Entries open for the Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race

On board AdvantEdge during the Three Hummock Island Yacht Race © AdvantEdge

Entries are now open for the Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race, now in its third year.

This year the race comes with something new: Port Dalrymple Yacht Club (PDYC) and the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV) have joined forces to launch the Bass Strait Cup, a new interstate trophy for offshore sailors.

The Cup will be awarded each year to the yacht with the best combined result across two very different offshore challenges — ORCV's Melbourne to Devonport Race, known as the Rudder Cup, and PDYC's Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race. Scores are worked out on a low-points system using ORCc ratings, so it rewards consistency and seamanship across both legs rather than just a fast day on the water. Any boat entered in both races is automatically in the running — there's no separate entry required.

The two races making up the Cup are:

• The Rudder Cup — ORCV's Melbourne to Devonport Race, one of the oldest ocean races in the world
• The Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race — starting at Inspection Head, Beauty Point, boats head out of the Tamar River and across the top of north-west Tasmania to Three Hummock Island, before returning to the Tamar

At 211 nautical miles and sailed under Category 2 offshore rules, the Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race is a genuine test of offshore sailing. It's also a navigator's race — boats must choose whether to round Three Hummock Island clockwise or anti-clockwise. The tides around the island make it a decision that sets this race apart from anything else on the Bass Strait calendar.

PDYC is a wholly volunteer-run club, and this partnership reflects that spirit — two clubs, both run by people giving up their own time, working together to bring Victorian and Tasmanian sailors together to race across the Strait.

To make the trip worthwhile, PDYC is offering free berthing for Victorian boats, along with a week of social events between the Rudder Cup finish and the start of the Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race — time to relax, swap stories, and get to know the Tamar before heading back out to sea.

Race dates:
Rudder Cup (Melbourne to Devonport) — Friday, 30 October 2026
Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race — Friday, 6 November 2026

In between:
Free berthing for Victorian boats, plus a week of PDYC social events for visiting crews.

Entries for the Project Maintenance Engineering Three Hummock Island Yacht Race are open now.

Enter online here