5th Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race 2011 - Only 24 days to go

by Suellen Hurling on 13 Jul 2011 Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race 2011 is a 348 nautical mile race starting just east of Green Island on Brisbane's beautiful Moreton Bay and finishes at Keppel Bay Marina.

Only 24 days to go until the start of the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race! The signature offshore race of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is now in its fifth year and starts on Friday 5th August at 12 noon.

So far 30 yachts, including Bob Oatley’s high profile Wild Oats XI, have entered the race which will take the sailors north from Manly in Brisbane and along the glorious Queensland coast, past Lady Elliott Island then onto Keppel Bay finishing just outside the marina.

Back for a second year is Peter Millard and his 30m sloop Lahana who in the 2010 race secured a new record of 27 hours, 11 minutes and 22 seconds. Last years close finish between Lahana and Oatley’s smaller yacht Wild Oats X provided a photo finish for spectators watching from both the Keppel Bay Marina break wall and virtually from the race website. The Yellow Brick trackers settings were changed 15 miles from the finish line to update every 10 seconds allowing online viewers to watch Lahana and Wild Oats X cross the line just 22 seconds apart.

Yellow Brick trackers will be used again this year and have proven to be a reliable and accurate system. The easy to install units will be shipped from the United Kingdom to RQYS later this month.

Five Farr 30 yachts have entered this year’s race including current Australian Champion Chris Tyquin onboard GOA.

'It’s just so exciting to have five Farr 30’s racing to Keppel this year,' said Tyquin.

'For a small class it’s great to have such active sailors in the fleet. There will definitely be some competitive racing amongst us,' continued Tyquin.

RQYS Commodore Greg Clarke will also be racing to Keppel, this year onboard the Ken Down owned and skippered Farr 40, Bribie Star.

'The best thing about this race is the close competitiveness amongst the fleet. The big boats head on their way but it’s the 30-40 footers that really can appreciate the offshore racing experience. The lead will change constantly and that’s what makes it so great to be a part of,' said Clarke.

'The Brisbane to Keppel race is also the best opportunity for whale watching! The sunsets and sunrises are just astounding and it’s great to be on the water in that environment with friends.

'The Squadron (RQYS) identified this race as our signature offshore event over five years ago now and it’s great to see the event gain momentum as time has gone by,' continued Clarke.

For more information on the Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race, or to enter, log onto the Brisbane to Keppel Yacht Race website