Champions crowned at 41st Hamilton Island Race Week
The champions have been crowned at the 41st Hamilton Island Race Week presented by American Express, bringing another memorable week of racing in the Whitsundays to a close.
A fleet of 194 boats and more than 1,200 sailors took part, with conditions ranging from strong trade winds and rain squalls to sunshine and shifting breezes across a week of racing around the islands.
From grand prix yachts and performance racing to cruising divisions, multihulls, non-spinnaker boats and trailable yachts, there was plenty still to be decided heading into the final day.
IKON named Boat of the Week
One of the standout performances came from Bruce McCracken’s IKON, which was awarded the Leon O’Donoghue Memorial Trophy as Boat of the Week after dominating Rating Division 2.
IKON completed a perfect regatta under IRC, winning all six races. With the series discard applied, the Victorian boat finished on the minimum possible score of five points.
McCracken said the result reflected almost two decades of sailing together.
“We’ve had this team together for 18 years, so it’s not an overnight sensation. We’ve been working at this for a long time and have had some good results along the way, but this regatta has been fantastic,” he said.
“We’ve really enjoyed it, it’s been fun, and we’ve all learned something, including me.”
The family crew included McCracken’s daughter Breeahn and grandsons North, 10, and Cove, eight, who were competing at Hamilton Island Race Week for the first time.
David Hamilton’s Seeking Alpha finished second in Rating Division 2 under IRC, with Paul Arns and Geoff Bishop’s Obsession third.
Wild Oats X takes Rating Division 1
Rating Division 1 produced a much tighter contest, with Sandy Oatley’s Wild Oats X ultimately securing the IRC title ahead of Peter White’s First Light.
Mark Spring’s Highly Sprung completed the IRC podium in third and also claimed the Rating Division 1 title under TPR scoring, ahead of Lee Hawksley’s Gusto and Robert Kelly’s Virago.
The strength of the New South Wales fleet was underlined by the Hitchhiker Trophy for the best-performing state, with NSW boats filling every podium position across Rating Divisions 1 and 2 under IRC.
Team Hollywood wins Super 40+ IRC
Super 40+ produced close racing across three scoring systems.
Raymond Roberts’ Team Hollywood took the IRC title after an impressive week, ahead of FOMO, skippered by Caillin Howard and Geoff Boettcher, with Sam Haynes’ Celestial third.
Peter Higgins’ Black Sparrow secured both the ORC and SFR titles. Team Hollywood and Fargo completed the ORC podium, while Fargo and Team Hollywood finished second and third respectively under SFR.
Division winners decided
Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing 100 emerged victorious in Hamilton Island Blue after a week-long battle with Walter Carpenter’s Caol Ila, with Ben Davidson’s Sea Fever third.
Hamilton Island Pink went to Brenton and Jennifer Carnell’s Phoenix49, ahead of Sharon Ferris-Choat’s Vixen Racing and John Whitbread’s Kerb.
David Lamond’s Adela X won Hamilton Island Yellow, while Paul King’s Nautilass took Hamilton Island Orange and Carl Nicholls’ Bonaventure claimed Hamilton Island Green.
In Multihull Racing, Terry Robinson’s Miyu won under OMR ahead of Mint and Rare Groove. Stuart Cox’s Cut Snake secured the EHC title.
Rare Groove also received the Gun Boat Trophy, recording seven line honours victories – the most of any boat during the regatta.
Andrew Bruce’s Fruition won Multihull Hamilton Island White, while John Clifford’s Zikomo claimed Multihull Hamilton Island Black.
+GST takes Trailable Yachts title
The Trailable Yachts produced plenty of close racing throughout the week, with Steve Girdis’ +GST ultimately securing the series ahead of Simon Morris’ Offshore Account and David Freedman’s Maximum Limit.
In the non-spinnaker divisions, Renee Cordingley’s Bella Due won Black and White and was also awarded the Don McLean Trophy as the best-performing North Queensland boat at the regatta.
Bill Barry-Cotter’s Maritimo 100 took the Non-Spinnaker Grey title.
A colourful finish to Race Week
The popular Prix d’Elegance awards were also presented, with Sea Fever winning Best Themed Yacht for its Top Gun theme and Marguerite named Best Presented Yacht.
After a week that delivered just about every type of Whitsundays sailing condition, Hamilton Island Race Week wrapped up with close racing across the fleet and plenty of worthy champions.
The 42nd Hamilton Island Race Week will be held from 20–27 August 2027.
Full results here.
https://www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
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