40th Hamilton Island Race Week starts tomorrow: Tradition meets the future
by Lisa Ratcliff 16 Aug 15:17 NZST
16-23 August 2025
Hamilton Island Race Week fleet enjoying spectacular downwind conditions © Salty Dingo
Festivities marking the 40th anniversary of Hamilton Island Race Week presented by AMEX are about to get under way, with the fleet of more than 155 entrants making final preparations for racing to commence tomorrow, Sunday August 17, at the premier Whitsundays sailing and holiday destination.
Newcomers to Hamilton Island Race Week include Rod Appleyard's RP69 Moneypenny, sailing for Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Western Australia, the Dara Johnson skippered Slingshot, a silver-hulled Gunboat 68, and Grant Poklington's slippery 40-footer called Anarchy, from Sydney and racing in the Super 40 division.
Regulars who travel year on year from every Australian state to Hamilton Island are the event backbone. They include the multihull Coconuts (Stuart Malouf, NSW) and monohulls Holy Cow! (John and Kim Clinton, NSW), C'est La Vie (Mark and Karen Tobin, QLD) and Zoe (Wayne Millar, QLD), a divisional winner in 2024, to name a few.
Hamilton Island Race Week regatta director Denis Thompson anticipates a light first day. Entrants will then be gifted days of sunshine and brilliant 12-15 knot east to south-easterlies, the hallmark conditions of the internationally acclaimed winter regatta.
Race Week's opening event is the skipper's welcome function at Hamilton Island Yacht Club tonight, Saturday August 16, heralding the six-day competition - separated into halves by Wednesday's lay day - with fireworks over the harbour.
An addition to the on-water calendar is the Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Series, a thrilling showdown each afternoon August 17 - 20 between the Australian and New Zealand 49er and 49erFX sailing teams.
The 49er series sponsor Palm Beach Motor Yachts is thanks to CEO Mark 'Ricko' Richards who will be at the helm of the Oatley family's beloved Wild Oats X, before joining spectators at the yacht club to watch the thrilling new Olympic class exhibition event.
The skiff series and all Race Week race starts in Dent Passage will be live streamed on the Hamilton Island YouTube channel.
Sponsors of the Australian 49er and FX teams include Ord Minett, Club Car, IGA, EZGO, Buckingham Marine Services, AMEX and Steadfast. New Zealand sponsors include AG1, Palm Beach, The Sundays, Hamilton Island Air, North Sails and Hamilton Island.
The Team Australia Challenge AC40 Simulator is also on Hamilton Island as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations. All are welcome to experience the on-water action our Aussie athletes experienced in Barcelona at the 37th America's Cup.
Founded in 1984, Race Week is steeped in history and annually brings together high-calibre crew and those new to the sport, and a cross-section of yachts, multihulls plus trailables for stunning passage racing around mostly uninhabited islands surrounding Hamilton Island.
Four decades of yachting and Hamilton Island history is illustrated on an historic timeline display at the yacht club, alongside trophies from the very first event.
All Race Week details are available on the website and socials.
2024 Hamilton Island Race Week video highlights here.
More history on Hamilton Island Race Week here.