30th Audi Hamilton Island Race Week - Last minute chance to charter

by Rob Mundle on 30 Jul 2013 It's not too late to get your crew together and compete in the 30th Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, which will be contested on the tropical waters of the Whitsundays from August 17 to 24.

You don’t even need to have your yacht there! You just need to get a crew together, pack your bags, and fly to Australia’s most popular tropical island resort – Hamilton Island.

Most importantly, you will enjoy some remarkable racing on the Whitsunday Passage and around a string of uninhabited tropical islands, and be in the thick of all the post-race party action on shore.

This exceptional, last-minute opportunity has emerged because of the recent inclusion of a multihull division at this year’s regatta. Yacht charter specialists, Sunsail, based at Hamilton Island, have a fleet of well-presented Leopard catamarans race-ready and waiting at the island. They range from the Leopard 384 through to the 14-metre Leopard 464, and can carry between eight and 12 crew. Anyone interested need only contact Sunsail at Hamilton Island and book the yacht of your choice.

The impressive fleet for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2013 is expected to climb beyond 150 this week. Among the most recent entries are the 30-metre supermaxis, Wild Thing (Kelly Mathews), and Bob Oatley’s Rolex Sydney Hobart race record holder, Wild Oats XI. Wild Thing claimed line honours in this week’s 384 nautical mile Sydney-Gold Coast race, so will go to Hamilton Island looking forward to a showdown with Wild Oats XI.

Apart from the vibrant party and entertainment schedule that has been specially created for this year’s milestone regatta, there will be a highly entertaining and educational Sailors’ Forum where Australian Olympic Gold Medallists, and Audi ambassadors, Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page, will join the world’s fastest man under sail, Paul Larsen – also an Australian – and tell of their exploits.

The Notice of Race, including the entry form, are posted on the Hamilton Island Race Week website