Airlie Beach Race Week 2014 - First to enter start line crowded

by Tracey Johnstone on 18 Mar 2014 Airlie Beach Race Week 2014 - Last Friday’s opening of entry to the 25th anniversary Airlie Beach Race Week bought a burst of activity to the event website with 10 entries on the front start line.

This year’s regatta is being held from the eighth to 15th August with nine divisions open for entry.

In the big boat IRC Racing fleet, probably the smallest of the boats to compete in this division was the first to enter. Gary McCarthy’s Beneteau 34.7 Brilliant Pearl, from Mooloolaba Yacht Club, took pole position. He is looking to better his previous two year’s results which had him on the podium, but not in first place.

The Performance Racing division welcomes Walter Lewin’s Farr 400 Vento, from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, as its first entry. Lewin has rebranded his Ichi Ban which he had in partnership with Matt Allen and will contest the 25th anniversary regatta under the new livery while Allen races his new and bigger Ichi Ban in the IRC Racing division.

In the Cruising fleet it looks like a tie for first across the line with five entries vying for the honours. Paul Lindemann’s Biddy Hu II from Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Bill Hopton’s Mistery from Mackay Yacht Club, Doug Ryan’s Shazam from Port Dalrymple Yacht Club join local entries David Molloy’s Condor and Jeff Shipsey’s Sunrise. However, on further investigation, there is actually one entry which had better boat speed in the First to Enter race. Whitsunday Sailing Club’s Sailing Development Officer, Tim Parker, has confirmed that Biddy Hu II was first across the line.

The Cruising Non-Spinnaker division has one entry to date; Phil Hall’s Delphia 40, Rea. Hall comes from Rockingham’s The Cruising Yacht Club in West Australia.

Rea is new acquisition for Hall. He purchased the boat in Newcastle, New South Wales, and is gradually moving it up the east coast and then around the top and towards his home town. Before he leaves the East Coast Hall is looking forward to racing in the Airlie Beach Race Week with a crew of family and friends.

'We have been over and chartered boats in Airlie Beach before and one year we did that while the event was on. It appealed to me. So, I thought, it works for me and I will be in that area at the time,' Hall said.

Many more entries in this fun division are expected.

Jason Ruckert’s Mister Magoo leads the entries for the Sports Boats with John Rae Vivace not far behind. This division is still expecting a solid 15 plus entries.

The monohulls have shown up the multihulls with the multihulls a surprising absentee from the early entry list, so far. Airlie Beach Race Week normally attracts a big fleet of Multihull Racing and Multihull Cruising entries. This year’s event is expected to welcome the same level of interest.
Entries close Friday 1st August 2014.

Event website: click here