Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 Luxury Yacht Charter & Superyacht News

Following a great success of this year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, the island’s owners, the Oatley family, together with CEO Glenn Bourke and his staff are already planning for the 30th anniversary of this popular race in 2013.

A whale and cruising fleet at AHIRW 2012 - Photo credit: Andrea Francolini/Audi

‘Certainly the 30th anniversary is a big milestone for Hamilton Island. I think the event has grown from tiny little roots to being quite grand,’ said Glenn Bourke after wrapping up the SB20 series on Saturday.

He believes the success of the premier Whitsunday regatta is due to the plethora of social activity, really great racing in a stunning location, and the camaraderie among the yacht crews.

A declaration by Yendys’ helmsman and America’s Cup sailor, Gavin Brady, that ‘The standard of racing [at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week] is higher than the Med Cup’ doesn’t hurt the event’s international reputation either.

‘Next year is poignant for a lot of people, particularly those who have been coming here for many many years,’ says Bourke, adding ‘we plan to make it a spectacular party’.

‘Another reason for the extra focus is next year marks a decade of the Oatley’s ownership of the island. I know they’re very keen to make it special for everyone.

‘We worked particularly hard to make the cruising guys feel more a part of the regatta this year and we’ll continue in that vein going forward to next year’s birthday celebrations.  We’ve got a few other ideas to make them feel like they are really a part of the program.’

AHIRW 2012 and Prix d'elegance - Photo credit: Andrea Francolini/Audi

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week regatta director, Denis Thompson, believes next year’s 30th could attract over 200 boats, the sort of numbers the event was enjoying prior to the GFC.

To sweeten the deal, the island has already announced that the 163 boat owners who entered this year’s Race Week will automatically qualify for half entry fees for the 2013 regatta.

‘The island’s very generous offer of half price entry has been a real talking point,’ said Thompson.

He sees renewed growth in the cruising fleet, thanks partly to the initiatives the island has adopted to create more of a sense of community on G and F arms at Hamilton Island marina.

‘I think the camaraderie that developed over on those cruising jetties was phenomenal,’ said Thompson.

Sailing yacht Dark Star at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 - Photo credit: Andrea Francolini/Audi

‘When we made changes to the racing program during Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, we had teams going down there handing out the changes of course. The sausage sizzle and free ice were also very well received.

‘There are some strong feelings among the cruisers about returning for next year’s anniversary Race Week,’ Thompson added.

Looking back at this year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, which came to a conclusion on Saturday August 25, Glenn Bourke says the feedback on the racing has been positive.

‘With the light air it was the complete opposite to last year. I think it’s good for yachties to experience contrasting regattas, nobody gets complacent like they may do at other venues where it’s always windy or it’s always light. It gives everybody an opportunity to get in the mix.’

Bourke acknowledged Denis Thompson and his race management team for running a seamless regatta, ‘organisationally I think the race management team is world class. We never seem to have any kerfuffles and the standard is always consistently high.

‘There’s always some tweaking to do, but in general I’m delighted we were able to put on a good show once again,’ Bourke added.

At Saturday evening’s trophy presentation Audi announced its sponsorship of Race Week, which began in 2006, will continue for another two years. Yachting Australia Vice President Matt Allen also announced during the prize giving that Audi will continue its support of the IRC Australian Championship for an additional two years.

The penultimate day of the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 brought a magnificent day of Whitsunday competing at its best as wet weather gear was packed away, replaced by t-shirts, shorts as well as wide smiles.

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 Start - Photo Credit: Andrea Francolini/AudiSPINNAKERS

Yesterday’s fog cleared and sailors were treated to a glamour day of flat seas, light 6-8 knot sou’easters and tropical conditions, photographers voting it the best of the annual Whitsunday series that began last Saturday and concludes tomorrow.

Sean Langman’s Race Week has come to an abrupt halt, literally. The bottom three metres of Team Australia’s centreboard is now missing after the giant trimaran ran aground off Fitzalan Island in the narrow channel to the west of Hamilton Island.

‘We were trying to avoid a sleeping whale and her calf. We saw them as we approached and we thought we had enough room, but we didn’t. It was a simple navigational error, we can’t blame the whale we can only blame ourselves,’ said Langman back at the marina.

