6:40 AM Wed 21 Apr 2010 GMT
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'Speed to burn. Bob Oatley's Sydney Hobart race record holder, Wild Oats XI, will be at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2010.'
Andrea Francolini ©
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From the smallest to the largest - and plenty in between: that's the cross section of yachts that have already entered for Australia's premier keelboat regatta, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2010.
Already more than 30 yacht owners have registered for the spectacular event. It will be staged from August 20 to 28 on the tropical waters of Queensland's Whitsunday region where Hamilton Island stands as the centrepiece.
The entry list already reflects the incredibly wide range of racing being offered this year, and it also shows how far people are planning to travel to be at what is Australia's most awarded regatta. The smallest entry to date is the eight-metre long Lorna Rose Too, owned by Tasmanian Mike Wearne, and not far behind in the size stakes is Tony Horkings' Farr 30, Farrst One, from Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast.
Then, at the other end of the spectrum is the massive 50-metre long superyacht, Perseus, which will be taking in Race Week as part of an 18-month cruise through the Pacific. This will be the first time that Superyachts have competed at the regatta.
Another first will come at the Grand Prix level of racing this year: Hamilton Island's owner, Bob Oatley, has decided that for the first time he will have both his Sydney Hobart race record holder, the 30.2-metre long supermaxi Wild Oats XI, and the smaller Wild Oats X, at the series.
The first entry to be lodged came from Lake Macquarie yachtsman Noel Gough with his Northshore 38, Excapade: 'I had no option but to get the entry in as soon as they opened on-line,' said Gough. 'My crew has been at me during the entire summer season, wanting to make sure I'd committed to Race Week. So, the only way I could get them off my back was to enter as early as possible.
'This is my fourth Race Week. For us it's all about mates having fun both on the water and on shore. There's no regatta like it. You want for nothing. We can't wait to be there.'
by Rob Mundle
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