Mooloolaba 200 sailing challenge preview

© SW

Mooloolaba Yacht Club, in partnership with Oceanburo, will be bringing in the top sailors on the picturesque beaches of Queensland for two days of pulsating short course and offshore racing at the inaugural Audi Centre Sunshine Coast Mooloolaba 200 sailing challenge on October 5-6, 2013.

Mooloolaba will be the only place to race for offshore and cruising yachts, sports boats and trailer sailors on the October long weekend.

Mooloolaba Yacht Club and Oceanburo have partnered to organise the inaugural Audi Centre Sunshine Coast Mooloolaba 200 sailing challenge. The first event will be held on the fifth and October 6th 2013.

The Mooloolaba 200 is a weekend of offshore racing for IRC/PHRF yachts and Performance Multihulls, and short course racing for cruising yachts and cruising Multihulls, Sportboats, Trailable yachts and SB20s.

Audi Centre Sunshine Coast’s dealer principal, Scott Carse, said, 'This is a significant idea and will not only fill a need in the offshore racing calendar in south-east Queensland, but will also enhance sailing at Mooloolaba and benefit the local community. We are proud to be the Principal Partner of the event and look forward to its success.'

The signature race of the Audi Centre Sunshine Coast Mooloolaba 200 is designed for IRC / PHRF yachts and Performance Multihulls. It will offer a 200 nautical mile course set to test different points of sailing and present tactical opportunities.

The race track heads north from Mooloolaba via Mudjimba Island and into Noosa’s Laguna Bay, then to Wolf Rock just off Double Island Point before turning south-east for the long leg to Flinders Reef. From there the fleet take a zig-zag course heading west to the outer Gneerings just off Mooloolaba Bay, then back into the coast to Caloundra before heading east again for the penultimate leg out to Flinders Reef and then the final westerly leg home to the finish off Mooloolaba in front of the busy tourist Esplanade.

For the smaller boats the AUDI Sunshine Coast Mooloolaba 200 offers less demanding distances, but still competitive racing. On Saturday October 5th the sports boats, SB20s and Cruising divisions will race 40 nautical miles north to Noosa and back to Mooloolaba in the Laguna Bay Challenge. Then on Sunday the Cruising Division will have a short passage race in Mooloolaba Bay while the Sports Boats will complete nearby in several races on a windward/leeward course.

Mooloolaba Yacht Club’s Commodore, Tracey Johnstone, is pleased to see the return of a major ocean race to the club’s racing calendar. 'It has been some time since we have been able to offer an offshore event of this nature. With the support of Rod Jones and his Oceanburo team, who are responsible for the management of the event, we expect to see entries from north as far as Airlie Beach and south as far as Sydney.

'Including sports boats and cruising yachts in the weekend event ensures those keen sailors know they are a welcome part of this exciting sailing challenge without them having to find a boat to race offshore.

'Considering Mooloolaba has loads of accommodation options and stunning beaches, along with Mooloolaba 200’s serious racing schedule and a lively social program, we expect to welcome quite a few new and returning sailing visitors and their family and supporters.'
Mooloolaba Yacht Club website