‘That’s the end of the regatta for us however we pack up taking away more positives than negatives, we’ve learnt a lot this week.

Whale and Dark Star yacht - Photo Credit: Andrea Francolini/Audi

‘I have a 100 percent record of hitting the bottom here with my own boats,’ said the dejected skipper who will have to make minor repairs before taking the boat back to Sydney. Luckily for him, he owns his own boatyard.

Sixty foot of boat hard up on the bricks wasn’t going to come off easily and two Team Australia members were sent overboard trying to make the daggerboards line up so they could retract the centreboard.

‘We ended up having to snap the centreboard and the bits away,’ said Aaron Hampo, one of the crew who dived over the side to free the boat from its shackles.

A tow from a passing media boat pulled them off the rocks and they were able to motor home unassisted.

Sailing yacht Hooligan and her crew - Photo Credit: Andrea Francolini/Audi

The Audi IRC Australian Championship classes have just finished racing windward/leewards on the eastern paddock and the performance racing, cruising and non-spinnaker classes, with their full spectrum of coloured spinnakers flying on the downhill runs, are in the closing stages of traversing a new course set by the race committee to make the most of the early forecast.

Luxury carmaker, Audi, returns as the title sponsor of Hamilton Island Race Week in 2012. The German premium brand will host a range of special events on the island for yacht owners and guests to enjoy during the week.

August 21 was marked by a bright and early start of the yachts competing in the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week’s Club Marine Long Race as well as the Lindeman Island Race, with the goal to see the majority of the fleet ashore in time for this afternoon’s Olympic sailing team welcome home and tickertape parade.

Trimaran yacht Team Australia on Day 4 - Photo by Andrea Francolini/Audi

The parade will begin at 5.30pm when the medallists are driven along Front Street at Hamilton Island in Audi A5 Cabriolets.

In an 8-10 knot south easterly breeze and lumpy seas off Catseye Beach at Hamilton Island, Performance Racing division 2 then 1 led off the start line and waves of IRC starters followed them, beginning with the smallest and working up to the Audi IRC Australian Championship Class A boats.

The 63 nautical mile Club Marine Long Race for IRC Class A and B and supermulthulls is the longest of the annual week-long Whitsunday series and it will take some well into late afternoon before they record a finish off Hamilton Island Yacht Club.

As anticipated, the Mark Richards skippered superyacht Wild Oats XI stole the line honours show once again.

Sailing yacht Team Vodafone - Photo by Andrea Francolini/Audi

In the two-boat trimaran wrestle, Team Vodafone and Team Australia came into Dent Passage together, the Australian skipper Sean Langman out-manoeuvring Kiwi Simon Hull in the dying stages to finish three boat lengths ahead after 60 nautical miles.

Tom Slingsby, London gold medallist calling tactics aboard Peter Harburg’s Queensland 66-foot yacht Black Jack, is fortunate he’s on the second largest yacht in the Class A fleet given he has to be back in time for this afternoon’s parade.

He’ll join sailing gold medallists Mathew Belcher, Malcolm Page and Iain Jensen and silver medallists Olivia Price, Lucinda Whitty and Nina Curtis plus team Australian Sailing Team coaches and officials.

To the delight of the photographers Slingsby took the wheel of Black Jack in the pre-start this morning, and shot a smile to the cameras. Unbeknownst to him, the rest of the crew were smiling too, watching triple Olympian Anthony Nossiter chuckling as he bowed behind Slingsby in honour of the great man.

Cruising non-spinnaker
Colin Pruden’s Swarbrick S111 sailing yacht Sandpiper Wutba, flying the Whitsunday Sailing Club burgee, was one of the early finishers in the 23 nautical mile Lindeman Island race for the three cruising and non-spinnaker divisions, which started from the eastern course area.
The Lindeman Island Race is usually the regatta opener however light winds forced a change of plan last Saturday.

Sandpiper’s crew saw a top wind speed of 15 knots on the dial and recorded 10 knots of boat speed, numbers that were solid enough to give them a non-spinnaker line honours win.

Crewman Clayton Willox said ‘today was great. The pressure was perfect and we sailed like we stole it.

