Just the right amount of breeze meant no ruffling of feathers on Day 3 of the 74 Islands Airlie Beach Race Week (ABRW) 2026, with up to 15 knots making for pleasant sailing ahead of tomorrow’s lay day.
Competition in the three Performance Cruising Divisions and two Cruising Non-Spinnaker divisions is heating up at the Whitsunday Sailing Club’s 38th running of the regatta.
In Division 1, Julian Bell’s Beneteau First 50, 51st Project (NSW), took top place. He remarked, “I think the handicapper was nice to us! Actually, we had a very good start. We got away cleanly, which played a big part and that gave us some clean air.”
Bell, last competing here two years ago, noted, “We jumped at the opportunity to come back this year.” Currently, he is placed seventh overall in a tight leaderboard, with upcoming lighter conditions likely to impact performance.
The overall leader is Ian Frankhanel’s Solaris 50, Salt (Vic), with just five points separating the top five competitors. “Yes, it’s a very narrow lead – it’s us – just,” Frankhanel admitted, adding that his team is happy with the light breeze and flat water.
In Division 2, local sailor Charles Wallis with his MBD41, Reignition, scored an impressive eight-minute win over Sean Gartner’s Seremisa (NSW) and Stuart Richardson’s Solera (Vic).
Division 3 was won by local Sam Woodward with the Robertson 950, Corrobboree. He explained, “We had a great day on the water… For the whole day, we were tussling with King Billy. It was fun tacking with them coming home to the finish.”
In Non-Spinnaker Division 1, Paul Commins seized the day with Carpe Diem, winning against Victorian Remco Pen’s Bigger Day Out. “Perfect sailing, that’s why we come to Whitsundays, flat water, blue water, we saw a whale, sun was out, we won…” he said.
Non-Spinnaker Division 2 was won by Grant Ford’s Ford Play (Tas), with a significant margin over Melanie Curry’s Alwyn and Mark Strobel’s Krystal. Ford described their race as a perfect day where everything went right.
Barracuda, owned by Tim McCall (Qld), was not beaten in the face of competition, while Hughie Lewis’ Heartbreaker (Tas) returned to finish second after an earlier setback. Host club entry Smooth Operator took third place, now sitting second overall.
In the Trailables & Sports Boats class, David Davenport and Ken Stevenson’s Don’t Panic! is leading in Division 1, having won all three races so far. Greg Hammon’s Rossgo from the host club won today, maintaining the overall lead in Division 2.
Rob Douglass’ Dollop is the top placed in the VX Ones, counting four wins from six races, including two today.
Principal Race Officer Kevin Wilson announced that the fleet would head north today, with the shorter course around Grassy Island and longer course around Gumbrell Island. He indicated a lighter wind expected for the rest of the week, creating ideal conditions in the tropical Whitsunday islands.
Monday is a lay day for all competitors, with racing resuming on Tuesday.
For all information, including entries, head to: http://www.abrw.com.au
Di Pearson/ABRW media
#AirlieBeachRaceWeek #JeanneauYachts #WhitsundaySailing
Follow the action on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AirlieBeachRaceWeek
Interested in seeing more Racing News? Click here
