#NSVICTORYLIST: HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK 2019

Sun, Wind and Wins at Australia’s Largest Offshore Keelboat Regatta

Hamilton Island Race Week just completed its second-largest event in the race’s history, and both conditions and results were a sailor’s dream. 235 boats enjoyed several days of 25+ knots, and the race committee delivered a huge variety of courses over the six-day event. Our local team of certified service experts were kept busy all week, with over 100 sails repaired during the regatta.

North clients controlled the scoreboard of this multi-class regatta, particularity in IRC where all classes were won with full North inventories. Marcus Blackmore’s TP52 Hooligan with North expert Rob Greenhalgh onboard also won boat of the week after their IRC 1 class victory.

Wild Oats X was the winner in the Gunboat Trophy for the boat who collected the most line honors during the week.

Racing within the five PHS classes was close. John and Kim Clinton’s Holy Cow won PHS Yellow. And speaking of close, Holy Cow’s new gennaker was finished the day before the regatta and hand-delivered to Hamilton Island by Australian sales manager Alby Pratt. That’s North Sails support at its best!

In the PHS pink Robert Green and the crew on Dream where the winners in a tight contest over Greg Glesson aboard Virago II with both boats using 3Di Endurance sails.

North Sails multihull expert Ben Kelly was sailing on the Extreme40 Boatworks and says Hamilton Island Race week was some of the best multihull sailing he’s seen in Australia. “We had extreme conditions that push our limits. Karl Kwok on Beau Geste showed the power of his Mod 70 and regularly hit 40 knots. The local Extreme 40 class is looking strong, and we’re hoping to see more multis on the line next year.”