‘Darryle Dransfield’s That Boat was our biggest competition today and we were always within 100 metres of each other.

‘It’s our fourth Race Week and we’re really enjoying it.’

Espresso Forte yacht - Photo by Andrea Francolini/Audi

SB20s
After five races, Hamilton Island CEO is not in unfamiliar territory. Glenn Bourke is a multiple world championship winning sailor and he’s mastered the SB20 class just like he dominated the Laser.

Bourke is leading the pointscore by three points with Club Marine from Phillip Gray’s Dulon Polish in the warm up to the class’ world championship, which will be held at Hamilton Island in December.

Tomorrow all classes will remain ashore for the one and only layday for the 163 yachts and crews contesting the 39th edition of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. A day’s rest at the mid-way point is well deserved and will give sailors a chance to catch up on boat maintenance and domestic duties as well as spending time with family and friends who have travelled to be part of Race Week.

Highlights of the layday include a Sailor’s Forum starting at 9.30am on the main stage, the Audi Final Drive Challenge from 8am – 6pm, the Beachside Pool Party from 12pm and the famous Moet & Chandon lunch.

Luxury carmaker, Audi, returns as the title sponsor of Hamilton Island Race Week in 2012. The German premium brand will host a range of special events on the island for yacht owners and guests to enjoy during the week.

All divisions came back home in reasonable time on day three of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. The whole day of competing was marked by showery as well as gusty 20 knot breeze.

Superyacht Wild Oats XI - Photo by Andrea Francolini/AudiWILD OATS XI

An overall win in today’s 30 mile race means the leading Audi IRC Australian Championship Class A boat is Geoff Ross’ chartered TP52 Yendys, two points clear of Rob Hanna’s Shogun V after four races.

‘So far the view is OK,’ said Ross this afternoon, ‘but you wouldn’t want to draw any conclusions’ he warned.

Yendys, Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll and Shogun settled a three-boat duel to the finish, which is indicative of the competitiveness that is spurring them on. Perhaps also driving them beyond their regular comfort zones are the international rock star tacticians and helmsmen, including Steve Cotton and Mike Sanderson on the Farr 55, Living Doll, Australia’s own Steve McConaghy on Shogun V and recognised Kiwi sailor, Gavin Brady on Yendys.

Class B defending champion, Darryl Hodgkinson’s Victoire is the leading Beneteau, sitting just two points ahead of the smaller Beneteau 40 Lunchtime Legend (Robbo Robertson), which is going to breathe hot air down Hodgkinson’s neck right through to Saturday’s closing race.

Class C leader Jessandra II, Roland Dane’s Queensland Corby 36, has extended her points lead, now well clear of second on the scoresheet, Paul Mitchell’s Marsm 920 yacht Here’s Trouble.

All three classes are competing for the glory of being named 2012 Audi IRC Australian Champion. The ultimate winner of class A, B and C will take away a brand new North Sails Code 2 spinnaker emblazoned with the Audi IRC Australian Championship logo, the first time Audi has offered such a prize for the Championship.

Sailing yacht Hooligan and Shogun V - Photo by Andrea Francolini/AudiHOOLIGAN

Super multihulls
Sean Langman’s Team Australia is 2-1 up on arch rival, Simon Hull’s Team Vodafone, in the line honours and handicap stakes at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, the first time the two giant multihulls have gone nose to nose.

‘At the end of this week we’re aiming to be the fastest boat in the southern hemisphere…so far we are,’ said a delighted Langman this afternoon.

From the media boat, the day’s highlights included the two Orma 60s trimarans lighting up with hulls flying on the Whitsunday waters and the convergence of five TP52s and Living Doll at a mark rounding with only seconds and a few feet dividing them and delighting the trigger happy photographers.

The Mark Richard’s skippered superyacht Wild Oats XI breezed through today’s 30 nautical miles around Anne and Cole Islands then Denman Island and to the finish in Dent Passage off the stunning Hamilton Island Yacht Club.

‘Today was a fantastic test for the crew. We pushed the boat to its absolute limit and we are happy with how things are going in the lead up to the Rolex Sydney Hobart,’ said Richards of their end-of-year assault on the bluewater classic and attempt for a sixth line honours win.

