Looking back at the best ever Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

by Rob Mundle on 7 Sep 2009
Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. It started with a bang when spectacular fireworks arced through the night sky in celebration of the opening by the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, of the extraordinarily impressive Hamilton Island Yacht Club.

Then, over the ensuing week some 2000 sailors from a near record fleet of 194 yachts, plus their families and friends, enjoyed superb racing and a high-vibe social agenda that brought a new level of enjoyment to Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

At the end of it all, when sails were lowered for the last time, there as no doubt that the 26th edition of Race Week had everything – except the trademark tradewinds that are usually a feature of the regatta: but no one seemed to care.

When the yachts weren’t racing around the island-studded tropical waters of the Whitsundays there was plenty to be enjoyed beyond the legendary post-race camaraderie. There were fashion parades, the famous Moet & Chandon lunch, the Todd Woodbridge tennis clinic, dinners with culinary geniuses like Matt Moran and Shannon Bennett, even a ‘crab-fest’ dinner with none other than Andy Hillstrand, the captain of Time Bandit from the acclaimed international TV series, ‘Deadliest Catch’. All of these sell-out events contributed to Race Week taking on a refreshing and even more energetic persona this year.

Even greater impetus and appeal came to the week with the world class Hamilton Island Golf Club being opened so golfing yachties could enjoy a game on what is undoubtedly one of the most visually stunning and exciting courses in the world.

On the water the level of competition was exceptionally high and the racing remarkably close: the eventual winner in seven of the 11 divisions was not known until the end of racing on the final day. It was the same situation for the ‘Gunboat Trophy’ result in the IRC Grand Prix division.

This year’s regatta also confirmed that the Prix d’Elegance is now very much an integral part of AHIRW: the level of excellence for both the ‘Best Presented Yacht and Crew’, and the ‘Best Themed Yacht and Crew’ was unprecedented. In fact, the challenge between crews for the trophies was so intense that some are already planning their efforts for next year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

The final curtain came with the Gala Trophy Presentation Dinner which was attended by more than 700 Race Week enthusiasts. This night of fun and exceptional entertainment was capped when Australian supermodels, Kristy Hinze and Gail Elliott, took centre stage and presented the winners with their trophies.

Audi announced the winners of the two major prizes as part of the finale for the week: for the second time in three years Mooloolaba’s Rod Jones was named the winner of the Audi IRC Australian Championship with his Archambault A40rc design, Alegria – a result that delivered him an Audi A6 Quattro valued at $115,000. Audi also gave away another luxury vehicle, an A4 Avant, and it went to the winner of one of the Race Week divisions who competed in the Drive Challenge and scored the best time.

That proved to be Bruce Griffiths, from Melbourne, owner/skipper of Cruising Division 2 yacht, Silhouette. This win was the culmination of a hugely successful and happy week for Griffiths and his crew who were at Race Week to celebrate a series of 60th birthdays, including the owner’s. During the regatta they also won the $3000 Crown Lager putting competition at the golf course during Dent Island Party Day.

Owners from all states, plus New Zealand, appeared on the podium at the end of the week:

IRC Grand Prix Div 1: 1 Living Doll (Michael Hiatt, Vic); 2 Evolution Racing (Ray Roberts, NSW); 3 Wot Now (Graeme Wood, NSW)

IRC Grand Prix Div 2: 1 Alegria (Rod Jones, Qld); 2 Dekadence (Philip Coombs, Vic); 3 Two True Evolution (Andrew Saies, SA)

IRC Passage Div 1: 1 Balance (Paul Clitheroe, NSW); 2 Bluewater (Graham Jones, Qld); 3 Tulip (Bernie van’t Hof, NSW)

IRC Passage Div 2: 1 Aileron (Henk Welleman, Vic); 2 Alacrity (Matt Percy, Qld); 3 Local Hero (Peter Mosely, NSW)

IRC Invitational: 1 Ginger (Leslie Green, NSW); 2 Perpetual Mocean (Bruce Hogan, NSW); 3 You’re Hired (Andrew Banks, NSW)

Performance Racing Div 1: 1 Ishtar (Edward Earl, NSW); 2 Jive Talkin’ (Ray Haslar, NZ); 3 Goa (Colin Loel, Qld)

Performance Racing Div 2: 1 Wirrajurnd (Andy Kearnan, NSW); 2 Integrity (Andrew Stoeckel, NSW); 3 True Love (Roger Down, Qld)

Cruising Div 1: 1 Firefly (Dean Gillies, NSW); 2 Abracadabra (James Murchison, NSW); 3 Panacea (Peter Mcmorrow/David Buzzard, WA)

Cruising Div 2: 1 Silhouette (Bruce Griffiths, Vic); 2 Orion Blue (Nigel Curtis, NSW); On Location (Stephen Keal, Tas)

Cruising Div 3: 1 Fade 2 Grey (Jason Close, Vic); 2 No Regrets (Ian Billington, NSW); Rampallion (Roger Incledon, Vic)

Cruising Div Non-Spinnaker: 1 Oasis (David Keyes-Tilley, Vic); 2 Esprit (Garry Anderson, Vic); 3 Star Ferry (John Brand, Qld)

Gunboat Trophy - IRC Div 1: Wild Oats (Bob Oatley, NSW)
Gunboat Trophy – all other divs: Orion Blue (Nigel Curtis, NSW)

Full results are on the AHIRW website: www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2010 will be held from August 20-28, 2010

The yachties, families and friends did themselves proud when it came to consumption during Race Week. The round figures were: Two tonnes of bacon; 15,000 eggs; 3000 pizzas; 4000 pies; 10,000 sandwiches; 1500 serves of the famous ‘chicken chippies; 15,000 shots of rum; 25,000 schooners of beer; 7500 shots of Vodka; 2500 bottles of Wild Oats Wine and 4000 bottles of water!