Champions of AHIRW

What an incredible week of racing this year’s AHIRW turned on for crews and spectators alike. With a record 252 yachts out on the water, it was a magnificent spectacle that again showed why AHIRW is the premiere yachting regatta in the country and indeed the southern hemisphere.

Although for many, just taking part was enough, there was no shortage of competition with some of the best sailors from Australia and overseas giving their all for the pride of winning such a prestigious regatta.
In the Rating Division A & B, the Karl Kwok and Team Beau Geste made it their third consecutive Australian Yachting Championship title, never letting up the pressure throughout the competition.

“Three in a row, the trilogy…. we are very lucky. The team worked hard,” said Kwok. On their hidden strength he reckons, “the core of the crew have been racing 52s for three sessions; Hamilton Island, Airlie Beach and before that some were on the Vespa 52 program in America. And all of us remember sailing here so well, we are no stranger.” 

Matt Allen’s TP52 Ichi Ban finished second to Kwok on IRC and Phil Turner’s RP66 Alive, sailing for Tasmania, won the ORCi series.

Rating B IRC winner Stephen Barlow and his crew on Barlow’s Farr 40 called Forty campaigned brilliantly to cement the IRC win from Peter Sorensen and Botany Access Cocomo, while Craig Neil’s JV42 Elena Nova won the ORCi top prize in Rating division B.

Ray Roberts’ chartered Sydney 38 Team Hollywood aced the Rating Passage series, winning from Rob Date’s refurbished Victorian Adams 10, Scarlet Runner, by four points under IRC and also taking out the ORCi first place. 

Canberra sailor Matt Owen’s extraordinary success at Audi Race Week over the years continued with yet another division win, this time in the Racer Cruiser category, giving him back-to-back national titles at Hamilton Island where he escapes each August from the ACT’s winter chill.

This year Owen skippered the Southport based Sydney 32 called Onyx on behalf of its owners, the Hutcheson family. 

“They are long-time family friends and we are very proud they let us punters from Canberra use their boat,” Owen said. “We showed them what their boat can do.”

Simon Hull’s foiling GC32 Frank Racing dominated the inaugural Multihull Racing championship division and despite electing not to race in Saturday’s fresh conditions, the Kiwi team took the inaugural Multihull Racing Australian championship title home to New Zealand.

“We are thrilled to take out the championship,” Hull said of the performance. “I think the standard of racing among the high-performance multis has been very impressive – it was a fiercely fought championship. The conditions played into our hands, they were good foiling days other than today, which would have been pretty severe.”

Second was George Owen’s Grainger 10, APC Mad Max, and third Chris William’s Lombard Tri, Morticia.

Summing up this year’s Australian Yachting Championship, president of the national body Australian Sailing and competitor Matt Allen said, “Hamilton Island has again delivered a wonderful week of racing, a mix of challenging courses and strong currents which always tests the crews.  Our thanks to Glenn Bourke and his team who ensured a great week for everyone.
"It has also been a fantastic celebration of sailing with the Australian Sailing Team joining us on their return from Rio. They have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome they received from the sailing community.”

An outstanding result from all who took part and another milestone reached in an extraordinary regatta. Congratulations to all.

A full list of race results can be found here.