Titoki's Sydney Hobart campaign kicks off with Noakes Sydney Gold Coast
by Cruising Yacht Club of Australia 15 Jun 03:10 PDT
25 July 2026
Titoki © Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
In 2025, Tim Binns and his partner Frances Beaumont blocked out their calendar for the next three years. They were set to complete the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in the Double Handed division, knock down and rebuild their recently purchased Newcastle home in 2026, then head off on a cruising adventure on board Binns' Farr 11.6 Titoki in 2027.
But Binns and Beaumont's well-laid plans were derailed early on when they were forced to retire from the Sydney Hobart. "Frustrating problems as opposed to critical problems", from running rigging issues to water leaks, led to them to pull the plug on the 628 nautical mile race.
Binns, who relocated from Sydney to Lake Macquarie several years ago, reflected upon the main reason for the myriad issues: "We hadn't had a chance to do a proper shakedown in a difficult offshore race with the boat, and I think that kind of showed," he said.
The couple, both retired Logistic Managers in the Royal Australian Navy, have spent the first six months of 2026 preparing the 46-year-old yacht for offshore sailing, with a fresh approach to this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart. This has pushed out the knock-down and rebuild to 2027, with the cruising adventure slotted in for 2028.
The first major race on Binns and Beaumont's mission to make it to Hobart is the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race in July. They are feeling quietly confident ahead of the 384 nautical mile passage.
"We're looking forward to a boat that's probably a bit better sorted out than it was when we were doing the lead up races to the Sydney Hobart last year," Binns said.
From zero sailing experience to Sydney Hobart competitor
Binns and Beaumont met at work in the 1990s, where they became friends. They reconnected through work in 2015 and again in 2020, but it wasn't until 2022 that their friendship bloomed into a romantic partnership.
Binns has sailed on and off out of Sydney since the 1980s, and he bought Titoki in 2018. Over the years, he has competed in offshore races on fully-crewed boats, including the Sydney Hobart and Sydney Gold Coast, but stepped back in the early 2000s due to family commitments.
Beaumont had little sailing experience before 2022, except for a stint on a Taser dinghy during her Navy entry training in 1989. The Canberran learnt the ropes when she joined Binns on Titoki for Lake Macquarie races shortly after they started dating in 2022 and hasn't looked back since.
"Needless to say, I got hooked," Beaumont said.
Beaumont built upon her experience by enrolling in every sailing course she could find, while also clocking time on board Titoki and Michael Trask's Sydney 38 Challenge.
In the past few years, the couple have built up a strong offshore sailing dynamic.
"I really enjoy sailing double handed because I know the boat like the back of my hand, and Tim and I work well together," Beaumont said.
Who does what on board Titoki
While Binns steers the boat off the start line and takes charge of the more "technical" side of things during races, Beaumont shares steering duties once offshore and serves as navigator for all their races.
The couple credit their shared Navy background for keeping a tight ship offshore.
"Working in a military environment, you can't have too many disagreements. You've got to decide a course of action and undertake it," Binns said. "We bring a bit of that to our sailing as well, where we may have a difference of opinion on what we should do, but once a decision is made, we both just work at it without being too precious about the whole thing."
Noakes Sydney Gold Coast race goals
Although the couple know Titoki will face challenges against newer, lighter double handed yachts in the Sydney Gold Coast fleet, they feel there might be chances to improve their position, particularly when the breeze is up and on the beam.
"If we sail a good race and finish, then there's half a chance we might do okay in the placings, if luck has been with us," Binns said.
Their main goal is to get more offshore miles under their belts in preparation for their cruising adventure, with the destination yet to be decided.
"Ultimately we want to go cruising, and putting the boat in an offshore race is a good way to test it," Binns said.
Whatever the results, Binns and Beaumont, are stoked to be part of the offshore racing community.
"It doesn't matter if you're the first one to finish or the last one to finish the Hobart or Sydney Gold Coast, there's that lovely sense of community," Beaumont said. "You're just one of the gang, and I think that was the thing that most surprised us - because we feel like we belong, we want to keep doing it."
Entries for the 2026 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race close on Friday 10 July and the race starts on Saturday 25 July. Enter here