News & Events

Cruising boats such as Eve, Vanilla 2 and White Swan are providing the glamour at Airlie Beach Race Week, the multihulls and today’s weather are the glitz factor, and in fact the entire 114 entries put on a stunning show in the Whitsunday Sailing Club’s (WSC) event today.

It’s Day 3 at Airlie Beach Race Week and a breeze of up to 15 knots is on the horizon at the Whitsunday Sailing Club’s 2019 event, which plays into the hands of the sports boats where winning is just about winning, it’s all about family pride, with six of the ten entries chockablock with family talent on board.

Pioneer Bay provided the perfect opportunity for sailors, photographers and spectators on Day 2 of 2019 Airlie Beach Race Week (ABRW), with Whitsunday Sailing Club officials decreeing all classes sail on the Bay, resulting in a mass of colour around the course.

While south of the border the weather is anything but warm and sunny, competitors at Airlie Beach Race Week Festival of Sails 2019 are being spoilt rotten with warm sunny waters and a light breeze – and more of the same is on the cards for Day 2.

Racing was delayed for a couple of hours, but finally got underway at the Whitsunday Sailing Club’s 2019 Airlie Beach Race Week, with 5 knots starting the day off and the entire fleet headed from Pioneer Bay and up past Double Cone Island, conditions peaking at 12 knots before dying out again.

Fast forward nine days to 8 August, and it will be on for young and old at Airlie Beach Race Week Festival of Sailing, Whitsunday Sailing Club’s (WSC) signature event, which continues to bring more tourists to the region than any other major event on the calendar.

Whitsunday sailor Rupert King is the 100thentrant to the 2019 Airlie Beach Race Week, with his performance cruiser Overdrive. Deciding he was “over” driving, the former truck driver built the Richard Edlin-designed 10.6 metre trimaran after falling in love with her sister ship.

Entries across all classes and division are shaping up well for Airlie Beach Race Week Festival of Sailing as the organiser, Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC), announced the winner of the early entries prize draw which offered the full value of the event’s entry fee in food and drink vouchers at the Club.

The Airlie Beach Race Week organising committee is saddened to report that long time Race Director, Denis Thompson, has withdrawn from this year’s event due to personal health issues.