The Great Race - Date set for Australia's unique sailing challenge

by Rob Mundle on 12 Aug 2011 The Great Race is organised by Southport Yacht Club and will be staged on the Gold Coast on 25 February 2012. This event is Australia’s most unique and exciting sailing challenge for off-the-beach dinghies and catamarans.

This highly entertaining and equally testing 70 kilometre marathon is possibly the longest and most challenging event of its kind in Australia. It takes the fleet on a journey north from the Gold Coast, first through the meandering channels of the Broadwater, then across Moreton Bay to the finish at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly.

This is a race where the competition is as fierce as it is fun from start to finish. Initially the scenic, narrow and twisting waterways between the mainland and the Broadwater islands test competitors’ boat handling skills, then the wide open waters of Moreton Bay call for tactics and speed.

This is the eighth time The Great Race has been staged and organisers at Southport Yacht Club are hoping for a fleet of more than 100 boats from throughout Queensland and interstate. The current race record is 2hrs 57m 18s for multihulls and 3hrs 44m 48s for monohulls. The majority of the fleet usually takes between four and six hours to complete the course.

The chosen date for the race has favourable tidal conditions for much of the day. Entries are open to all off-the-beach dinghies with a yardstick rating less than or equal to 109, and all off-the-beach multihulls with yardstick no higher than 100.

A fun social agenda is also being planned around the race.

To enter click here.

For more information contact the Southport Yacht Club’s Sailing Manager, Shane Smith by phone (07) 5537 7030 or Southport Yacht Club website