History

From a cannon fired by a Queensland Premier to record-breaking supermaxis, the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race has built nearly four decades of unforgettable offshore racing history.

SAILING - Audi Sydney-Southport 2011 - start in Sydney - 30/07/2011 - ph. Andrea Francolini/Audi
WILD OATS XI

How It All Began

The Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race was born in 1986, made possible by the opening of the Gold Coast Seaway, extensive harbour works by the Queensland Government that finally allowed deep-keeled yachts to enter the Broadwater from the Pacific Ocean. The driving force was the late Peter Rysdyk, supported by Peter Campbell, with Jupiters Casino signing on as the race's first sponsor.

The inaugural race was started by Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who fired the cannon to send 83 yachts north. Jack Rooklyn's famous maxi Apollo made history that day, claiming both line honours and overall, a rare double for a maxi yacht. The Overall Winner has since received the Peter Rysdyk Memorial Trophy in his honour.

A Race That Has Grown in Stature

Promoted as 'the great winter escape', the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is second only to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in status among CYCA offshore events. It is the opening race of the CYCA's Blue Water Pointscore season and a feeder to the popular northern Queensland regattas, attracting fleets of between 70 and 80 yachts each year from NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New Zealand. A record fleet of 86 boats took the start in 1997.

The race has also served as an important test bed for CYCA innovations — from handicap rating systems and safety rules to one-design divisions — many of which have gone on to shape the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

Legends of the Race

Some of Australia's most celebrated offshore sailors have left their mark on the Sydney Gold Coast. Bruce Staples and Witchcraft II remain the most successful combination in the race's history, recording a first, two seconds and three thirds across nearly a decade of competition. Brindabella, owned by George Snow, set the conventional yacht record of 27 hours 35 minutes in 1999, a mark that stood for 13 years until Wild Oats XI smashed it in 2012 with a blistering 22 hours 3 minutes in ideal downwind conditions.