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Some of the boats from last year’s Regatta. Photo Credit: Andrea Francolini.
The wait is over for one Australia's premier sailing regattas, with Airlie Beach Race Week set to welcome hundreds of sailors to the Whitsundays for six days of racing across Pioneer Bay and the Whitsunday Passages.
Now in its 38th year, the iconic event combines sailing with a packed program of onshore entertainment, while delivering what organisers describe as the biggest trading week of the year for Airlie Beach.
“So for Airlie Beach, it really means all the accommodation is full, all of the restaurants and cafes are full, all the shops,” said Terry Archer, President of the Whitsundays Sailing Club and Chairman of the Regatta Committee
“It is the biggest economic boom for this place.”
The event's success today is a far cry from its humble beginnings more than three decades ago. Airlie Beach Race Week traces its roots back to 1990, when businessman and sailor Don Algie established the Hog's Breath Cruising Classic after being inspired by Hamilton Island Race Week. Originally designed to attract visiting cruising yachts, the regatta soon evolved into a full Race Week, with a mix of bay racing and passage races through the Whitsunday Islands.
Since then, the event has grown into one of Australia's premier sailing regattas, attracting competitors from around the country while remaining a highlight of the Whitsundays calendar.
The regatta caters for a wide range of sailing vessels, from larger offshore yachts moored in local marinas to smaller off-the-beach classes launched by hand.
This year, around 130 boats will compete across 10 to 13 divisions, with each class racing against similar boats throughout the week.
The opening day of Race Week promises one of the regatta's most memorable spectacles, with every boat lining up for a dramatic mass start off Airlie Beach before setting sail through the Whitsundays.
"It's absolutely spectacular, with all the 130 boats starting together out the front of Airlie Beach," said Terry.
From there, the fleet will split, with larger, faster yachts sailing around Gumbrell or Armit Island, while smaller boats round the Double Cone Islands before returning to shore.
Throughout the week, race officials will select from almost 30 different courses depending on the wind and tide, sending competitors through Pioneer Bay and the Whitsunday Passages. The regatta will conclude on Thursday with the traditional "Big Bay Triangle", bringing the entire fleet back into Pioneer Bay for a fitting finale ahead of the presentation dinner.
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