‘We are being punished with our new rating in terms of corrected time,’ Richards added, referring to the fact there’s little chance of Bob Oatley’s supermaxi picking up the double of line honours and an overall race win this week.

Tomorrow is the Club Marine Classic Long Race for the Performance Racing, IRC classes and Super Multihulls with an early start, 9.15am for the first to go off the line. The cruising divisions will sail a shorter island course while the Melges and SB20s will continue their short course racing schedule.

All yachties and their families, plus regular island guests will have the honour of seeing Australia’s most successful Olympic sailing team up close when the Australian Sailing Team arrives at Hamilton Island tomorrow.

The sailors and their coaches are well known among the sailors from time spent sailing larger keelboats and there will be plenty of familiar faces among the crowd for tomorrow evening’s tickertape parade along Front Street before an autograph opportunity followed by the Henri Lloyd fashion parade.

A top shelf line up of Australia’s most spectacular grand prix sailing yachts gathered on the start line today to kick off their battle for Audi IRC Australian Championship supremacy.

TP52 yacht Shogun V and Georgia - Photo Credit: Andrea Francolini/AudiSHOGUN V

After yesterday’s unexpected day ashore for the IRC classes due to light winds, a building southeast breeze that peaked at 15 knots was a welcome change.

Bob Oatley’s super maxi yacht Wild Oats XI had the luxury of constant clear air, easy to arrange when there’s 98 feet of unrivalled power slicing through the Whitsunday waters and the nearest yacht is 66 feet with Buckleys of catching up.

Behind Wild Oats XI superyacht, which should finish with the perfect line honours scorecard, a monumental battle is going to play out in the ensuing days among the 50 to 66 footers for the all important handicap honours.

The yacht line up is incredible and the peppering of international talent equally so.

Rob Hanna’s TP52 yacht Shogun V, with Steve McConaghy calling tactics, has opened strongly with a first, second and fourth from three windward/leeward races on the eastern course area, to the south east of Hamilton Island, to be leading on handicap.

Months ago Shogun V struck trouble on the Brisbane to Gladstone race return when the boat was holed and began taking water. It spent eight weeks in Southport undergoing repairs, also having the bow strengthened during the pit stop, and is now contesting Race Week with skipper Hanna fresh from the London Olympics where his wife competed with the Australian equestrian team.

Geoff Ross’ lack of opportunity to go up against the other TP52s prior to Audi Hamilton Island Race Week wasn’t an issue with a handicap win for Yendys in the second race of the day and a second on the clubhouse leaderboard after three races.

‘We’ve done our homework, but we haven’t been matched up against anyone,’ said Ross going into the regatta. Ross and his crew, which includes helmsman Gavin Brady and bowman extraordinaire Morgan White, only took delivery of the boat just prior to last week’s Telecoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week.

Sailing yacht Yendys - Photo by Andrea Francolini/AudiYENDYS

Ross’ strength is he knows how to build a good team. He’s done it in business with his successful wealth management company and in sailing, including outright wins in Rolex Sydney Hobart and at Race Week with previous boat boats by the same name.

At Race Week the crew are ‘glued together by common elements’ says Ross, referring to the many combinations on board who have sailed together and against each other on other boats. That teamwork has got them at the right end of the scoresheet straight up.

In the Audi IRC Australian Championship class 2, the defending champion, Darryl Hodgkinson’s Beneteau 45 sailing yacht Victoire, narrowly leads Robbo Robertson’s Beneteau 40 Lunchtime Legend after three races.

In class C, Roland Dane’s Corby 36 yacht Jessandra II leads Andrew Hurt’s Onya and Here’s Trouble (Paul Mitchell) in third.

All divisions will split off again tomorrow, cruising, super multihulls and IRC classes will complete an island course to be decided by the race committee in the morning while Performance Racing 1 and 2 will have their turn at windward/leewards along with the Melges and SB20s.

It looks like Shaun Lane’s Race Week is over, his Hanse 400 yacht Ampersand dismasted at the start of Cruising division 2’s race when the forestay snapped.

