Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 Day 3 - Full Send in the Southerly
by Hamilton Island Race Week 19 Aug 00:09 UTC
15-22 August 2026
HIRW 2026 - D3 © Salty Dingo
Day three of Hamilton Island Race Week presented by American Express delivered the full Whitsundays racing experience, with more big breeze, passing rain squalls and plenty of ups and downs as the fleet charged into the Nautilus Marine Classic races.
The spectacular procession north from Dent Passage quickly became an action-packed test of crews and equipment, as shifting visibility and fresh trade winds kept more than 1,200 sailors on the edge of their gunwales for most of the day.
The mix of courses across divisions served up intersections, crosses and action. There were battles throughout all the way around the course and back into Dent Passage to the finish line.
Sandy Oatley’s Wild Oats X broke through for its first IRC win of the week in Rating Division 1 by a decisive 6 minute margin on corrected time, ahead of Mark Spring’s Highly Sprung and Lee Hawksley’s Gusto.
Wild Oats X navigator Alice Tarnawski described today’s Nautilus Marine Classic Race as one of her most enjoyable days on the water.
“Today was awesome. It was one of the most fun days of sailing I’ve ever had,” Tarnawski said.
“We had a ripping start down Dent Passage, raced all the way up to the rock to the south and then sent it home under spinnaker. It was a wet, windy and wild run, and just so much fun.”
“We love it when it is windy. These are the conditions Wild Oats X performs well in, especially when we’re racing against highly competitive 52-foot boats.”
Highly Sprung continued its impressive consistency, taking a third consecutive TPR victory to remain undefeated and retain the overall lead. The team also leads the IRC standings after three races, with Gusto sitting second overall under both rating systems.
In Rating Division 2, Bruce McCraken’s IKON maintained a perfect scorecard, claiming its third consecutive IRC victory to lead the division overall.
Seeking Alpha recorded its best result of the week with second place, while Paul Arns and Geoff Bishop’s Obsession finished third to retain second overall, one point ahead of Seeking Alpha.
Team Hollywood maintained its perfect IRC scorecard in Super 40+, with Raymond Roberts’ crew claiming a third consecutive victory to lead the division overall. Black Sparrow finished second on IRC, with FOMO third and holding second overall.
Under SFR, Peter Higgins’ Black Sparrow secured its second consecutive win to strengthen its overall lead. Team Hollywood placed second to move into second overall, while Touche42 completed the day’s top three.
In Hamilton Island Blue, Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing 100 claimed its second consecutive win to move into the overall lead, just one point ahead of Walter Carpenter’s consistently performing Caol Ila.
David Gotze’s Triton finished third for its best result since the opening day, moving level on points with third-placed Viva La Vida in the overall standings.
Hamilton Island Pink delivered another shake-up, with Mark Beale’s Bobby’s Girl bouncing back from a difficult opening two days to claim the Race 3 win. Cam Rae’s Crusader finished second, with John Whitbread’s KERB third.
Wayne Millar’s ZOE retains the overall lead by just one point from KERB, with Phoenix49 another point behind in third as the battle at the top continues to tighten.
Hamilton Island Yellow produced plenty of movement, with Scott Robertson’s Banter rebounding from sixth place yesterday to claim the Race 3 win. Danielle Fraser’s Jac Hoi also staged a strong comeback to finish second, while Cyan Moon secured third after two 13th-place results.
James Ohare’s Stratacare Racing Bluebottle remains the overall leader, three points clear of Banter, with 51st Project one point further back in third.
Hamilton Island Orange delivered the day’s biggest game of snakes and ladders. Derek Minihane’s Impulse claimed the win to jump from fourth into the overall lead, tied on 12 points with Tim Lewis and Jim Milledge’s Charm Offensive, which finished third today.
Paul King’s Nautilass bounced back from 10th to finish second and now sits just one point off the lead, while yesterday’s winner Calendar Girl slipped to 12th and dropped to sixth overall. With three different winners from three races, Orange remains wide open.
Carl Nicholls’ Bonaventure claimed the win in Hamilton Island Green, with Minnow bouncing back from ninth yesterday to take second ahead of Neil Young’s Carbontest.au.
Carbontest.au remains the overall leader after three consistently strong results, three points clear of Bonaventure, with Andrew McConaghy’s Dragonfly holding third.
In Non-Spinnaker Black and White, Renee Cordingley’s Bella Due made it two wins from two races to lead the division overall. Mark Miller’s Namadgi 3 finished second to move into second overall on countback from Me & Mrs Jones, which placed third.
Non-Spinnaker Grey delivered a dramatic turnaround for Joan Ellen, with Jack Hennessy’s crew bouncing back from a retirement yesterday to claim today’s win. Bill Barry-Cotter’s Maritimo 100 recorded a second consecutive second place to take the overall lead, while Firefox finished third.
Terry Robinson’s Miyu continued its strong run in Multihull Racing, taking the Race 3 win on OMR and finishing second on EHC. The result keeps Miyu at the top of both overall standings after three races.
Gordon Beath’s Roamance claimed the day’s EHC victory and placed third on OMR, moving into second overall on EHC, while Graham Catley’s CAT+ION sits second overall on OMR.
In Hamilton Island Multihull Black, Daniel Seldon’s Quantum claimed the Race 3 win to draw level with The Straycat at the top of the overall standings.
John Clifford’s Zikomo finished second and sits third overall, while Ocean Serenity completed the day’s top three. Bruce McKay’s The Straycat retains the overall lead on countback despite finishing fourth today.
Hamilton Island Multihull White delivered another major reshuffle, with Matthew Caldwell’s Quickstep bouncing back from eighth yesterday to claim the Race 3 win. Mick Hodgins’ Tao finished second, with Kevin Lord’s Vivacious third.
Despite placing sixth today, Stephen Leonard’s Sea Dragon retains the overall lead on countback from Andrew Bruce’s Fruition, with Tao just one point behind in third.
At the halfway point of the regatta, some teams will spend tomorrow’s lay day looking to maintain their momentum, while others search for the answers that could turn their week around on the water. Ashore, however, the Race Week fun is already operating at full capacity, with Front Street entertainment rolling into the night before tomorrow’s Balter Cerveza Lay Day Beach Party takes centre stage.
Across the 17 divisions there are no certainties meaning the action will be continuing until the last day’s racing on Saturday 22 August.
Results are available daily here.
All Race Week details are available at HIRW