From Top Gun and A Clockwork Orange to Moana, The Little Mermaid, superheroes and plenty more, the docks at Hamilton Island were transformed this morning for the much-loved Prix d’Elegance.
Crews embraced both the Best Presented Yacht and Best Themed Yacht categories, providing a colourful start to Day Four of Hamilton Island Race Week. Winners will be announced at Saturday’s official presentation evening.
Once the costumes were packed away, attention returned to the water, with another beautiful Whitsundays breeze greeting the fleet. Most divisions raced around White Rock, while Rating Divisions 1 and 2 completed two windward-leeward races.
First Light joins Wild Oats X at the top
Rating Division 1 produced a close contest, with Peter White’s First Light recording a second and a win under IRC to take the overall lead on countback.
Sandy Oatley’s Wild Oats X won the opening race before finishing second in the next, leaving the two boats tied on 17 points. Just one point separates the next three boats, with Highly Sprung, Gusto and Virago all on 18 points.
Under TPR scoring, Gusto and Highly Sprung shared the race wins, with Highly Sprung retaining the series lead.
In Rating Division 2, Bruce McCracken’s Ikon continued its remarkable run, adding another two victories to maintain a perfect five wins from five starts.
McCracken credited his family crew for the boat’s performance.
“This is our fifth Race Week, coming up from Victoria, and the team just has the boat going so well,” he said.
“Hopefully we can continue to race well over the rest of the regatta. Our family team is really enjoying sailing together.”
Raymond Roberts’ Team Hollywood also remains unbeaten under IRC in Super 40+, recording its fourth consecutive victory.
Vixen Racing lights up Hamilton Island Pink
One of the stories of the day came in Hamilton Island Pink, where Sharon Ferris-Choat’s Vixen Racing claimed victory ahead of Xcapade and Phoenix49.
“It was a course that finally suited Vixen. We had a couple of reaches in there and, double-headed, she just lit up,” Ferris-Choat said.
Among the crew was Bob “Cyclone Bob” Stuart, who competed in the inaugural Hamilton Island Race Week in 1984.
“We’ve got a 69-year age difference across the crew,” Ferris-Choat said. “That is what is so cool about sailing. We have that age range, men and women sailing together, and then we go out and win the race.”
Phoenix49 continues to lead the division overall.
Battles tighten across the fleet
Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing 100 maintained the Hamilton Island Blue lead despite John Kint’s Bundaberg taking today’s victory.
Elsewhere, Nautilass remains on top in Hamilton Island Orange, while Carbontest.au has built a commanding lead in Hamilton Island Green.
Hamilton Island Yellow remains particularly close, with Stratacare Racing Bluebottle and Xscape tied for the series lead, while Adela X took today’s race victory.
In the Trailable Yachts, Offshore Account won the day, while +GST and Charter World Yachting Holidays are tied at the top of the standings, with +GST leading on countback.
Terry Robinson’s Miyu strengthened its lead in Multihull Racing under OMR, while Quantum leads Multihull Hamilton Island Black and Fruition heads Multihull Hamilton Island White.
With just two days of racing remaining, battles across the fleet are tightening and there is still plenty to be decided before Saturday’s final races and official presentation evening.
Full results here.
https://www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
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