The 29th annual Audi Hamilton Island Race Week saw a gentle start for the Cruising and Performance divisions as well as the super multihulls, which initiated the running of a 14 nautical mile race around Denman Island and run back to a Dent Passage finish.

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 Start - Photo Credit: Andrea Francolini/AudiFLEET

It’s been a long day for crews following a lengthy postponement this morning on the opening day of Race Week. By lunchtime the race committee was satisfied there was enough breeze to start all but the IRC classes on the western starting area to the north of Dent Island.

Gold medallist at the 2000 Olympic Games, Mark Turnbull, is coaching and calling tactics for a group of friends on the Beneteau First 40 called Iago, which has been chartered out of Sydney.

‘We had a quick beat to the island in a light nor’west wind and we had the tide with us. It was a slow run back pushing into 1-2 knots of current and 3-5 knots of wind.

‘Today was one of those days where it was about staying out of the wind shadow of the bigger boats and not getting caught up with anyone.

‘I’m sailing with a good bunch of mates and the day’s not judged on results, however I think we might have done OK,’ Turnbull added. Iago ultimately placed fourth behind Performance Racing divisional winner Paul Young’s Young Rebel, a Young 11 design, Ropabull and Kioni.

The super multihulls were last off and first over the line and Sean Langman, skipper of the Orma 60 trimaran yacht Team Australia, which was first home praised the race committee’s confidence in letting the two 60 foot speed machines wind their way through the fleet without incident.

ORMA 60 trimaran yacht Team Australia - Photo Credit: Andrea Francolini/AudiTEAM AUSTRALIA

Team Australia and Simon Hull’s Team Vodafone Sailing are near sisterships and the trans-Tasman rivalry is fierce. The score’s 1-0 to Australia after today’s effort, the first time the pair has met and the first time two Ormas have squared off in Australian waters.

‘Simon engaged us at the start so we played along then we got clean air and with our bigger mainsail we had the upwind edge,’ said Langman.

He reported a top wind speed of 8 knots and a top boat speed of 12 knots, demonstrating the efficiency of these radical designs.

PRO Denis Thompson received great support for the decision to hold the IRC boats back and while they could have had the day off, some mooched around the cruising start today then peeled off for some training.

Michael Hiatt’s Victorian Farr 55 Living Doll and Chris Hornell’s New Zealand TP52 yacht Kia Kaha found a sparring partner in each other while Stephen Ainsworth’s RP63 sailing yacht Loki, a former Audi Hamilton Island Race Week champion, prowled nearby.

Tomorrow’s schedule has the IRC classes racing windward/leewards on the eastern course area, first race due to kick off at 11am, while the performance, cruising, non-spinnaker and super multis will be sent on an island course to be decided in the morning.

The 2012 Audi IRC Australian Championship will be fought and won at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week this year, with three classes racing to achieve the title ‘Audi IRC Australian Champion’. The ultimate winner of class A, B as well as C will receive a brand new North Sails Code 2 spinnaker emblazoned with the Audi IRC Australian Championship logo.

Audi IRC Australian Championship - Photo by Andrea Francolini/AudiLOKI

The talent pool contesting this year’s championship is deep. Peter Harburg’s RP66 sailing yacht Black Jack hasn’t been off the podium in terms of handicap results this year and with a new rig, new sails and new instruments, ‘the whole package has been revamped’ says skipper Mark Bradford.

‘Previous Audi Race Weeks have been about dueling with Wild Oats X, this year it’s about time and a lower handicap rating. If the 50 footers get in a tangle and Loki does its own thing hopefully we can stretch our legs’.

With a second in the Audi Sydney Gold Coast and a divisional first in the Brisbane to Gladstone race, Bradford feels they are regatta ready. But he’s not getting ahead of himself in terms of predicting an outcome, noting ‘there’s a higher level of boat here’.

After a two year hiatus, Australian businessman Geoff Ross has gone to the trouble of chartering a TP52 from good mate Karl Kwok, renaming it Yendys in keeping with his previous boats, and assembling a top notch Australian and New Zealand crew to contest the Audi crown. Originally owned and raced by King Juan Carlos of Spain, this particular TP52’s hull is ‘fast and user friendly’ according to the helmsman, America’s Cup sailor Gavin Brady, who will share the wheel with Ross.

