It's Day 3 of 74 Islands Distillery Airlie Beach Race Week and conditions almost mirrored those of yesterday, although there were patches of 30 plus knot winds as competitors knuckled down and got into the groove after two earlier days of fresh winds that took some masterful crew work.
Fez, Pierre Gal's Stealth 12.6 from Coffs Harbour, competing in Multihull Racing Division 1, capsized today. All on board are fine.
The annual Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC) event has proved testing. For one boat the day didn't start well. The Performance Racing series leader, BKT Just A Minor Hick-Up (Ken Skovchristensen, Vic), or JAMHU as it is known colloquially, was holed in a pre-start incident with multiple boats involved and retired from the race.
Event Chairman, Terry Archer, who was racing G'Nome in Multihull Racing Division 2, said: "We retired. We were getting patches of 30 knots in the Molles Passage going upwind and decided it wasn't wise for us to continue and risk what could happen coming back downwind. Otherwise, the race had been very pleasant."
Archer has, unusually, not finished a race so far. G'Nome's main tore in different places on the first two days. ABRW Partner, Ullman Sails, was able to repair it in time for racing on both days. Others have reported the same – so thanks Ullman Sails!
Ray Martin did a Steve Bradbury, steered Beatrix to her second win today, the only boat in Multihull Division 2 to finish the race - which says something about the conditions.
Martin, who retains the series lead, confessed, "It was brutal. Essentially, we started with a light reach to the point before North Molle Island, where the wind hit like a freight train. And it was whistling. We saw Fez tip upside down and at that stage, the others in our division said, 'enough'. We assumed though, that they'd broken something, so we kept going.
"We got to the bottom of Denman Island, the most windward part of the course, where it was gusting 25-30 knots with big waves and we realised… too late. We just got around heading to White Rock when our main came crashing down. We did the rest of the race with a screecher and jib.
"We sailed back to Bluff and sailed the last three miles under jib only. We finished, but it was top end stuff, that's for sure," Martin said.
Ray Martin did a Steve Bradbury, steered Beatrix to her second win today, the only boat in Multihull Division 2 to finish the race - which says something about the conditions.
Martin, who retains the series lead, confessed, "It was brutal. Essentially, we started with a light reach to the point before North Molle Island, where the wind hit like a freight train. And it was whistling. We saw Fez tip upside down and at that stage, the others in our division said, 'enough'. We assumed though, that they'd broken something, so we kept going.
"We got to the bottom of Denman Island, the most windward part of the course, where it was gusting 25-30 knots with big waves and we realised… too late. We just got around heading to White Rock when our main came crashing down. We did the rest of the race with a screecher and jib.
"We sailed back to Bluff and sailed the last three miles under jib only. We finished, but it was top end stuff, that's for sure," Martin said.
Mal Robertson's Eureka II (Qld) scored a second to move into second place overall, while Stuart Tivey's Samurai (Qld) took third place.
In Division 2 , Richard Grant's Magellan took the win. Grant, from Tasmania, recently competed in the 5500nm Melbourne Osaka race with his daughter, Megan. James Permezel's Charm Offensive is the series leader after a second place today. Third in the race was Alan Stein's Ramble On from Fremantle in WA.
Division 3 went to Keith Masters' Windmaiden (NSW). "We're beside ourselves. I think the handicappers have done a marvellous job," Masters said, laughing about the fact they had finished 10th and ninth in the past two days. We were surprised to find ourselves the winners today.
"Where would you rather be, back home in the cold or here in 25 knots, salt spray in your face and sunshine. We've got new sails and we're still trying them out. We had a wonderful day though."
On the competition, Masters said, "This is the first time we've seen our competition, because we've been behind them till now!"
Second place went to Philip Cormie's Dreamtime Solutions (Vic) which has given them the series lead. Peter And David Warren's Seachelle 2 (Tas) was third.
Some great news for local, Trevor Hewitt, whose Fuzzy Logic lost her rudder on Day 1 while racing in the Sports Boat & Trailable Yachts division. A local found and kindly returned it looking none the worse than when it parted company with the boat.
IRC Rating Passage competitors sailed two windward/leeward races and once again, Team Hollywood (Ray Roberts, NSW) prevailed in both races thanks to a well-prepared boat and slick crew work.
Team Hollywood has a six point lead over Ponyo (David Currie, Vic) which scored a pair of second places. A further three points away is Annika and Ian Thomson's Ocean Crusaders J-Bird after they scored 5,3 results.
Principal Race Officer, Kevin Wilson, AP'd the VX One and Weta 4.4 trimarans this morning as the wind was in their upper limit range and was eventually forced to abandon their racing. All others raced and all starts were clear, except one division, which provoked an individual recall.
The IRC Rating Passage boats enjoyed a day of windward/leeward racing, while all three Cruising divisions and the Multihull Passage brigade were on a 22 nautical mile course taking in Hannah Point, Denman Island, Roma Point and Bluff. The Non-Spinnaker Cruising boats went on a similar but shortened course that also includes North Molle Island.
PHS Racing and Multihull Racing divisions took on a 26 nautical mile course with Hannah Point, Denman Island and White Rock in their sights. Finally, the Sports Boats & Trailable Yachts course was predominantly on Pioneer Bay but taking in Grimston.
It's lay day tomorrow. WSC has provided crews, their families and friends with multiple choices of ways to spend the day. There is the Cleanup Cruise with Ian and Annika Thomson from Ocean Crusaders - by booking only. It departs from WSC pontoon, so come along and help keep our racing waters pristine while exploring the northern islands.
Or come along to the Selden' Making Sailing Easy' - free coffee and talk by sailing guru, Jan' Clogs' Scholten at WSC.
Fancy a long relaxed lunch? Then the 74 Islands Distillery Long Lunch at Elementa – by booking only – is for you. Come back to WSC for the 3pm Battle of the Sailors. Teams of up to five will compete for fabulous prizes, including VIP entry to ABRW 2026 – and as the yachties would say, "Wear your best party frock".
Racing resumes on Tuesday and the weather forecast looks perfect after a day off. Light winds are predicted, a sure way to brush away the cobwebs.
For full results in all classes and divisions at 74 Islands Distillery Airlie Beach Race Week, please visit the ABRW Race Results page.
