A record eight minutes was all it took for SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week (SMIRW) to sell out in 2026. Officials at Townsville Yacht Club (TYC) expressed their excitement as the event remains a popular fixture on the sailing calendar, with racing scheduled from 27 August to 2 September.
Event Chairman, Mike Steel, remarked, “Three minutes into opening entries yesterday, we were three quarters sold out – and in eight minutes it was all over. It was two minutes faster than our 10-minute record of last year.” He noted with pleasure that several entries were from first-time competitors.
New entrants include Alan Grant’s Elliott 770 Loose Cannon, Andrew Hesselmans’ Steinman 40, Noeleen III, and Kate Leeson’s Adams 10, Wazza Red Boat.
Steel encouraged those who missed out on entries to contact the Club about the waitlist, stating, “We will take waitlist entries in case any successful entrants are not able to participate.”
TYC is also accepting entries from trailable yacht owners wishing to keep their boats trailered at the boat ramp opposite Peppers Race Headquarters, allowing them to benefit from a discounted entry fee of $550 instead of the usual $700.
A few owners were able to gain entry to the 19th running of the regatta through the On Board Sailing Partnership (OBSP), which was promoted in the lead-up and open from 15 January to 6 February only.
The OBSP was created for those who wanted to lock in an early bird entry AND give a business a fun, high-impact presence throughout the event with: Logo placement on the big screen at Peppers Race HQ, website logo placement and direct hyperlink to your website and dedicated social media post promoting your business to the MIRW audience.
Jennifer and Brenton Carnell, a yachting couple from Geelong in Victoria, were among the other quick owners (a mix of newcomers and returnees) to take advantage. The Carnells have entered their Marten 49, Phoenix49, in what will be their first appearance at SMIRW.
“Brenton heard about it (OBSP) on the grapevine and put a message on my desk and said, ‘Hey can you do something about this quickly. So I rang Jodie (Kennedy, the Event Manager) and we signed up. Our business is Brick Build Systems based in Geelong. The offer suited us,” Jennifer said.
SMIRW marks the final stop on the Northern Queensland circuit of regattas and is centred around Peppers Blue on Blue Resort. The event promises a lively social program with a variety of activities for all ages available on lay day.
Entries at SMIRW, supported by Townsville City Council through Townsville Enterprise, comprise Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker classes, as well as Multihull, Trailable and Sports Boats.
For all information, please visit: www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au
By Di Pearson/SMIRW media
@SMIRW #miraceweek #SailingAustralia #MagneticIslandRaceWeek
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