RSHYR Doublehanded) and Bruce Arms (current fastest solo sailor around Australia).
SHORAA also has experienced advisors Sharon Ferris Choat, Jon Henry and Nic Douglass.
SHORAA is honored to have Lisa Blair OAM and Don McIntyre as our Patrons to offer guidance and support for the Race Around Australia 2028. Lisa holds many solo sailing records including around Antarctica and around Australia aboard her yacht Climate Action Now; and Don McIntyre who ran the 1988 Bicentennial Around Australia Yacht Race, has had many extreme sailing adventures and created the Golden Globe, Ocean Globe and Mini Globe around the world races.
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