Reputations on the line at Hamilton Island
Proud International yacht racing reputations will be placed on the line when a World standard fleet compete for the prestigious Audi Hamilton Island Race Week IRC championship trophy from August 22-30.
'Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2007'
Jack Atley©
The battle lines will be drawn off Hamilton Island tomorrow (Saturday) when the record fleet representing various high performance yachts from the International champion maxi and former Hamilton Island Race Week line honours champion Shockwave Club-Marine (Andrew Short) to slower yachts contesting the casual cruising class face the start for championship points in the Lindeman Island race.
A warm and pleasant 10-15 knot South East trade is expected to provide ideal sailing conditions for the Lindeman Island race before a robust 'Southerly Buster' with squalls to 30 knots promises to turn the regatta into a supreme 'torture test' of heavy wind sailing technique over the Whitsunday Island waters on Sunday.
This complex weather pattern will provide an exciting start to the 25th Anniversary regatta which has attracted former Olympians, Americas Cup sailors and Sydney Hobart Race winners in a duel for what promises to be the most exciting battle of sailing science and endurance ever staged in the history of this spectacular International regatta.
Size and sail power favours the Andrew Short skippered maxi Shockwave Club Marine to start as favourite to win the fastest yacht of the regatta trophy but this combination will have no margin for error with the super fast trio of maxi-chasers Wild Oats X (Mark Richards), Black Jack (Mark Bradford) and the Steven David skippered Admirals Cup champion Wild Joe possessing the capable crew skills and boat speed to cause an upset.
Special interest will focus on an Americas Cup type match race between the almost identical Wild Oats X and the new Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron challenger Black Jack.
Wild Oats X will have an edge in crew experience with Bob Oatley's Rolex Sydney-Hobart champions on board but the Black Jack crew will be race ready for a tactical 'dogfight' with skipper Mark Bradford pitching his 2008 Americas Cup racing skills against the proven long and short distance race winners on Wild Oats X.
by Ian Grant 
Karratha, WA