‘This boat was always our pick in terms of hull shape,’ said Brady on the marina yesterday after a training run, ‘it fits well with IRC and drives easily through the water’.

‘The Audi IRC Championship is the main reason we are here and we are anticipating an aggressive TP52 fleet with plenty of match racing action’, he added.

Given the formidable line up, coined the ‘all stars’, on Marcus Blackmore’s TP52 yacht Hooligan, there’s no doubting Blackmore’s intentions for back-to-back Race Week wins and the prestigious Audi IRC Australian Championship.

These are just a sprinkle of the big guns in IRC Class A, then there’s Shogun, Loki, Terra Firma and Living Doll, among others.

In the Audi IRC Australian Championship class B, Darryl Hodgkinson’s Victoire will face plenty of stiff competition from the Beneteau brotherhood, including Robbo Robertson’s Lunchtime Legend.

Peter Sorensen’s The Philosopher’s Club and Jessandra II will go head to head in Class C, both equally credentialed. Roland Dane’s Corby 36, Jessandra II from RQYS, is definitely up to the challenge having kicked goals at Sail Paradise and in the Brisbane to Keppel race, while Sorensen is a dual Audi IRC champion.

Of his chances Dane says, ‘Our upwind performance is good, downwind we aren’t as fast as the smaller boats so we are working on fixing this. Because it is a European boat it’s better suited for flat conditions, but it has been tuned for Australian waters.’

The new stand-alone format, which is endorsed by Yachting Australia, replaces the four part pointscore with one allowable drop and has been well-received by the sailing community. It has simplified the competition by creating a single event and opened the competition up to yacht owners and crews who were not able to attend three or four regattas throughout the year.

It means that boat owners will participate in one event and know the IRC champions immediately.

Yachting Australia is looking to rotate the event through different clubs in states to provide opportunities around the country each year.

Last night at Hamilton Island’s legendary Yacht Club saw the launch of the 29th annual Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, featuring an amazing fireworks display. Bob Oatley, an avid sailor as well as owner of Wild Oats XI superyacht, and Hamilton Island officially presented the week with a ceremonial raising of the flag assisted by naming rights sponsor, Audi Australia’s Managing Director, Uwe Hagen.

The 29th annual Audi Hamilton Island Race Week Welcome Party at the Yacht Club on August 17th - Photo by Belinda Rolland © 2012

Attending the prestigious launch event were distinguished guests and sailing’s elite including London 2012 Olympics gold medalist and national hero Tom Slingsby, John Bertrand AM, past IRC champion sailors Stephen Ainsworth and Marcus Blackmore, along with world-class sailors such as Peter ‘Billy’ Merrington, Robbie Naismith, Adrienne Cahalan, Mike Sanderson and Ryan Houston. Famous faces were also in the crowd including Asher Keddie, Mindy Woods, Angela Bishop, Paula Joye and others.

Bob’s eldest son and Chairman of Hamilton Island Enterprises, Sandy Oatley also attended the event with his daughter Nicky Tindill (nee Oatley), representing three generations of the Oatley family.

When speaking about the event, Bob said: ‘Each year our challenge is to make sure Audi Hamilton Island Race Week retains its identity as Australia’s premier regatta, and this year will be no exception’.

Fireworks display during the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2012 Welcome Party - Photo by Belinda Rolland © 2012

Described by many as one of the best sailing regattas in the world, the program includes categories for top-class racers ‘Grand Prix’, an IRC Passage class for modern fast-cruising yachts, performance racing and sports boat classes. There are also cruising, corporate, bareboat and non-spinnaker divisions.

This year, the Audi IRC Australian Championship will be fought and won at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Three categories will compete against their peers for the glory of being named Audi IRC Australian Champion for Class A, B and C. The championship is endorsed and scored by Yachting Australia. The winner of each class will win a brand new North Sails spinnaker which will be emblazoned with the Audi IRC Australian Championship logo.

Paired with an off-water social schedule of celebrity chefs, fashion shows, and glamorous parties that will appeal to the most discerning of tastes, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is the not-to-be-missed event on the international sailing calendar.