78th Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race run in fast & demanding conditions
by Kerrin Schallmeiner 5 Apr 22:16 PDT
3-6 April 2026
The 78th Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race has wrapped up, delivering a fast and at times demanding race, in stark contrast to last year's light conditions. Boats were regularly pushing beyond 30 knots, particularly through Saturday afternoon and evening, with much of the fleet crossing the finish line during that time. The pace also came at a cost, with a number of breakages and electronic failures leading to retirements along the way.
Wild Thing 100 claimed Line Honours, taking out the Citizens of Gladstone Trophy, the Hoana Trophy and an Adina watch for the skipper. Wild Thing 100 finished on Saturday 4 April at 6.25am. With conditions favouring speed, there was strong interest in whether the current race record set by Black Jack in 2018 could be challenged, but it was not to be.
Skipper Grant Wharington said, "So we will just have to come back and give it another crack and not break anything next time. Call out to all 100 footers, come racing. Get here to do the Brisbane to Gladstone."
The IRC result came down to a nail biting decision following the disqualification of Courier Mail Cup contender Back to Black. After a protest hearing, Principal Race Officer Ross Chisholm confirmed the outcome.
"Back to Black sailed an absolutely fantastic race and really blitzed the fleet," he said. "They were not ready for the start and crossed at the wrong end of the line on the multihull start rather than the monohull start, which meant they were disqualified."
KERB ultimately claimed the IRC Courier Mail Cup after an outstanding performance in challenging conditions.
"We had a very cool race with an amazing team. We are all used to sailing against each other and know our strengths and weaknesses and it worked out pretty well for the race," Brett Whitbread said. "Adrenaline helps a lot too, and that feeling that maybe it is possible. We gave it a really red hot crack and were rewarded for a pretty cool race."
Other major divisional winners included the following:
- Multihull Line Honours: XL2, Lock Crowther Memorial Trophy
- Two Handed Line Honours and IRC Two Handed Division: Yachtshare Ignition
- ORCi Handicap Winner: M52 Thomas Borthwick Cup
- Cruising Division: Amaya II, Founders Trophy
- PHRF Vintage and Veteran Division: Maritimo Katwinchar, Ivan Holm Memorial Trophy
- PHRF Overall: KERB, Peter Holm Cup
- AMS Winner: Amaya II
- OMR Multihull Handicap Winner: MIYU
From seasoned offshore campaigners to first time entrants, the 2026 race again showed the depth and resilience of the fleet across the 308 nautical mile passage to Gladstone.
Queensland Cruising Yacht Club, hosts of the Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, would also like to thank the Port Curtis Sailing Club volunteers, who once again operated the finish line throughout the event, welcoming the fleet into Gladstone in all conditions.
The Club also extends its thanks to Gladstone Ports Corporation, naming rights partner of the race, and Gladstone Regional Council through Easter in Gladstone for their support, including the livestream of the race start.